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March 31, 1891
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St. Bernard's College and Seminary were incorporated
according to the laws of New York State.
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March 20, 1901
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St. Bernard's College and Seminary were empowered by Pope
Leo XIII to award papal degrees in theology and philosophy.
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April 22, 1931
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St. Bernard's College and Seminary were reincorporated,
enabling the schools to "confer literary, scientific, and
professional degrees, and in testimony thereof to award
certificates and diplomas." In 1935, Bachelor of Arts degrees were
awarded to students completing the four-year college course with a
major in philosophy and minor in classical languages.
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May 24, 1931
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Reform of theological studies under Pope Pius XI revoked the
power to grant papal degrees from all ecclesiastical academic
institutions that did not have a separate degree-granting faculty.
Therefore, St. Bernard's could not confer papal degrees after
1935.
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1965
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The Seminary dropped its college program, but continued its
four-year theological program. All seminarians in the Diocese of
Rochester completed their college work at St. John Fisher College,
Rochester, where a residence hall (Becket Hall) was established
and staffed by the Diocese.
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1966
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St. Bernard's became one of the first Roman Catholic
seminaries in the United States to open its doors to lay students.
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May 29, 1969
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St. Bernard's Seminary, together with Colgate Rochester
Divinity School and Bexley Hall Episcopal Seminary, founded the
Rochester Center for Theological Studies. The mission of the
Center was to promote theological education in an ecumenical
setting in the Rochester Area. Crozer Theological Seminary joined
the Rochester Center in the Fall of 1970 in its move to the
Colgate Rochester Divinity School/Bexley Hall campus.
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May 9, 1969
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St. Bernard's Seminary received approval from the New York
State Education Department to grant two graduated degrees: the
Bachelor of Divinity and the Master of Theology. Both
degrees were also registered with the Association of Theological
Schools in the United States and Canada, the international
accrediting agency for theology and divinity schools.
In December 1969, St. Bernard's Seminary announced several
continuing education and in-service plans for qualifying pre-1969
graduates who wished to earn a Bachelor of Divinity degree retroactively.
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January 14, 1971
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The Association of Theological Schools in the United States
and Canada awarded unrestricted accreditation to St. Bernard's
Seminary, one of the first diocesan seminaries to achieve this
status.
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September 28, 1972
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The corporate title of St. Bernard's College and Seminary
was changed to St. Bernard's Seminary.
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September 26, 1974
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With the sanction of the Association and approval of the New
York State Education Office, nomenclature for the Bachelor of
Divinity was changed
to Master Divinity
, with degree requirements
remaining the same. Later, the Master of Theology degree was changed to Master
of Arts in Theology program.
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June 30, 1981
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St. Bernard's Seminary officially closed its four-year
program of priestly formation and ceased operations at its Lake
Avenue address. All other academic programs were transferred to
St. Bernard's Institute.
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August 26, 1981
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St. Bernard's Institute signed a covenant of affiliation
based on a single campus model, with Colgate Rochester Divinity
School/Bexley Hall/Crozer Theological Seminary, 1100 South Goodman
Street in Rochester.
Under this model, both institutions retain their own
curricula, degrees, endowment, alumni, and Boards of Trustees.
They share the physical resources of the Divinity School campus,
maintain a single library, and, within curriculum requirements,
extend cross-registration privileges to all students enrolled.
With this move, the focus on ministerial and theological education
for the laity intensified.
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September 25, 1981
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The Board of Regents, on behalf of the New York State
Education Department, granted two amendments to the St. Bernard's
charter. One changed the name to St. Bernard's Institute, while
the other expressed the shift in purpose, "to educate men and
women in theology and ministry according to the Roman Catholic
tradition."
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1989
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With the enthusiastic support of Bishop Howard Hubbard,
St.
Bernard's Institute at Albany was established to serve the
educational and ministerial needs of the ecumenical community of
the Albany area.
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1992
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The Diocese of Rochester started the
Certification
for Designated Ministry program, which includes non-graduate
level training for people serving in and preparing for ministry in
their parishes. A comparable program has been offered for the
Hispanic community, known as the Instituto de Pastoral Hispano.
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June 1993
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The Association of Theological Schools in the United States
and Canada renewed the accreditation of the programs at St.
Bernard's Institute for 10 years
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December 1994
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The
Certification for Designated Ministry program, the Instituto de
Pastoral Hispano and the Office of Professional Development (Continuing
Education) were incorporated into the structure of St.
Bernard's Institute to bring both better collaboration and clarity
to the diverse levels of preparation for ministry.
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2002
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The
Certification program was extended to the Albany
diocese, further enhancing St. Bernard’s role in preparing a
wider range of people for ministry.
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August
2003
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St.
Bernard’s moved to its brand new facility
on 120 French Road. This
marks an exciting new phase in the history of the school.
This independent existence would not have been possible
without the support and significant financial commitment from the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester under the leadership of the
current Bishop, Matthew H. Clark.
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2004
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The Master
of Arts in Theology program was expanded to Master of Arts
(Theological
Studies) and Master of Arts in
Pastoral Studies. A
limited number of candidates who lack an undergraduate degree may be
allowed to pursue the Master
of Arts in Pastoral Studies curriculum
through the Graduate Certificate in
Pastoral Studies program.
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