St. Mary's Spirtual Center

A seed bed of spiritual growth
planted in 1791

Located on the site of the first
Catholic seminary in the U. S.

Today a focus of the Spirit
radiating from
the heart of Baltimore

St. Mary's Spiritual Center is located on a one-and-a-half-acre campus bordered by a 4.75-acre city park in the historic district of Seton Hill. The central point of the neighborhood is the Old Seminary Chapel, the first example of neo-gothic church architecture in the United States. The chapel is the only remaining component of the seminary which was located on the property from 1791 until 1969. Today St. Mary's Seminary is located in the Roland Park neighborhood of Baltimore City.
Where the seminary was for 178 years, St. Mary's Spiritual Center is now. Besides the Old Seminary Chapel, the Spiritual Center consists of one other building.
From 1894 until 1969 that historic edifice was the convent for the Sisters of Divine Providence who provided food and laundry services for the seminary. Today the Spiritual Center building provides rooms for spiritual direction, a small conference room and offices for the Director and Administrative Assistant, as well as the residence of the Director.
At present there are no overnight accommodations for retreatants.
The chapel has been remodeled four times in its long history, the last time in 1968, and restored to its original color scheme in 1991.
Today it is a versatile space suitable not only for liturgical services but also for retreats, workshops and meetings. Having no fixed pews, it seats about 200. At present the chapel is not air conditioned.
The Center does not provide food service. However, food may be served in the sacristy, which accommodates about 20 seated at large tables. Also, restaurants and the 200-year-old Lexington Market are nearby.
The Center has two on-campus parking lots for twelve and six cars respectively, as well as a carport which accommodates six cars. On weekdays there is free parking for two hours on both sides of Paca Street and free parking all day Saturdays and Sundays. A pay parking lot ($3.00 per day) is located on Paca St. across from the Center.
St. Mary's Spiritual Center is easily accessible by car and public transportation. The light rail line connecting Pennsylvania Station and Baltimore-Washington International Airport is about two blocks away.