Seminary Purchases $10M Parcel Of Land On Gwynedd Mercy U. Campus

GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA — Gwynedd Mercy University announced a major partnership on Monday, as the Catholic institution agreed to a $10 million sale of 15 acres of campus which will become the new home of a historic seminary.

The Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, located since 1871 on City Avenue in Wynnewood, will move into the space on the northern border of Gwynedd Mercy's campus over the course of the next several years.

Gwynedd Mercy also received a $3 million gift from the Maguire Foundation to help supplement the move.

“While there are mixed emotions involved with departing from Overbrook after many years, Gwynedd Mercy University’s campus offers a beautiful setting and the perfect location for us," Timothy C. Senior, a bishop and the Seminary’s rector, said in a statement.

The seminary and university will remain distinct and independent academic entities, with their own governance structure.

Officials hope to complete the move over the course of the next few years, opening full time before the 2024-25 academic year.

With the successful completion of the transaction, Gwynedd Mercy University and Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary will remain two separate and distinct institutions. Each will continue to maintain its own governance structure, academic freedom, and ability to offer programming consistent with their missions and core values.

Gwynedd Mercy currently has two buildings on this 15-acre stretch of property. These will be relocated elsewhere, while the Seminary plans to build a new chapel and a student life center that includes a refectory, classrooms, library, offices, a fitness center, and housing for faculty.

Plans to relocate the seminary from its home on City Avenue have been underway for years, and formal explorations began in 2016. Their present campus was sold to Main Line Health back in 2019.