[3] On 13 December 1975, a few days after the start of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor, the seminary building in Dare was bombed.

The seminary was the only place where East Timorese could be educated beyond secondary school level, and its alumni include a roll call of leaders including Nicolau dos Reis Lobato and Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo.

[5] In July 2000 the seminary was the venue for the marriage of East Timor President Xanana Gusmão and Kirsty Sword.

[10] On 1 March 2007 the country's new apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, celebrated Mass at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Dili, before visiting the seminary.

[12] By 2010, being the country's only minor seminary, it was struggling to accommodate the growing number of candidates desiring to enter the priesthood.

[2] In 2010 the Church in East Timor celebrated the 75th anniversary of the opening of the seminary, where 75 seminarians were preparing for the priesthood.