Kaunas Priest Seminary (Lithuanian:Kauno kunigų seminarija) is the largest seminary inLithuania serving theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Kaunas. It is part of the Faculty ofTheology ofVytautas Magnus University. Its current rector isAurelijus Žukauskas. As of 2007, the seminary had 35 students. It traces its history to 1622.
TheDiocese of Samogitia did not have its own school for priests. Therefore,Bishops of Samogitia sponsored students at theJesuit Academy in Vilnius, which was established in 1570. In 1622, BishopStanisław Kiszka decided to sponsor a separate seminary inVarniai, the seat of the diocese. In 1628, the seminary moved toKražiai where it shared premises with theJesuitKražiai College until 1745. BishopAntanas Domininkas Tiškevičius [lt] decided to move the seminary back to Varniai. There he built a brick house dedicated to the seminary's needs. From 1850 to 1862, 333 men were ordained as priests. In 1862, the seminary had 120 students.[1]
After theJanuary Uprising of 1863, the seat of BishopMotiejus Valančius was moved from Varniai toKaunas on December 3, 1864. The Seminary was offered the monastery ofCistercians andSt. George Church in Kaunas. From 1863 to 1870 the seminary's capacity was limited, since officials of theRussian Empire did not permit new enrollments.
The Kaunas Priest Seminary was one of the centers of theLithuanian National Revival during theRussification era.[2]Antanas Baranauskas taught there for some time, initiating lectures using theLithuanian language.[2] Many of its students were active in Lithuanianbook smuggling. In 1884 its students began printingLietuva, a Lithuanian-language newspaper, edited byAdomas Jakštas [lt].[2] Fearing persecution by the Tsarist authorities, seminary leaders closed the newspaper. In 1888 a secret Lithuanian society was established, which was transformed into theSt. Casimir Society in 1889. In 1892Maironis was appointed a professor there and this move had a major impact on usage of the Lithuanian language. After Maironis left forSt. Petersburg, Adomas Dambrauskas-Jakštas was appointed as the chaplain and continued Maironis' work. In 1909 Maironis was appointed as the rector of the seminary. At that time the seminary was completely Lithuanian.
DuringWorld War I, the seminary moved toVašuokėnai estate nearTroškūnai and the building in Kaunas was converted to a military hospital. Between 1926 and 1940, 3,078 students graduated from the Seminary. AfterLithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union, all other priest seminaries in Lithuania were closed. The number of students was at first limited to 150; the limit gradually decreased to 25. Most of the seminary buildings were confiscated; the Church of the Holy Trinity was turned into a warehouse; a library containing some 90,000 volumes was destroyed; and many priests weredeported to Siberia. Between 1945 and 1981, 428 priests graduated. After Lithuania declared independence in 1990, the seminary reacquired its former buildings, which were restored before the visit ofPope John Paul II in 1993.
The seminary's current program consists of five years of undergraduate studies beginning with preparatory courses inŠiluva. Its graduates receive a degree from theVytautas Magnus University, where they may pursue graduate and post-graduate studies. Its curriculum aims to develop students' spirituality, humanism, and intellectual abilities, and prepare them for pastoral duties.
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