Borromeo Seminary
| Borromeo Seminary | |
|---|---|
| Type | College Seminary |
| Status | Open |
| Affiliation | John Carroll University |
| Sponsoring diocese(s) | Diocese of Cleveland |
| Partner dioceses | Diocese of Youngstown |
| Religious communities | Capuchin Franciscan Province of Saint Augustine |
| Operated by | Diocese of Cleveland |
| City | Wickliffe, Ohio |
| State / province | Ohio |
| Country | United States |
| Address | 28700 Euclid Avenue, Wickliffe, OH 44092 |
| Founded | 1954 |
| Website | Official site |
| Levels of formation | College (Philosophy) |
| Degrees | Bachelor of Arts (John Carroll University) |
| Interdiocesan | Yes |
Borromeo Seminary is a Catholic college seminary and house of formation located at the Center for Pastoral Leadership in Wickliffe, Ohio, serving the Diocese of Cleveland, the Diocese of Youngstown, and the Capuchin Franciscan Province of Saint Augustine. Seminarians live at the seminary and commute to John Carroll University, where they work toward a Bachelor of Arts degree while receiving philosophy and theology formation in preparation for diocesan priesthood or religious life.
History
Archbishop Edward Hoban founded Borromeo Seminary in 1954, purchasing a fifty-six acre campus in Wickliffe that had formerly served as Marycrest School for Girls, and appointing Msgr. John Whealon as its first rector. In 1979, the Capuchin Franciscans of the Province of St. Augustine joined the Borromeo community, with Capuchin students discerning religious life alongside diocesan seminarians and Franciscan friars teaching some formation courses.
For nearly forty years the school operated as Borromeo College of Ohio, a fully accredited, independent liberal arts college granting Bachelor of Arts degrees, with many alumni going on to St. Mary Seminary for theology studies and ordination. In 1991, Bishop Anthony Pilla entered into an agreement with John Carroll University, and Borromeo College of Ohio became Borromeo Seminary, a collaborative seminary affiliated with John Carroll University; the seminary retained its own academic faculty offering formation courses in philosophy and theology at the Wickliffe campus while seminarians also took courses at John Carroll and received their Bachelor of Arts degree from that university.
In 2004, to celebrate its golden jubilee, the seminary community made a pilgrimage to Rome and had an audience with Pope St. John Paul II, and named a courtyard the Pilla Piazza after Bishop Anthony M. Pilla, ninth Bishop of Cleveland and a member of Borromeo's first graduating class. In 2012, the seminary launched Tolle Lege, a summer camp for high school seniors that has been featured on national television and exposes students to the Church's intellectual life. In 2013, following the launch of a vocations initiative called the New XII, Borromeo welcomed its largest freshman class in nine years.
Campus and Formation
The seminary is located at the Center for Pastoral Leadership, 28700 Euclid Avenue, Wickliffe, Ohio 44092. Formation follows the Program of Priestly Formation issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, emphasizing four pillars: human, intellectual, pastoral, and spiritual formation. Under Rector Fr. Andrew Turner, the seminary is implementing the Program of Priestly Formation, sixth edition. Prospective students may visit through "Come and See" weekends, which run from Friday evening through community Mass and brunch on Sunday and include time with seminarians, presentations, Eucharistic adoration, prayer, and a meeting with the vocation director.
Academics
Borromeo Seminary offers fifteen classes of formation in philosophy and theology at its Wickliffe campus, taught by its own faculty, who also serve as adjunct faculty of John Carroll University. Seminarians additionally take courses at the John Carroll University campus and receive a Bachelor of Arts degree from John Carroll upon graduation. Many Borromeo alumni have gone on to St. Mary Seminary, the graduate school of theology for the Diocese of Cleveland, for further study and eventual ordination.
Current Status
Borromeo Seminary continues to serve the Diocese of Cleveland, the Diocese of Youngstown, and the Capuchin Province of Saint Augustine, providing St. Mary Seminary with the majority of its seminarians and the Dioceses of Cleveland and Youngstown with the majority of their priests. The seminary is led by President-Rector Fr. Andrew B. Turner, and the Diocese of Cleveland is led by Bishop Edward Malesic, installed as the 12th Bishop of Cleveland on September 14, 2020.