Despite strong efforts, enrolment at the American College, part of the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL), has dropped to an unsustainable level, which has created severe financial challenges. Just four seminarians will be ordained during this academic year, and another 10 - eight from the US, one from England and one from China - will continue their studies elsewhere. At its peak, the American College had a capacity of 125 students.
In addition, the seminary has had difficulties in obtaining qualified priests for its faculty. However, the closure is not related to the discussions about the Catholic identity of KUL, nor to the crisis in the Belgian Catholic Church.
"We are grateful to the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels, the theology and philosophy faculties of Leuven University and the people of Belgium for their support and collaboration with the Roman Catholic Church of the United States for these many years," added Bishop Ricken.
The American College of the Immaculate Conception was founded in 1857 by Martin J Spalding, bishop of Louisville, Kentucky, and Peter Paul Lefevere, bishop of Detroit, Michigan, with the encouragement and blessing of Pope Pius IX.
Its original dual purpose was to train young European men to serve as missionary priests in North America and to offer American seminarians the philosophical and theological riches available at Europe's oldest Catholic university.
In an 1857 letter, Bishop Spalding highlighted the advantages of the American College: "To afford a suitable opportunity for the pursuit of higher ecclesiastical studies to young men of talent and promise in the United States. The course of study adopted at Leuven is of the highest grade, and the professors are among the most learned and eminent ecclesiastics of Europe."
By its 50th anniversary in 1907, the American College had an exceptionally strong standing internationally. Throughout the First World War, it gained renown by fulfilling two roles: one public and the other clandestine. It served as an emergency hospital, ministering to as many as 1,500 people a day. At the same time, it secretly stored many of the treasures of the KUL, including Sedes Sapientiae, the medieval wooden statue of the Virgin Mary that was carved in 1442 by Nicolaas De Bruyne.
Similarly, during the Second World War, the American College came to the rescue, housing remnants of the university library, which was destroyed by fire. Amazingly, the college remained standing despite the heavy bombardment of Leuven. Since then, the American College has contributed hundreds of priests to the pastoral and academic life of the church in the United States.
Belgium was chosen as the site for the first US seminary in Europe because the original plan for such a college in Rome could not be carried out due to political upheaval in Italy in the mid-19th century. Ironically, the other US Catholic seminary in Europe, the Pontifical North American College in Rome, has just had its largest enrolment in recent history and now has 239 students.
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