Anonymous donors gift $1M to Pennsylvania seminary

St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Ambler, Pennsylvania, has received a $1 million anonymous gift to strengthen its endowment and support its priestly formation work.

According to an Aug. 11 statement distributed by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the contribution links long-term support for priestly formation with campus dedications, giving new names to two existing spaces. 

The seminary’s main courtyard is now the Our Lady of Angels Courtyard, with $750,000 tied to the naming, and the remaining $250,000 named the Drexel Hall private chapel the St. John Vianney Chapel, honoring the patron saint of parish priests.

Father T. Christopher Redcay, the seminary’s rector, pointed to the gift as an investment in the institution’s future.

“Endowment support is essential for the future of Saint Charles,” he said, “allowing us to sustain our mission, provide for our seminarians, and preserve the spiritual and educational excellence that has defined this institution for generations.”

The donors said their generosity reflected a lesson instilled in them by their parents.

“Those who have been blessed,” they said, “should share their blessings with the world.”

At the donors’ request, members of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia recently attended the naming ceremony. The newly dedicated Our Lady of Angels Courtyard shares its name with the congregation’s college, which was founded in 1965.

Sister Kathy Dougherty, O.S.F., said in the statement that gifts like this one bring much hope to everyone.

“There is so much suffering in the world,” she said, “and we are lucky to have the Blessed Mother to lean on in times of darkness. I am thrilled that our seminarians have this space to spend time with Mary in prayer.”