The Bidasoa International Ecclesiastical College, erected by the Holy See in 1988, is an International Seminary under the direction of the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei. The students are candidates for the priesthood sent by their bishops to prepare themselves for the service of their respective dioceses. The philosophical and theological studies are carried out in the Faculties of Ecclesiastical Philosophy and Sacred Theology of the University of Navarra, in Pamplona (Spain), in accordance with the prevailing norms on priestly formation.
For the school year 2006-2007, Bidasoa had 107 seminarians from 45 dioceses and 12 different countries. Fifteen formators of different nationalities reside in Bidasoa and accompany the seminarians in their day to day activities. In its first eighteen years of existence, 408 seminarians pertaining to 132 dioceses from 28 countries received ordination as priests. As to continent of origin, 53% of the seminarians are from America, 21% from Europe, 21% from Asia, and 5% from Africa. (Read more at Bidasoa International Seminary’s website.)