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St. Charles Borromeo Seminary

Coordinates: 40°12′05.9″N 75°13′59.6″W / 40.201639°N 75.233222°W / 40.201639; -75.233222
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For the seminary in Košice, see St Charles Borromeo Seminary.
St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
Entrance to the former Overbrook campus.
Motto"Exiit qui seminat"
The sower went forth to sow
TypeSeminary
Private
EstablishedJune 1832
Religious affiliation
Roman Catholic Church
RectorKeith J. Chylinski
Location
Ambler
,
Pennsylvania
,
United States

40°12′05.9″N 75°13′59.6″W / 40.201639°N 75.233222°W / 40.201639; -75.233222
Websitewww.scs.edu

Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary at 1400 Evans Road in Ambler, Pennsylvania, that is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The oldest Catholic institution of higher learning in the Philadelphia region, the school is named after Charles Borromeo, an Italian saint from the Counter-Reformation.[1]

In August 2024 the seminary moved from its former site in Overbrook to a new campus in the municipality of Lower Gwynedd Township.[2]

History

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The Eakins Room at the Saint Charles Overbrook campus once contained six portraits by Thomas Eakins.

St. Charles was founded in June 1832 by Bishop Francis Kenrick in his home on Fifth Street in Philadelphia. On April 13, 1838, it was chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to grant academic degrees.[3] Saint Charles later moved to a building on the corner of Fifth and Prune Streets, then to the rectory of Saint Mary's Parish on Fourth Street. It then moved to a facility on the corner of Eighteenth and Race Streets in Philadelphia.[4]

In 1863, then Bishop James F. Wood made the first of three property purchases to create a new Saint Charles campus in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia. In September, 1871, the preparatory college and theology divisions were reunited in Overbrook. In December, 1875, Archbishop Wood dedicated the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception on the campus. Later archbishops of Philadelphia have initiated improvements on the Saint Charles campus.

  • Archbishop Patrick J. Ryan began the construction of the Memorial Library Building
  • Archbishop Edmond Prendergast oversaw the building of a student residence hall.
  • Cardinal Dennis Dougherty sponsored the construction of the college building.
  • Cardinal John O'Hara added an indoor swimming pool.
  • Cardinal John Krol in 1971 build a residence hall and multi-purpose building dedicated to John Vianney, a 19th-century French saint.

In 2005, the Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua Research Center was established at the Ryan Memorial Library. The building was completely renovated in the process. The buildings that make up the current Theology Division. along with the Ryan Memorial Library. stand at the western end of campus. The College Seminary is located at the eastern end.

For an eleven-year period, the preparatory division of the seminary was located at Glen Riddle, Pennsylvania. The preparatory program was equivalent to the junior and senior years of and four years of college. The high school program was discontinued in 1968. In 1999, an alumnus praised Saint Charles for its liturgical reverence compared to some other US seminaries.[5] Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, a former archbishop of Philadelphia, lived at Saint Charles in his retirement. Both Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger visited Saint Charles, and Pope Francis stayed there during his 2015 visit to Philadelphia.[6][7]

In 2019, Saint Charles sold its Wynnewood property to Main Line Health. On May 23, 2024, workers moved the historic white cross overlooking the Ben Franklin Parkway at Logan Square, initially erected in honor of Pope John Paul II's 1979 visit to Philadelphia, to the Malvern Retreat House.[8] Saint Charles moved in August 2024 to its new campus adjacent to Gwynedd Mercy University in Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania.[9][10][11]

Academics

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St. Charles is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. It consists of four divisions:

  • College Seminary
  • Theological Seminary
  • School of Theological Studies
  • School of Diaconal Formation

In accordance with the Program for Priestly Formation (PPF)[1], the formation program for candidates for the Catholic priesthood complete four stages throughout their time in seminary:

  • Propaedeutic
  • Discipleship
  • Configuration
  • Vocational Synthesis

Following the propaedeutic stage, a four-year liberal arts curriculum is offered in the college seminary, or a two-year program for those seminarians who have previously earned a bachelor's degree. Both programs are focused in philosophy. This is followed by a four-year curriculum within the Theological Seminary. St. Charles offers the following degrees:

Enrollment

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At the start of the 2023–2024 academic year, Saint Charles added 36 new seminarians. The total enrollment of 147 seminarians was studying for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, 12 partner dioceses, and three religious orders. Saint Charles's partner dioceses include:[12]

The partner religious congregations and orders include:

List of rectors

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Name Dates served
Francis Patrick Kenrick 1832–1835
Peter Richard Kenrick 1835–1837
Edward Barron 1837–1839
Michael O'Connor 1839–1841
Mariano Maller 1841–1847
John B. Tornatore 1847–1848
Thaddeus Amat y Brusi 1848–1852
John B. Tornatore 1852–1853
William O'Hara 1853–1861
Maurice A. Walsh 1861–1864
James O’Connor 1864–1872
James Andrew Corcoran 1872–1873
Charles P. O’Connor 1873–1879
William Kieran 1879–1886
John Edmund Fitzmaurice 1886–1898
Patrick J. Garvey 1898–1908
Henry T. Drumgoole 1908–1920
Edmond John Fitzmaurice 1920–1925
Joseph M. Corrigan 1925–1936
Vincent L. Burns (1891–1960) 1936–1946
Francis James Furey 1946–1958
John P. Connery 1958–1966
Thomas Welsh 1966–1974
Vincent L. Burns (1926–1997) 1974–1985
Francis X. DiLorenzo 1985–1988
Daniel A. Murray 1988–1994
James Molloy 1994–1999
Michael Francis Burbidge 1999–2004
Joseph G. Prior 2004–2010
Shaun Mahoney 2010–2012
Timothy C. Senior 2012–2022
Keith J. Chylinski 2022–present

Notable alumni

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Bishops

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References

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  1. ^ Colleges in the Middle Atlantic States 2009 (24 ed.). Peterson's. 18 August 2008. ISBN 978-0-7689-2555-5.
  2. ^ "Seminarians Move in to Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary's New Campus to Kick Off 2024-2025 Academic Year (Press Release 16 August 2024)". Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  3. ^ Connolly, James (1976). The History of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
  4. ^ Kirlin, Louis Joseph (1909). Catholicity in Philadelphia from the earliest missionaries down to the present time. Philadelphia: John Joseph McVey.
  5. ^ Violette, Lawrence (September 1999). "Reverence Grows at St. Charles Borromeo, Even "Among the Dandelions"". Adoremus Bulletin.
  6. ^ O'Hearn, Erin (September 24, 2015). "Final Preps for the Pope At Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary". 6abc Action News. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  7. ^ Wellington, Elizabeth (September 24, 2015). "What Francis will sleep on and eat from in Philadelphia". Philly.com. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  8. ^ Brandt, Joe; Strickland, Raymond; Baietto, Marcella (2024-05-23). "Historic cross built for Pope John Paul II's Philadelphia visit is being relocated to Malvern - CBS Philadelphia". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
  9. ^ Brubaker, Harold. "Records show how much St. Charles Borromeo Seminary property fetched in last month's sale". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  10. ^ "St. Charles Borromeo Seminary property, in Lower Merion Township, sold to Main Line Health, officials say". FOX 29 Philadelphia. 2019-05-25. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  11. ^ "Archbishop Nelson J. Perez appoints Bishop Timothy Senior, Chancellor of Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, Father Keith Chylinski Rector, Effective July 1, 2022". Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  12. ^ "Partner Dioceses & Religious Communities". Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  13. ^ Installed 13 February 2015. "Bishop Stephen Marmion Lowe", Catholic Hierarchy (Retrieved 27 November 2014)
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