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PHILADELPHIA — Archbishop Charles Chaput has announced his plan to consolidate St. Charles Borromeo Seminary’s operations, as part of his ongoing reform of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
“St. Charles Borromeo Seminary is the heart of our Church in Philadelphia, and we remain dedicated to not only maintaining its presence in our community, but strengthening it for many generations to come,” said Archbishop Chaput, the head of the Church in Philadelphia.
“Our commitment to providing the best possible program of priestly formation for the benefit of our seminarians and the people they will one day serve is unwavering.”
He added that the consolidation plan “will ensure the future viability and sustainability of our seminary now and in the future.”
The seminary currently occupies more than 75 acres and uses 19 different buildings. The plan will consolidate facilities, leasing or selling buildings and property that is currently underutilized. It will remain at its location in Lower Merion Township.
Over the next three to five years, the philosophy, or college, division of St. Charles Borromeo will be moved into vacant space within the theology division. The theology division’s building will be renovated over that period.
St. Charles Borromeo will gain a “Spirituality Year,” akin to a novitiate, which allows seminarians to devote a full year to discernment and the spiritual life. St. Charles Borromeo’s spirituality year will commence in the 2014-15 academic year. While in Denver, Archbishop Chaput had begun a spirituality year at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary.
The reformed seminary will be able to support as many as 200 seminarians. The seminary will continue to provide formation for deacon candidates and provide classes for laymen at the associated Graduate School of Theology.
The changes are a result of a review by the seminary’s board of trustees, which noted that the buildings and acreage comprising the college division had been underemployed for some time.
While the fate of that portion of the campus is at yet indeterminate, it will be used to sustain and support the seminary in the future.
The seminary’s rector, an auxiliary bishop of the Philadelphia Archdiocese, said that “our seminary has served as a leading institution in the formation of Catholic men for the priesthood in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and dioceses across the country for over 180 years.”
Bishop Timothy Senior continued, “While the seminary evolves and takes on a slightly different look in the coming years, our four pillars of human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral growth will remain strong. We will be better poised than ever to prepare men to become servant leaders who proclaim the Gospel.”
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God bless Archbishop Chaput. He had great success in previous endeavors, and I pray that he will have the same in Philadelphia. I remember the campus of St. Charles Borromeo as a beautiful green oasis behind giant wrought iron gates on a busy highway. How I longed to explore its beautiful grounds as a child, but never could. I am happy to know that it is accessible to lay grad students. Maybe I will yet have the chance to visit.
I was a Seminarian at St. Charles in the early 80s and have fond memories of my studies and comraderies. The seminary was underutilized then. Glad to see steps are being taken to address the campus and consolidation of schools and it would be a great building bridge and a wonderful example and support for both levels of formation, both College and Theology. When I was studing in the college division back then, it was tabboo to mingle with Theology Students, the only reason we had to be in their building was the use of the Library.
Having a spirituatlity year is definitely work of the Spirit and should allow for serious reflection and discernment.
St. Charles is forever engraned in my heart and I continue to pray for all who pass through it’s halls!
May Our Blessed Mother continue to guide and lead this wonderful institution! Jesus be praised!
Philadelphia is blessed to have the talents and fortitude of archbishop Chaput. He is a loving servant of God!
One would hope for a greater degree of diocesan-wide participation in these sorts of decisions. While bishops insist (wrongly, I maintain) in “the property belongs to me” corporation sole model of legal standing, this system negates accountability for valuable material assets which, once fleeced by others, are lost to the Church, which can only then console itself with the fact that the decision was made by the person with canonical jurisdiction to make it (a REAL consolation)! I think of what happened in Newark when the then-brilliant manager, Peter Gerety, decided to sell off valuable property at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Darlington and marry the institution to Seton Hall. While I believe it made sense to consolidate with a Catholic university, I think most people would at least privately admit that His Grace didn’t get the best deal in his sell off of “unused and underutilized” property. Let’s not repeat the same nonsense a quarter century later.
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