 |
| Home | Staff and students | Life at Allen Hall | Formation for priesthood | History | Thinking of priesthood? | Fundraising (WEEF) | Accommodation and conferencing |
| HISTORY |
|---|
| Cardinal William Allen |
| Douai (1568) |
| Old Hall Green (1793) |
| Chelsea (1975) |
| St Thomas More |
ABOUT ALLEN HALL
Allen Hall is the seminary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, one of seven seminaries of the dioceses of England and Wales, where men are prepared for ministry as Catholic priests.
Allen Hall has a long and prestigious history, dating back to the foundation of a seminary in Douai, France, by Cardinal William Allen in 1568. This college quickly became dedicated to the training of missionary priests for England. Over more than one hundred years, one hundred and fifty eight members of the college were martyred.
In 1793 the college moved back to English soil, to Old Hall Green, Ware.
Eventually, in 1975, the seminary moved again to Chelsea, to the site of Saint Thomas More's Great House, uniting the tradition of the college of missionaries and martyrs with that of the pre-Reformation Church and her traditions. It remains there to this day.
This stone, by the front door to Allen Hall, stands as a testiment to that long past.
The college motto, as seen on the coat of arms, is vivamus in spe... "we live in hope". Allen Hall's varied tradition serves as an inspiration and constant reminder to those students who now live and train within its walls, and who, as so many before them, seek to dedicate their lives to God by service in the priesthood of Jesus Christ.
© 2009 - Allen Hall | Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster | Registered Charity No. 233699 | Terms & Conditions | Email Webmaster