MAYNOOTH. - The Irish College of St. Patrick (St. Patrick's College) of M. (County Kildare) was founded in 1795 as a direct result of the historical circumstances of the time.
In the 16th-18th centuries, while the "penal laws" against the Catholic religion still persisted, it was not possible to have diocesan seminaries in Ireland, and therefore many Irish priests received their formation in "Irish Colleges," opened in various European cities: Rome, Paris, Salamanca, Bordeaux, Louvain. At the time of the French Revolution there were in these colleges about 400 Irish students. But once these colleges were closed and the students dispersed following the upheaved conditions of Europe at the end of the 18th century, the College of St. Patrick at M. was founded (1795) to supply the vital need of the situation.
The first purpose of the College was to serve as a seminary for all the dioceses of Ireland, and it met with great development throughout the 19th century; now (1951) the number of students residing there exceeds 500. In 1899 the Faculties of theology, canon law and philosophy were canonically erected by the Holy See, whose Statutes, reworked in conformity with the norms of the apostolic constitution Deus Scientiarum Dominus, were approved by the Holy See in 1935. In 1908 M. became a "recognized College" of the National University of Ireland, which grants the "Bachelor of Arts" or "Bachelor of Science" to students who have successfully passed the examination at the end of their third year of college. Aspirants to the priesthood reside in the College for a period of 7 years, 3 devoted principally to scholastic philosophy, with courses in ancient and modern languages and in the physical sciences, and 4 devoted to theological disciplines. After priestly ordination, at the end of the 7th year, many remain there for further studies, in order to obtain the licentiate and the doctorate.
The great majority of the students are destined to exercise the sacred ministry in the various dioceses of Ireland; but the courses for obtaining academic degrees in sacred theology and canon law have been attended, especially in recent years, by many priests coming from Great Britain, U.S.A., Australia, New Zealand and by religious of various Orders and Congregations and of missionary societies.
Pius XII, in 1949 deigned to commend "the noble part that the College of M. has had for more than a century and a half, not only for the formation of excellent priests for the dioceses of Ireland, but also in providing zealous and generous laborers for the distant vineyards of the Lord, in the English-speaking lands, beyond the sea, and likewise in the mission territories of distant Africa and China. - See plate XXXII.
