Catechetical Institute

The Saint Paul Seminary Catechetical Institute provides Catholics a renewed confidence, conviction and hope by providing strategies for better understanding, defending, articulating and living the faith today.

Renowned catechist Jeff Cavins founded in the institute in 2008 to provide ongoing faith formation for Catholic adults of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. There are now more than 2,200 graduates who are living out their faith in parishes, families and communities.

Build your faith on a strong foundation

The foundational course at the Catechetical Institute is Pillars: A Journey through the Catechism of the Catholic Church. To join:

1) Learn more
2) Apply ($20 fee)
3) Get accepted (we'll review your application within a month)
4) Pay tuition fees ($225-$315 for each of four 11-week modules)
5) Become a Catholic witness

The next step in discipleship

Share your faith with confidence. Discover daily disciplines. Hear the voice of God in prayer. Find out how in the School of Discipleship.

kelly wahlquist catechetical institute director

Kelly Wahlquist
Director, Catechetical Institute

From the director

"Engraved on the heart of each man and each woman is the natural desire for happiness, the desire to know God and His plan of sheer goodness, to partake in His divine nature, and ultimately to live with Him forever in heaven. If you are looking to go deeper in your knowledge of the Catholic faith or seeking to better understand God’s plan for your life, it is our hope and prayer that the Catechetical Institute will help you discover the plan God has for you—a plan that will transform your work, your marriage, your community, your life."

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Catechetical Institute graduate: ‘Two weeks into the program, my life was changed’

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Watch: Saint Paul Seminary Catechetical Institute sends forth lay missionaries in Saint Paul-Minneapolis

As part of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Synod (“You Will Be My Witnesses”), every pastor was called by Archbishop Bernard Hebda to appoint 12 missionaries from his parish to form a “Synod Evangelization Team.” The training to go out and spread the Gospel included attending The Saint Paul Seminary Catechetical Institute’s School of Discipleship program led by biblical scholar Jeff Cavins.
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