St. Charles Borromeo Seminary

St. Charles Borromeo Seminary is the seminary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.^[1] Named for Charles Borromeo, it is located in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania,

The seminary is accredited by both the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada.

It consists of three divisions: College, Theology, and Religious Studies. Potential candidates for the priesthood pursue a program which consists of a four-year liberal arts curriculum followed by a four-year curriculum within the professional school of theology. The seminary offers the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Master of Divinity, and Master of Arts.

The current rector is Reverend Fr. Shaun Mahoney and the current Vice Rector is Reverend Fr. Joseph Bongard.

Mission of the Seminary

The fundamental mission of Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary is the formation of Catholic men of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and of other dioceses and religious communities for pastoral service in the Roman Catholic priesthood of Jesus Christ.

The Seminary is committed to providing a unified college and theology program of formation in priestly spirituality, pastoral ministry, celibate witness, emotional maturity, intellectual integrity and physical wellness.

Formation towards the ministerial priesthood centers around the Word of God and the Sacraments of the Church, most especially Eucharist and Reconciliation. This is complemented by personal and community prayer, a comprehensive academic program of liberal arts and theological studies, and a program of pastoral preparation designed primarily for parochial ministry.

The Seminary welcomes the diverse challenges of our time and promotes in the seminarian a commitment to work in unity with others in the Church with a pastoral solicitude which is exercised in fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church.

Offering its resources to the larger Church community, Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, through its Religious Studies Division and in cooperation with other institutes, provides a variety of academic and pastoral programs to serve the needs and interests of priests and deacons in parochial and other ministries, other parish workers, teachers of religion, and interested lay persons. The Seminary is committed to serve the need for on-going formation and pastoral education, as this need continues to be discerned and in collaboration with the leadership of the local Church.

Source - http://scs.edu/about-saint-charles-seminary.htm)

History

St. Charles Borromeo Seminary was founded in 1832 by Bishop Francis Kenrick, the third Bishop of Philadelphia. The seminary was initially located at the home of Bishop Kenrick on Fifth Street in Philadelphia. In 1838, it was chartered to grant academic degrees. Circumstances required the subsequent relocation of the seminary to the northwest corner of Fifth and Prune Streets, then to Saint Mary's Rectory on Fourth Street, and eventually to the southeast corner of Eighteenth and Race Streets in Philadelphia before moving, in 1871, to its present home in Overbrook.

n 1863 Archbishop James F. Wood made the first of three purchases of the property that today comprises the campus of Overbrook. In September, 1871, the preparatory college and theology divisions were reunited on the present campus. In December, 1875, the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception was formally dedicated by Archbishop Wood. Subsequent Archbishops of Philadelphia have initiated improvements on the Seminary campus. Archbishop Patrick J. Ryan began the building of the library. Archbishop Edmond Prendergast oversaw the building of a student residence hall. Dennis Cardinal Dougherty sponsored the construction of the college building. John Cardinal O'Hara added an indoor swimming pool to the physical assets of the Seminary. In 1971, under the leadership of John Cardinal Krol, a residence hall and multi-purpose building dedicated to Saint John Vianney was constructed. 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 Seminary College is located at the eastern end.

For an eleven-year period the preparatory division of the seminary was located at Glen Riddle in Delaware County. The preparatory program consisted at that time of what is equivalent to today's last two years of high school and four years of college. The high school program was discontinued in 1968. In 1999, St. Charles was described as avoiding the brunt of liturgical abuses common in some United States seminaries.^[2] It is the current home of Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, the former Archbishop of Philadelphia.

Episcopal alumni (those who would become bishops)

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References

^ Colleges in the Middle Atlantic States 2009 (24 ed.). Peterson's. ISBN 076892555X.
^ Violette, Lawrence (1999-09). "Reverence Grows at St. Charles Borromeo, Even "Among the Dandelions"". Adoremus Bulletin. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

Official website

39°59′31″N 75°15′22″W / 39.992°N 75.256°W / 39.992; -75.256

[1] Colleges in the Middle Atlantic States 2009 (24 ed.). Peterson's. ISBN 076892555X.

[adoremus-2] Violette, Lawrence (1999-09). "Reverence Grows at St. Charles Borromeo, Even "Among the Dandelions"". Adoremus Bulletin. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

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