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HISTORY
SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES
AND CAMPUS EVENTS
THE LIBRARY
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Map of Sumatera |
From the early days of Mgr.
Mathias Brans, Archbishop of Medan
1921-1955, there was the desire to start the
education of priests in Sumatra. In 1950 a
Minor Seminary was opened in Padang and
later on, in 1956, it was moved to
Pematangsiantar. Mgr. Ferrerius v.d. Hurk
decided to establish a Major Seminary in the
Archdiocese of Medan under the care of the
Capuchin Order. Thus, on 7 November 1956
this Major Seminary was inaugurated with
three students. For a while, they lived and
studied in the Minor Seminary at
Pematangsiantar.
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A Major Seminary was built in
Parapat and the students started to live
there from 22 July 1957. In the beginning,
this Major Seminary was not meant for
Capuchin candidates. That is why the first
candidates wore white soutanes. The number
of students increased every year. These
candidates came from the Archdiocese of
Medan, the Diocese of Pontianak and the
Apostolic Prefecture of Sibolga. Because of
this development and because of a desire to
work with the Order of Carmelites who had
built a house of studies in Jalan Bali,
Pematangsiantar (1965), it was decided to
move the theologate to Pematangsiantar. A
new building was put up in Jalan Medan, km
5.5 Pematangsiantar and the students lived
there beginning August 1967.
At a meeting of the Bishops
of the Medan Province with the Superiors of
the Capuchin Order in Indonesia on 22-25
February 1982, it was agreed that
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Capuchin Novitiate – Parapat |
diocesan
candidates from the six dioceses in the
Province of Medan would study at this Major
Seminary, which until then was practically a
seminary for Capuchin candidates only and
was under the guidance and responsibility of
the Indonesian Province of the Capuchin
Order. Thus for the academic year 1982-1983
new students came from the Dioceses of
Padang, Palembang and Tanjung Karang.
In 1983-1984 new students
came from the Archdiocese of Medan, followed
the following year by students from the
Diocese of Sibolga, and again from the
diocese of Pangkal Pinang in the academic
year 1985-1986.
On 17-21 February 1986 the
Bishops of the Sumatra region and the
Superiors of the Indonesian Province of the
Capuchin Order held a meeting and signed a
Letter of Agreement of Cooperation to manage
the above mentioned Major Seminary which was
renamed St. John's College of Philosophy and
Theology.
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Capuchin Theological Formation House,
Jl. Medan – Pematangsiantar
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