University of Saint Mary of the Lake

The University of Saint Mary of the Lake is a private Catholic seminary located in Mundelein, Illinois. Chartered in 1844, it serves as the principal seminary and school of theology for the Archdiocese of Chicago. Often referred to as Mundelein Seminary, the institution prepares candidates for the Catholic priesthood and offers graduate-level theological education through its Mundelein Seminary division and the Pontifical Faculty of Theology. It also includes the School of Parish Leadership and Evangelization, which provides formation and academic programs for clergy and lay leaders. The university attracts seminarians from dioceses across the United States and internationally, as well as lay students seeking advanced study in theology, pastoral ministry, and related fields.

The University of Saint Mary of the Lake was chartered in 1844 by the Illinois General Assembly at the initiative of Bishop William Quarter, the first bishop of Chicago. Established to educate native-born seminarians and serve the growing Catholic population in Illinois, the original institution opened in the mid-1840s but closed in 1866 due to financial difficulties, and its facilities were later destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. In 1921, Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary was reopened in Mundelein, Illinois, under the leadership of Bishop George Mundelein, using the original 1844 charter. The seminary expanded its academic offerings over the twentieth century, including the establishment of a Pontifical Faculty of Theology in 1929. In 1986, it formally resumed the name University of Saint Mary of the Lake. Today, University of Saint Mary of the Lake continues its mission of priestly formation and theological education.