Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Cromwell, Connecticut
www.holyapostles.edu
Overview
Ranney Hall, the oldest house in the small
central Connecticut town of Cromwell, has
been a focal point of service to the commu-
nity for one and one-quarter centuries. In
various forms, this building and subsequent
additions have formed a sanatorium for the
emotionally disturbed, a Catholic seminary
and then a Catholic college and seminary.
Holy Apostles Seminary began as a minor
seminary in 1957, founded by Father Eusebe
Menard, O.F.M. It was originally operated by
the Society of the Missionaries of the Holy
Apostles, an order of priests also founded by
Father Menard. An undergraduate college quick facts
was opened for lay students in 1972, and the
Founded: 1972
seminary became a major seminary in 1978. Type of institution: Micro liberal arts college
Later, graduate, distance-learning and Setting: Suburban
non-degree graduate programs were added. Undergraduate enrollment: Six full-time and
22 part-time lay students (2006–07
Today, Holy Apostles College & Seminary is
academic year)
a unique, small-scale Catholic college with
Total tuition cost: $7,800 (for 2007–08)
modest university components. It also is one
Undergraduate majors: Four
that is firmly rooted in the Church.
The seminary has long had strong historic Five Key Points
ties with the Bishop of the Diocese of Norwich, 1. The college is solidly faithful to the
who still serves as chancellor of the expanded Magisterium.
institution. And for more than two decades,
2. Connecticut’s three bishops sit on the
he as well as the Archbishop of Hartford and board of trustees.
the Bishop of Bridgeport have served on the
3. It has a 97-credit, philosophy-based
board of trustees.
core curriculum.
As one staff member told us, “This expan- 4. Lay students benefit from studying
sion of the board gave the college and semi- alongside seminarians.
nary the benefit of episcopal oversight, along 5. Holy Apostles is very affordable.
with ecclesial and professional expertise.” As
a result, Holy Apostles is a solid example of college in New England, a fact that I think
orthodox Catholicism. many parents and students would want to
know because, at that cost, it is possible to
The seminary has been thriving. Enroll-
graduate without incurring college-loan
ment has been growing in recent years and
debt.”
reached 82 men in the fall 2007 semester.
Nineteen dioceses are represented, the most Yet another appealing aspect of Holy
coming from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Apostles is the opportunity to study at an
Santa Fe, New Mexico. Six religious commu- historic, picturesque and peaceful campus.
nities also are present. Its oldest building was erected in 1751. There
are so many trees that students and visitors
But it was not until about four years ago,
enjoy a guided trail tour known as the Tree
according to Father Douglas Mosey, C.S.B.,
Walk. Many of these trees were planted by
Holy Apostles’ president-rector, that new at-
representatives of the firm of the noted 19th-
tention was directed to the undergraduate
century landscape architect Frederick Law
lay program. He said, “We realize the desire
Olmstead, who was a native of nearby Hart-
and need for truly Catholic colleges. We have
ford.
right here in our immediate area a number of
Catholic high schools, and we are recruiting Students have the option to major in four
there for students and families who want a areas: philosophy, theology, English in the
faithful Catholic education.” humanities and history in the social sciences.
An associate of arts degree in theology also is
The college remains a commuter school—
available. The college is accredited by its re-
there are no residence halls for lay students
gional agency, the New England Association
and no plans to build any. Father Mosey add-
of Schools and Colleges.
ed, “There also are a number of homeschool-
ing families who might want their sons and
daughters to receive higher learning and per-
haps continue living at home.”
Governance
In the fall 2006, there were six full-time In addition to the three Connecticut bishops,
and 22 part-time undergraduate lay students. the Holy Apostles board of trustees includes
There also were 149 graduate lay students five priests of the Missionaries of the Holy
who were studying on campus or through Apostles and nine lay members. One of the
distance learning. The recruitment of under- lay members is Dr. Marie Hilliard, former
graduate students is a critical element in the executive director of the Connecticut Catho-
college’s long-range plan. lic Conference. The Missionaries of the Holy
Apostles turned over the seminary and col-
The opportunity to study in a Catholic en-
lege to the board of trustees in 1984.
vironment with seminarians is compelling to
these students as is the strong core curricu- Father Mosey, who holds a Ph.D., is the
lum, which covers 97 credits or about three- seventh president of the college and semi-
fourths of the graduation requirement. nary. He is in his 12th year as president. All
presidents have been priests.
Also attractive is its affordability. Tuition
for the 2007–08 academic year is $7,800. Ac-
cording to the college’s director of student re-
cruitment, “We are the lowest-priced private
Student Activities
There are no organized college clubs. Student
activities are limited at this all-commuter col-
lege. There are informal, student-initiated ac-
tivities such as cookouts, going to movies or
playing soccer.
The campus is quiet, but the college sees
this as a plus. The campus website comments:
“Students treasure the abundant peace and
extraordinary beauty of Holy Apostles’ hill-
side campus above the Connecticut River be-
cause moments of quiet and beauty are often
times when you learn the most about God While students may come from several
and yourself.” nearby communities, health services are avail-
able at two hospitals, Middlesex Hospital and
This perspective resonated with the moth- Connecticut Valley Hospital, each located five
er of a daughter who began her freshman minutes away in Middletown.
year at Holy Apostles in August 2007. She
said, “The atmosphere on campus is comfort-
able and peaceful. Everyone, whether they The Community
know you or not, is kind and thoughtful. This
is truly a Catholic institution that is thriving Cromwell is a town of 13,500 people which is
in spite of its size.” 15 minutes from the state capital of Hartford
and about one-half-hour from New Haven.
The quiet town also is a safe one, with vir-
Residential Life tually no violent crime and a crime rate only
about 40 percent of the national crime index.
There are no residential facilities for lay stu-
dents. Some share local apartments, but most Hartford, a long-time center of the insur-
commute from their homes. Here, too, the ance industry, has a population of 125,000. It
college views its lack of facilities as a positive has a number of attractions including the Mark
point, citing how residential life can easily Twain House and the Hartford Civic Center,
distract students from their studies. Residen- which hosts cultural and sports events.
tial life, they also note, is costly for the col- The north-south Interstate 91 serves Crom-
lege—and the student—because it requires well, while the east-west Interstate 84 and In-
health services, resident advisors, campus terstate 91 meet in downtown Hartford. Am-
social activities and personnel to supervise trak services Hartford, and the city’s Bradley
them, and a security force. International Airport provides non-stop ser-
Further, they say, commuter students liv- vice to several major cities, including Los An-
ing at home “can bring the Truth you have geles, on national carriers.
learned back to your community and start
sharing it and living it immediately.”
The Bottom Line pus are limited. But the college sees all this
as major selling points in presenting an en-
One representative of Holy Apostles College vironment that sticks to the essentials—faith
said they like to promote their institution as formation and liberal arts education without
being “really Catholic, really close and really frills.
affordable.” Add to that, “really supportive of At this point, the college is unlikely to draw
the Catholic intellectual tradition,” and you many students from around the country. It is,
have a rather impressive mix. however, an attractive option for students liv-
The college, long dedicated to training ing in central Connecticut and perhaps the
seminarians, is embarking on expanding its rest of the state as well. If fidelity to mission is
very small lay presence. It does not have resi- any indicator, Holy Apostles College & Semi-
dential facilities, and social activities on cam- nary has a bright future.