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The National Federation of Councils of Priests was established in 1969 to collaborate with the Bishops of Canada in the development and implementation of those programs of a national nature which are designed to serve the pastoral needs of the people of God; to provide a forum whereby the Councils of Priests of the local Churches can share their experiences as collaborators with their local Bishop in the governance of the local Church; to promote and collaborate with others in ministry in programs of pastoral research and action; to accomplish and/or collaborate in accomplishing those tasks which cannot be adequately or easily done by individual councils; to provide a means for Councils of Priests united nationally, to cooperate with the Bishops, Religious and Laity of Canada in addressing the needs and concerns for the church in the modern world; to provide a forum whereby priests of the English sector can work in closer harmony with priests of the French sector in addressing issues of mutual concern; and finally to provide an instrument whereby Canadian priests can be represented on the international level in the most representative manner possible.

Rev. Charles Gregory Nearning was born on Aug. 3, 1920 in Nova Scotia. He completed his theological studies at Holy Heart Seminary in Halifax between 1942-1944 and at St. Joseph's Seminary in Edmonton between 1947-1948. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop MacDonald for service in the Archdiocese of Edmonton on May 23, 1948.

Throughout his time in the archdiocese of Edmonton Rev. Nearning served at the following parishes and missions: Hardisty, St. Anthony's (Edmonton), Clandonald, Vegreville, Wainwright, Immaculate Heart of Mary (Edmonton), and St. Pius X (Edmonton). He passed away on May 13, 1996.

There were three major reasons for the establishment of Newman Theological College (NTC), the termination of the philosophy program at St. Joseph Seminary (SJS) in the mid-1960s, the interest of women and men religious in having a centre for theological education in Western Canada, and the desire of Archbishop Anthony Jordan, who was profoundly influenced by his time at the Second Vatican Council, to have a theological college open to lay people.

Shortly after the closure of Vatican II, Archbishop Jordan invited two Franciscan Priests to join the St. Joseph Seminary Faculty. Franciscan students, a few women religious and one lay person began studying theology and formed the first informal class. The following year, with the help of Rev. Camille Dozois and Judge Cormack, the existing Faculty of Theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary was transformed into Newman Theological College and officially established by an Act of the Alberta Legislature in 1969.

In 1970, Archbishop Jordan invited the Sisters of Charity of St. Louise to come to Newman and make D wing their formation centre. They would not only contribute professors and large numbers of students to the college, but also made several important financial donations.

For the first four years of the College the office of President of NTC and Rector of St. Joseph Seminary were joined, however in 1973 these functions were formally separated. As the years progressed, an institutional structure emerged with the President as the head of the institution with various boards, councils and committees charged with overseeing specific aspects of the college.

With the goal of educating the laity always in mind, NTC sought to legitimize itself in the eyes of both the public and the academic community during its first twenty years and began pursuing accreditation from the Association of Theological Schools, which was obtained in 1992. Since 1972 NTC has offered theology programs especially designed for teachers and has a working relationship with Catholic School Boards across Western Canada.

In 1994, Newman Theological College celebrated its 25th anniversary.

In 2007, the land shared by Newman Theological College and St. Joseph Seminary in St. Albert was purchased by the Province of Alberta to facilitate the construction of the Anthony Henday Drive. NTC and SJS then moved to its current location, on the land of the Pastoral and Administrative Offices of The Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton.

For more information, Newman Theological College maintains a comprehensive website that outlines the history and goals of the college, as well as information on accreditation and educational effectiveness that can be found at: http://www.newman.edu/