Pontifical College,Josephinum

Josephinum, Pontifical College.

In August of 1877, Jessing relocated the orphanage to downtown Columbus, Ohio, opting for a location closer to the railroad.

When four older boys expressed a desire to study for the priesthood, Jessing advertised in his paper that he would sponsor two boys who wished to become priests but who lacked the financial means to do so.

Jessing accepted twenty-three of the more than forty applicants who replied, and the first academic classes began on September 1, 1888.

As those first students progressed through the seminary program, the institution initially provided six years of primary education ("minor seminary," four years of high school and two years of college/pre-theology) and six years of secondary seminary education ("major seminary," another two years of college/pre-theology and four years of theology/ seminary). The first class of six seminarians was ordained to the priesthood in June 1899.

In 1931, the Josephinum moved to its present location eleven miles north of downtown Columbus on a landmark one-hundred-acre campus. The academic structure changed over time during the 1940s and 1950s from the "six-six" format to four years of high school, four years of college, and four years of theology/seminary (though the distinctions were gradual and unclear). The first official College commencement occurred in June 1953; the College and Recreation buildings were dedicated in 1958; and the high school closed in 1967.

Taken from: http://www.pcj.edu/aboutus/history.html