About the Royal English College
The Royal English College is a Roman Catholic seminary maintained by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales to train men for the priesthood. Situated in the city of Valladolid in the north-west of Spain, the seminary operates the propaedeutic year for candidates for the priesthood from a variety of dioceses across England and Wales, Ireland, Europe, and beyond.
The College was founded in 1589 in response to the persecution of Catholics in England and Wales during the Protestant Reformation. At the time of its foundation, it was one of several such institutions in Spain and elsewhere in western Europe, but most have subsequently closed: the REC is now one of the two which persist to this day.
The formation team at the REC come from across England and Wales, and provide the seminarians with a grounding in community living, and in human, spiritual, pastoral and intellectual formation. At the end of the year, if they are deemed fit to do so, the seminarians continue their formation at other seminaries.
The Propaedeutic Year
The propaedeutic year is best seen as a year-long meditation on, and interaction with, the living Word of God who is life. Through classes and group discussion, through conversation and personal reflection, seminarians are given ample opportunity to grow in familiarity with Sacred Scripture, Tradition, the Magisterium of the Church, liturgy, the saints (particularly our 23 college martyrs and the many Spanish saints), beauty and culture. There are many opportunities for pastoral outreach and for the learning of Spanish. Seminarians also take part in the Holy celebrations in the seminary and in the city.
Thanks to an intensive exposure to prayer and the spiritual life, a reading and study of the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church, and through an experience of community where the human virtues can take root and flourish, seminarians are encouraged to discern a possible calling to priesthood in a spirit of serenity, generosity and surrender.
