In 1955, at the behest of the Holy Father to the General Minister
in Rome, the first Capuchins from the St. Augustine Province of Pittsburgh,
America, were dispatched to administer the Southern Highlands Province. They
arrived in Port Moresby on November 8, 1955. Following the establishment of the
mission in Mendi, Pope Paul VI requested the General Minister in Rome to assist
in staffing a minor seminary in Madang. Acknowledging the Capuchins' presence
in the Southern Highlands, the General Minister sought the support of the
Pittsburgh Province to establish the seminary.
Three Capuchin Friars—Fr. Christian Fey, Fr. Angelus
Shaughnessy, and Fr. Armand Yeaglin—traveled to Madang after an audience with
Pope Paul VI in Rome. Upon their arrival, they were greeted by Fr. Brian Newman
and Fr. Henry Kusnerik, who had come from the Mendi Diocese. Fr. Christian Fey
was appointed the founding director of St. Fidelis College in 1966.
When St. Fidelis College Minor Seminary opened in 1967, it
was initially situated in Maiwara for one year. The name "St.
Fidelis" was chosen to honor the first martyr of the Propagation of the
Faith. This minor seminary served as a feeder institution to the Major
Seminary, located just 700 meters across the bay at KAP. Following the
relocation of the Holy Spirit Major Seminary—from its initial opening on March
1, 1963, in KAP, Madang, to Bomana in Port Moresby in 1968—St. Fidelis College
Minor Seminary moved from Maiwara to the KAP grounds on January 9, 1968, where
it continues to operate today.
At its inception in 1967, the minor seminary in Maiwara accommodated
one hundred nineteen boys. The chart below provides details on student
enrollment during the first four years.
At the inauguration of the seminary, the pioneers in Forms
I, II, and III hailed from Madang, Wewak, Aitape, Daru, Mendi, Mt. Hagen,
Goroka, and Bereina. Subsequently, students from Lae and Vanimo were added to
the enrollment roster.
By
the end of 1972, Forms I and II were phased out under the guidance of Fr.
Christian Fey, who served as rector. Beginning in 1973, new students entering
St. Fidelis completed Forms I and II at local high schools near their homes. By
the end of 1976, Forms III and IV were also discontinued.
Starting in 1977, under the leadership of Fr. Brian Newman
as rector, St. Fidelis only catered to Grades 11 (Form V) and 12 (Form VI),
functioning similarly to other national high schools until the end of 2006.
During the transition period from 2005 to 2006, St. Fidelis
evolved from St. Fidelis College, Minor Seminary, to St. Fidelis Propaedeutic
Seminary. The final Grade 12 class graduated in 2006 under the leadership of
Fr. Bill Talentino, OFM Cap. This year also marked the inception of the
Spiritual Year.
Following recommendations from the Board of Governors, the
Spiritual Year was relocated from St. Fidelis to Good Shepherd Seminary in
2020, under the leadership of Fr. Patrick Monahan.
