By Jim Hayden
Correspondent
The new Pope attended classes at the St. Augustine Seminary in Laketown Township, the site of what is now the Felt Mansion and Shore Acres Park.
Robert F. Provost, 69, who is now known as Pope Leo XIV, attended a “minor seminary in Allegan County,” according to local media reports and confirmed in The New York Times:
“By the time the newly elected pope reached adolescence, he was looking toward the priesthood, enrolling in St. Augustine Seminary High School in Holland, Mich., a boarding school for boys,” the Times reported.
Provost graduated from the seminary in 1973, according to the Felt Estate.
The Diocese of Kalamazoo has not yet responded to inquiries.
As a site with deep historical ties to faith and community, the Felt Estate recognizes this historic moment as one of profound significance — not only for the Catholic Church but also for people in West Michigan and around the world who believe in the values of service, unity, and stewardship.
“We are proud to steward the historic buildings and landscapes of Pope Leo XIV’s formative years,” said Elizabeth McEwen, executive director of the Felt Estate. “His life of service, his commitment to social justice, and his unique connection to both American and global communities reflect values that we seek to honor through the preservation of the Felt Mansion and the programs we offer.”
For more information about the estate, tours and events, visit www.feltmansion.org or follow the Felt Estate on social media.
From Mansion to School
Construction of the Felt Mansion began in 1925 by Dorr E. Felt, inventor of the Comptometer, the first machine that could do all four math functions — add, subtract, multiply and divide. The building was finished in 1928. Felt’s wife Agnes died that year. Dorr died a year-and-a-half later.
The estate was purchased by the Augustinian order in 1949.
“The new seminary, to be known at St. Augustine’s, will be opened in September with an initial enrollment of 50 to 60 candidates for the priesthood,” the Holland City News wrote in a June 30, 1949, article announcing the purchase.
“The living room of the Felt Mansion will be transformed into the seminary’s chapel. The large garage with apartment above will be made into a classroom building.”
The new seminary was dedicated Sept. 22, 1949, according to the newspaper.
At the dedication, Mass was celebrated in the new seminary chapel, located in the former living room of the mansion.
Fifty students were registered on the first day of classes, the paper said.
What is now called The Carriage House was converted into classrooms and a reference library. Students lived in what is now the mansion, the report said.
The school expanded and added dormitories.
For a video on the memories of the early days at the seminary, visit the Laketown Oral History Project interview Greg Carnevale, who attended the seminary from 1952-1956. Go to https://laketowntwp.org/history/ and click on the video option in the upper left corner and use the arrows to find Greg Carnevale.
By 1965, registration had soared to 180 students.
“Known for its rigorous academics, the St. Augustine Seminary had a waiting list of over 400 students,” according to a timeline inside the mansion. “Eventually, they built a huge high school on the ridge west of the mansion where today is a disc golf course.”
As the Vietnam War ended in the mid-1970s, enrollment was less than 70 students.
The school closed in 1977, and the state purchased the land. The Saugatuck Dunes Correctional Facility opened in 1978 along with Saugatuck Dunes State Park, 1,000 acres with 2.5 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline.
The prison closed in 1991.
In 1996, the state sold the property to Laketown Township for $1.
In 2001, Patty Meyer discovered the boarded-up mansion, and she began working to restore the 12,000-square-foot building to its former glory. Meyer retired as director of the estate in 2023.
The mansion is now a top historical and educational site as well as a wedding and event destination.
Steven Ringelberg, supervisor and interim manager of Laketown Township, said, “The Felt Estate already had a rich and interesting history, and as we continue to learn more about Pope Leo XIV, his story adds even more to the legacy of Dorr E. Felt and the history of the Felt Estate.”
