Residential or Distance Learning

Distance Learning

If you choose to learn via correspondence, the bulk of your academic work at Saint Luke Seminary will be done at times that suit your busy life schedule. Since much of the student body of Saint Luke Seminary is made up of working students, actual class times conducted via webinars are arranged ad hoc for the mutual convenience of both professor and student. The Dean and Rector design and manage the learning platforms, shared drives, course sites, etc., and coordinate the registration and tracking for all student courses and program tracks.

Most of the practical, week to week classes are taught via existing, on-line media sites, conferencing software, and email. Some of our classes are conducted via Zoom sessions, which enable direct video conferencing between professors and students; while being mindful of the lack of broadband internet and the high cost of data for our students in South Africa.

While many schools have set “semesters,” or other times of enrolment and learning that are not flexible, Saint Luke is proud to offer enrolment and registration at any time of the calendar year and due to the nature of our courses, you may begin your studies at your convenience and at the time of your choosing in our “open enrolment and registration” model.

In addition to the constant interaction between student and professor, the Dean and the Rector maintain constant contact with each student to make sure that student goals, expectations and aspirations receive the constant interaction that they require.

Residential Learning

Saint Luke Seminary is privileged to be situated in the North West Province in a residential setting that is large enough and situated as to be conducive to a traditional seminary environment. Offered exclusively for single male students, Saint Luke Seminary is proud to offer accommodation for up to 10 full-time students. Students enrolled in our residential programme have a unique opportunity to experience life in intentional community such as lived by clerics in the early years of the Church. Our campus includes a chapel where students gather 5 times a day for prayer and daily Eucharist. Life is structured around a monastic style horarium and includes prayers, communal meals, study, and recreation. Saint Luke Seminary offers accommodation in both single and shared rooms based upon your financial needs and includes daily meals taken in common. We also have a nice garden that includes a swimming pool, fish ponds, flowers and vegetable garden that provide opportunities for students to recreate and do manual labour. We also have a student lounge with TV, unlimited Wi-Fi internet, and a well-stocked electronic library of over 8,000 volumes.

Students who opt for residential learning commit to an enclosed type, monastic lifestyle that is set apart from the secular world. Students pray, study, eat, and recreate together as a community and outside employment is not an option nor is the student free to come and go as they please. Students do have free time on Saturdays after a combined Morning Prayer/Eucharist at 7am until Evening Prayer at 6pm. On Sundays, after communal Morning Prayer, students go to their pastoral assignments in the area and return in the early afternoon for communal braai and recreation.