St. Charles Borromeo Seminary Explained

St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
Motto:"Exiit qui seminat"
The sower went forth to sow
Established:June 1832
Country:United States
Head Label:Rector

Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary 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]

The campus is in the municipality of Lower Gwynedd Township.

History

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.[2] 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.[3]

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.

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.[4] 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.[5] [6]

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.[7] Saint Charles moved in August 2024 to its new campus adjacent to Gwynedd Mercy University in Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania.[8] [9] [10]

Academics

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:

In accordance with the Program for Priestly Formation (PPF)https://usccb.cld.bz/Program-of-Priestly-Formation-6th-edition/2/, the formation program for candidates for the Catholic priesthood complete four stages throughout their time in seminary:

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

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:[11]

The partner religious congregations and orders include:

List of rectors

NameDates served
Francis Patrick Kenrick1832–1835
1835–1837
Edward Barron1837–1839
1839–1841
Mariano Maller1841–1847
John B. Tornatore1847–1848
Thaddeus Amat y Brusi1848–1852
John B. Tornatore1852–1853
William O'Hara1853–1861
Maurice A. Walsh1861–1864
James O’Connor1864–1872
James Andrew Corcoran1872–1873
Charles P. O’Connor1873–1879
William Kieran1879-1886
John Edmund Fitzmaurice1886–1898
Patrick J. Garvey1898–1908
Henry T. Drumgoole1908–1920
Edmond John Fitzmaurice1920–1925
Joseph M. Corrigan1925–1936
Vincent L. Burns (1891-1960)1936–1946
Francis James Furey1946–1958
John P. Connery1958–1966
Thomas Welsh1966–1974
Vincent L. Burns (1926-1997)1974–1985
Francis X. DiLorenzo1985–1988
Daniel A. Murray1988–1994
James Molloy1994–1999
Michael Francis Burbidge1999–2004
Joseph G. Prior2004–2010
Shaun Mahoney2010–2012
Timothy C. Senior2012–2022
Keith J. Chylinski2022–present

Notable alumni

Bishops

External links

Notes and References

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