The Rome seminary considered the West Point for U.S. priests has its largest incoming class in 40 years. The Pontifical North American College is welcoming 61 seminarians in its fall classes beginning in mid-October, according to Catholic News Service.
The school, on a hill overlooking the Vatican, opened in 1954 with room for more than 200 students, but has not been full in recent years.
Monsignor Robert Gruss, vice rector for student life, told Catholic News Service that the college, which is sponsored by the U.S. bishops, will have 208 seminarians total this year.
Pope Pius IX formally inaugurated the college in 1859 at a different nearby location.
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(Source: USAToday.com)