PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — St. Charles Borromeo Seminary is picking up stakes and relocating further into the Montgomery County suburbs.
The historic Main Line school, which has been operating from its Wynnewood campus since 1871, plans to move into new facilities at Gwynedd Mercy University by the 2024-25 academic year.
Bishop Timothy Senior confirmed the Archdiocese of Philadelphia bought two buildings — including a 200-plus bed dormitory — and 15 acres of land for $10 million from the university to establish the new seminary.
“We have the need to build some additional student and faculty residences on the property,” Senior said. “And then also what we’re calling a student life center, which would include the dining facilities, the fitness center, the library and classrooms, and administrative and staff and faculty offices.”
In the meantime, he said the formation programs for men studying for the Roman Catholic priesthood will continue at the current seminary.
The archdiocese sold the seminary buildings and grounds to Main Line Health back in 2019 for $43.5 million.
Senior said provisions in that agreement lease the property back to the archdiocese until it can find a new home for the seminary.
“The sale and property to Main Line Health allow for us for five years on the campus,” he said.
Senior said their initial plans to relocate to Neumann University in Aston, Delaware County, ran into problems.
“For a variety of reasons the property that was available for the potential relocation of the seminary proved challenging from a development standpoint for us financially, and our board of trustees asked us to put that on hold and look for alternatives,” he explained.
Senior said the move to the Gwynedd Mercy campus does not mean a merger for the two schools. Both will operate separately.