Society of the Divine Word
Southern Province of St. Augustine
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 204 Ruella Avn., Bay St. Louis, MS 39520-4626
                     (228) 467-4322 Fax (288) 466-5618 Email: ussprovincial@gmail.com 
                                                    New Website: www.divineword-uss.org

The ‘What’ & ‘Why’ we are celebrating on

October 28^th & 29^th 2023

The Divine Word Missionaries will be remembering the 100^th year of the establishment of Saint Augustine Seminary in 1923. The Seminary was founded for the purpose of educating African American men for the priesthood.

Noted historian: Cyprian Davis in his book; “Black Catholics in the United States” said -

 “Certainly, the establishment of a seminary for African American students by members of the Society of the Divine Word was one of the most important events in the history of black Catholics during the first part of the twentieth century”.

Although there had been a few black priests over the course of the nation’s history (often trained abroad), most Catholic colleges and seminaries, like other American schools at the time, did not admit black students. St Augustine Seminary would change that tragic omission in the Catholic Church in America. For years the only place an African American candidate could be ordained into the priesthood was at Saint Augustine Seminary in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi.

We the Divine Word Missionaries will always cherish that day of September 16^th, 1923, when Saint Augustine Seminary was opened.

Join us as we prepare to celebrate in 2023 the great contribution made by the Divine Word Missionaries 100 years ago.