St. Charles Borromeo Seminary

Last updated
St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
SCS Lower Gwynedd.jpg
Student Life Center, Lower Gwynedd Campus
Motto"Exiit qui seminat"
The sower went forth to sow
Type Seminary
Private
EstablishedJune 1832
Religious affiliation
 Roman Catholic Church
Rector Keith J. Chylinski
Location
Ambler
,
Pennsylvania
,
United States

40°12′05.9″N75°13′59.6″W / 40.201639°N 75.233222°W / 40.201639; -75.233222
Website www.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]

Contents

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

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.

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. 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]

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, October 2024 SCS Ribbon Cutting.jpg
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, October 2024

Saint Charles moved in August 2024 to its new campus adjacent to Gwynedd Mercy University in Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania. [8] [9] [10] On September 8, 2024, Archbishop Nelson Pérez, Archbishop of Philadelphia, dedicated the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception on the new campus. On October 12, 2024, Archbishop Pérez blessed and dedicated the campus. Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, offered remarks and was present for the blessing, along with the Seminary’s rector, Most Reverend Keith J. Chylinski, Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia. [11]

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:

The School of Theological Studies, or STS, is a center of theological education in Philadelphia for laity, priests, and religious from the Greater Philadelphia area and beyond, due to the implementation of online courses. STS conducts evening classes, and daytime classes during the summer, on both the graduate and undergraduate levels, in Catholic Theology, as well as various non-certificate programs. [12]

Through the School of Diaconal Formation, or SDF, those in formation for the Permanent Diaconate complete six years of formation before ordination. There are currently 40 men in formation for the permanent diaconate at Saint Charles. [13]

In accordance with the Program for Priestly Formation (PPF), 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 2024–2025 academic year, the total enrollment of 140 seminarians was studying for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, as well as 14 partner dioceses and religious orders. Saint Charles's partner dioceses include: [14]

The partner religious congregations and orders include:

List of rectors

NameDates served
Francis Patrick Kenrick 1832–1835
Peter Richard Kenrick 1835–1837
Edward Barron 1837–1839
Michael O'Connor 1839–1841
Mariano Maller1841–1847
John B. Tornatore1847–1848
Thaddeus Amat y Brusi 1848–1852
John B. Tornatore1852–1853
William O'Hara 1853–1861
Maurice A. Walsh1861–1864
James O’Connor 1864–1872
James Andrew Corcoran 1872–1873
Charles P. O’Connor1873–1879
William Kieran1879–1886
John Edmund Fitzmaurice 1886–1898
Patrick J. Garvey1898–1908
Henry T. Drumgoole1908–1920
Edmond John Fitzmaurice 1920–1925
Joseph M. Corrigan 1925–1936
Vincent L. Burns (1891–1960)1936–1946
Francis James Furey 1946–1958
John P. Connery1958–1966
Thomas Welsh 1966–1974
Vincent L. Burns (1926–1997)1974–1985
Francis X. DiLorenzo 1985–1988
Daniel A. Murray1988–1994
James Molloy1994–1999
Michael Francis Burbidge 1999–2004
Joseph G. Prior2004–2010
Shaun Mahoney2010–2012
Timothy C. Senior 2012–2022
Keith J. Chylinski 2022–present

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References

  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. ↑ O'Hearn, Erin (September 24, 2015). "Final Preps for the Pope At Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary". 6abc Action News. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  6. ↑ Wellington, Elizabeth (September 24, 2015). "What Francis will sleep on and eat from in Philadelphia". Philly.com. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ Brubaker, Harold. "Records show how much St. Charles Borromeo Seminary property fetched in last month's sale". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  9. ↑ "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.
  10. ↑ "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.
  11. ↑ https://archphila.org/archbishop-perez-to-bless-and-dedicate-saint-charles-borromeo-seminarys-new-campus/
  12. ↑ https://www.scs.edu/school-of-theological-studies/
  13. ↑ https://www.scs.edu/school-of-diaconal-formation/
  14. ↑ "Partner Dioceses & Religious Communities". Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
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