| Oscott College | |
| Fullname: | St Mary's College, New Oscott |
| Pushpin Map: | West Midlands |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
| Map Caption: | Location of college |
| Coordinates: | 52.5438°N -1.8555°W |
| Osgraw: | SP0988894038 |
| Location: | New Oscott, Birmingham |
| Country: | England |
| Denomination: | Roman Catholic |
| Founded Date: | [1] |
| Founder: | Thomas Walsh |
| Dedication: | St Mary |
| Consecrated Date: | 29 May 1838 |
| People: | Cardinal Wiseman Bernard Griffin Cardinal Newman Thomas Williams |
| Status: | Seminary |
| Functional Status: | Active |
| Heritage Designation: | Grade II* Listed[2] |
| Designated Date: | 25 April 1952 |
| Architect: | Joseph Potter A.W. Pugin |
| Style: | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking: | 25 April 1836 |
| Completed Date: | 31 May 1838 |
| Construction Cost: | £40,000 |
| Parish: | Our Lady of the Assumption Maryvale |
| Deanery: | Birmingham (North) |
| Archdiocese: | Birmingham |
| Province: | Birmingham |
| Archbishop: | Bernard Longley |
| Rector: | Canon Michael Dolman |
St Mary's College in New Oscott, Birmingham, often called Oscott College, is the Roman Catholic seminary of the Archdiocese of Birmingham in England and one of the three seminaries of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.[3]
Oscott College admits students for the priesthood from various dioceses of England and Wales, as well as some students from overseas. The first three years of the academic programme are validated by the University of Birmingham as a BA in Fundamental Catholic Theology. Those who complete the six-year programme, also obtain a Bachelor of Sacred Theology (STB) through affiliation with the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.[4]
Additionally, Oscott College is a centre for formation of candidates regarding the permanent diaconate.
The college was founded in Oscott (present-day, Great Barr), in 1794 for both the training of priests and the education of lay pupils. It developed out of a small mission founded by Fr Andrew Bromwich, around 1687.
In 1838, the college moved to a new site, which came to be known as New Oscott (and the original site as "Old Oscott"). The Maryvale Institute remains on the original site. The new building was designed by Augustus Pugin and Joseph Potter at a cost of £40,000. It is grade II* listed. The college quickly became a symbol of the rebirth of the Catholic faith in England and played a prominent part in the life of the Church in the 19th century. In 1889, the college was closed, but reopened the following year as a seminary only.
After the closure of St Cuthbert's College, Ushaw, Durham, in 2011, many of the dioceses in the province of Liverpool sent their students to Oscott to complete their training. This gave a boost in numbers at the college at a time when vocations seemed to be scarce.[5]
Pope Benedict XVI visited on 19 September, 2010, following the beatification, earlier that day in Birmingham's Cofton Park, of Cardinal Newman who stayed at the college, in the late 1840s. During his visit to Oscott, Benedict had lunch with the Roman Catholic bishops of England, Scotland, and Wales. The Oscott visit was the last scheduled event during the four-day 2010 State Visit of Benedict to the UK. The Pope would later depart the UK from Birmingham Airport.
In 2023, the college hosted a seminar called "Rethink Abortion Day," which was led by prominent US-based activist anti-abortion groups. The seminar was based on building on the successes experienced by the Pro-Life movement in the United States and expanding their successes into the United Kingdom.[6]
A national Eucharistic Congress for England and Wales is scheduled to take place at the college in September 2024.[7]
A CD of choral music, , performed by The Schola and recorded live in the college's chapel on 7 June 2008, was released by the college (cat. no. OSCOTTCD01).[8]
Presidents
Rectors