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Classes begin at Divine Word Seminary in Perrsyburg, Ohio

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On December 15, 1954, Very Rev. George Rehring wrote a letter granting formal permission to the Society to open a preparatory seminary in the Diocese of Toledo in the vicinity of Grand Rapids, Ohio.

Bro. Richard Krick SVD was sent to Perrysburg in early 1956 to supervise the preparation of the building so that school could begin in September. The old stone house on the property, after some remodeling, served as the priests’ residence and provided dining space for 25 priests, brothers and students. In early August, Rev. Emil Lesage, SVD arrived as the first rector of Perrysburg. Rev. Frederick Rudolph, SVD, the newly appointed prefect, arrived in August to prepare for the pioneer class of seminarians. The seminary was dedicated to St. Peter, but the St. Peter’s name was never prominent in usage; the seminary was always referred to as “Divine Word Seminary.” 
The first students arrived on September 5th. They quickly adapted to the life of seminarians. Soon there was silence in the chapel, and the boys learned to genuflect and serve at Mass. No sooner had this first class become comfortable in their surroundings when the planning shifted in order to accommodate another 40 young men when the next class arrived in September 1957.

On December 24, 1958, the Generalate in Rome gave permission to build a new permanent seminary building. The dedication of the completed structures was held on May 28, 1961. From the opening of Perrysburg in 1956 and for the balance of its first decade of existence, the student body grew. The peak number of 170 students was reached in 1965. The largest graduation class was 29 in 1966. For six years in the mid-1970s and into the early 1980s, a summer camp was conducted for eight weeks, with 290 children in attendance each week.

As candidates for a religious order with far-flung missions, the students were members of the “Catholic Students’ Mission Crusade,” and each student belonged to a mission study club. Some of the missions the clubs studied were Africa, Formosa (Taiwan), India, Indonesia, Japan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and the southern United States. Missionaries returning to the United States would frequently visit and talk about the work of the missions and describe the cultures and living conditions.


A dramatic decline in numbers began in 1968 when a 30 percent drop in enrollment was experienced. The program of sending the students to a local Catholic high school had replaced the self-contained seminary program in 1981, and over the following five years there was a steady decrease in enrollment. Divine Word Seminary at Perrysburg closed in June 1986 at the conclusion of its 30th year of educating young men for the priesthood.

In July 1993 an article in the Toledo Blade announced the sale of the seminary property. The buildings on the property were later razed. Forrester & Wehrle, a local developer, announced plans for building a new subdivision on the former seminary property.

The text of this page is an adapted version of Communities of the Word, "The Perrysburg Story" by Mr. George Irish.

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