Salem diocese has a Minor Seminary at Arisipalayam, known as St. Francis Xavier’s Minor seminary. We have an Apostolic School attached to it.
There are 23 students studying in lower classes and 54 in Higher Secondary sections. Every year the students are admitted after the vocation camp. Here the students are given formation in all the facets, such as spiritual, intellectual, physical, character formation, etc.
Fr. S. Benjamin Sandanaraj is the Rector for all the Salem Diocesan Seminarians.
| We have the following seminarians for Salem Diocese | |
| Minor Seminarians | 05 |
| College Going | 11 |
| Propaedeutic | 04 |
| Philosophers | 06 |
| Regency | 05 |
| Theologians | 17 |
| TOTAL | 48 |
Fr. S. Benjamin Sandanaraj
St. Xavier’s Seminary
Arisipalayam
Salem – 636 009
Mobile: 98657 07502
Those who are interested to join the diocese of Salem to become a priest please contact the Rector of the Minor Seminary
The Diocese of Salem comprises of civil districts of Salem and Namakkal. In 1623 Southern Kongunadu, part of Salem District, under Madurai Nayakkars accepted Christianity, through Fr. Robert De Nobili, S.J. and his successors, the Portuguese Jesuits of the Madurai Mission. About 1654, the Italian Jesuits of the Mysore mission had a residence near Hosur.. In 1687, the Mysore Mission laboured in the entire area of the present diocese. Fr. De Cunha died in 1711 at Kapiganathi near Hosur.