St. Mary’s Seminary and Calvert Hall announce major gifts

St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Roland Park and Calvert Hall College High School in Towson separately announced recently they have received donations of $1 million and $1.35 million respectively.

St. Mary’s Seminary and University will use a donation from the Lilly Endowment Inc., an Indianapolis-based philanthropic foundation, to support the design and implementation of St. Mary’s Institute for Pastoral Leadership, which will focus on three key areas: seminary formation, ongoing formation and faculty development. 

The initiation of the institute is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, a three‐phase initiative designed to help theological schools across the United States and Canada prioritize and respond to their most pressing challenges as they prepare pastoral leaders for Christian congregations both now and into the future, according to a news release from St. Mary’s.

Calvert Hall will use a donation from James Derwin, a 1960 alumnus of the school, and his wife, Jane Bachner, to support the President’s Hardship Fund; the Brother Daniel Henry, F.S.C., Scholarship Endowment; and an unrestricted gift. A legacy fund established with the financial commitment will be among the largest named scholarships at Calvert Hall, according to the school.

Sulpician Father Phillip J. Brown, president-rector of St. Mary’s Seminary and University, said he was grateful the Lilly Endowment recognized St. Mary’s commitment to “forming authentic and effective pastors, equipped in every way for the rigors of pastoral ministry in the 21st century.” 

St. Mary’s Seminary and University is one of 84 theological schools designated to receive a total of more than $82 million in grants through the second phase of the Pathways initiative launched in January 2021. Together, the schools represent Christian congregations including Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Protestant, denominational and non-denominational.

“With this significant grant, we will be able to accelerate and expand programs to provide model human and pastoral formation,” Father Brown noted. “Not only for those seminarians currently in formation, but continuing education and essential resources for priests already in parish ministry addressing the varied pastoral needs of those who depend on them and their pastoral teams each and every day.”

St. Mary’s is the birthplace of priestly formation in the United States, and has been operated by the Sulpician Fathers, a community of diocesan priests dedicated to the formation of parish priests, since 1791.

The institution currently holds 76 seminarians in formation from 13 dioceses throughout the country (including the Archdiocese of Baltimore), as well as abroad dioceses such as Hamilton and Ontario from Canada and Zhaoxian in China, in addition to four graduate=student priests, for a total enrollment of 80. 

Christian Brother John Kane, president of Calvert Hall, said Jim Derwin and Jane Bachner have been “wonderful supporters of Calvert Hall for many years.” 

“This legacy gift is an amazing reflection of their generosity and passion for Calvert Hall,” Brother John said.

“They consistently express their gratitude for the blessings that they have received and believe in paying it forward,” he added. “This gift will enable many students the opportunity to attend the Hall.”

The Lasallian Catholic college preparatory school for young men grades nine through 12 has been operated by the De La Salle Christian Brothers since its founding in 1845 and has been located in Towson since 1960.

“The guidance of the Christian Brothers who taught me was subtle, but profound,” Derwin said. “My wife, Jane, and I continue to be impressed by its commitment to academic excellence and the welfare of its students.”

“The success I’ve enjoyed was in no small way predicated on a Lasallian education, and for that, I’m very grateful,” he noted. “Jane and I are pleased to be able to give something back to the school which, after all, made it all possible.”

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