Profiles
ANSWERING THE CALL
Newly Ordained Priest
"My experience at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, looking back, is filled with profound gratitude. When entering the seminary, you quickly learn what you don’t know. I could only understand at that time who I was, but not yet who I was meant to be. Going to Saint Charles, you encounter what the faith is, who God is, the Church, and its mission.
Then you understand who you are and your role in that mission. I started out my priesthood in Saint Eleanor Parish in Collegeville. At the parish, I got to apply what I learned from the seminary – whether it’s the sacrament of confession, celebrating Mass and Baptism, or sending lives into eternity at funerals. I didn’t realize until I was in a parish how well the seminary prepared me to be a priest. They enabled me to answer God’s call and to see myself in God’s eyes. I would not be here, realizing that call, or become the man I am today without the help of benefactors who give to St. Charles. The people’s financial contribution enables the mission of the Church to continue."
– Father Alessandro Giardini
"God is a source of all good things, and the priests help deliver those things into the world. To those who are considering giving to the Seminary Appeal, thank you. Because of you, I am here today as a Catholic priest. Thank you for helping fulfill my calling."
- The Seminary’s Ryan Memorial Library boasts over 50,000 circulating and reference items, with special collections of liturgical books, catechisms, devotionals, Catholic pamphlets, and holy cards; it also provides its students access to several hundred periodicals and e-books through its database subscriptions.
- The School of Theological Studies is a major center of theological education in Philadelphia for laity, priests, and religious.It is one of the largest programs of its kind in the United States with more than 300 students enrolled in its various programs.
- The Seminary’s Ryan Memorial Library boasts over 50,000 circulating and reference items, with special collections of liturgical books, catechisms, devotionals, Catholic pamphlets, and holy cards; it also provides its students access to several hundred periodicals and e-books through its database subscriptions.
- The School of Theological Studies is a major center of theological education in Philadelphia for laity, priests, and religious.It is one of the largest programs of its kind in the United States with more than 300 students enrolled in its various programs.