St. Mary's Spirtual Center

St. Mary's Spiritual Center, located in the heart of Baltimore City, is rooted in the ministry of the Society of St. Sulpice in the United States. In particular, the Center seeks to continue the Sulpician tradition of commitment to the development of the Christian life through spiritual direction.

Therefore, the mission of the Center is to provide opportunities for nurturing personal growth and holistic living centered in God. This is accomplished primarily through individual and group spiritual direction, as well as those types of retreats, days of prayer, and other programs which in similar ways foster authentic Christian living for lay people, religious, and clergy.

The Center is staffed by individuals who, through their own spiritual quest, experienced a call to accompany those persons who desire to deepen the awareness of God's love in their lives and grow in their freedom to share that love.

REV. JOHN E. McMURRY, S.S., S.T.L., Ph.D., served as a parish priest for 12 years in his diocese, Nashville, before affiliating with the Society of St. Sulpice in 1969. He has completed graduate studies in theology at the Gregorian University and the Graduate Theological Union, as well as certificate programs for spiritual directors at Shalem Institute and the Center for Religious Development. He has conducted Intensive Journal workshops throughout the U.S. since 1978 and has taken part in 30 workshops led by Dr. Ira Progoff, creator of the Intensive Journal program.

MS. M. GENIE SACHS previously worked with Dr. Ira Progoff in New York City for 22 years where she served as the administrator of the Progoff Intensive Journal Program. She has personally attended many workshops led by Dr. Progoff. She has completed certificate programs in religious studies and at the New York School for Interior Design. She has studied at the New School for Social Research, Parsons School of Design, the Singers Forum and Hunter College. Genie is currently a licensed practitioner with the Columbia Church of Religious Science.

MS. PATRICIA A. AMRHEIN, M.S., M.A., D.Min., serves as Campus Minister and teacher at The Cardinal Gibbons School. Along with her completion of Shalem Institute's Program for Spiritual Directors she has earned graduate degrees in education at Towson University and in theology at the Ecumenical Institute of St. Mary's Seminary and University. She has completed her doctoral studies in spirituality through the Washington Theological Consortium and is an instructor in spirituality for the Church Leadership Institute of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

DEACON JOHN J. BOSCOE, JR., M.A., serves at Holy Trinity Parish. He is a graduate of the College of Notre Dame, the Ecumenical Institute of St. Mary's Seminary and University, and Shalem Institute's program for Spiritual Directors. He has served as a mentor in the archdiocesan "To Be Church Together" program, of which he is also a graduate. An instructor in spirituality for the Church Leadership Institute of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, he has also been active in parish evangelization programs since 1997, and in small group Bible studies and programs to promote spiritual direction in the parish.

THE REV. JEAN M. COYLE. M.T.S., M.DIV., Ph.D., is an ordained Presbyterian minister who has been a social gerontologist for almost 30 years. Author of several books on aging, she holds two graduate degrees magna cum laude in theology from Wesley Theological Seminary as well as a graduate degree in sociology. She has been a tenured professor of gerontology at two universities and has taught at several others. She currently serves as a chaplain for Capital Hospice and as Parish Associate at Heritage Presbyterian Church.

MR. GORDON F. CREAMER, M.A., is Activities Director at ManorCare Rossville nursing home. He majored in both theology and French at Mount St. Mary's College, with a minor in psychology, and holds a graduate degree in Pastoral Counseling / Spiritual and Pastoral Care from Loyola College . Since August, 2000 he has served on the pastoral council of St. Brigid's Parish, and is an instructor in spirituality for the Church Leadership Institute of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

CORNELIUS J. FEEHLEY, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist who affirms the spiritual and personal value of his clients. A graduate of Mount St. Mary's College and The Catholic University of America, he was the coordinator of a program involving 38 psychologists. Widely read in the area of Christian spirituality and a graduate of the archdiocesan "To Be Church Together" program, he is a member of the Ignatian Lay Volunteers. His special focus and interest are in the formation and development of small faith communities.

REV. PAUL J. HENRY, M.A., is a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He has graduate degrees in theology (DeSales School of Theology) and counseling (Villanova University), as well as training in spiritual direction and Ignatian spirituality (Jesuit Center for Spiritual Growth) and is accredited to give "Accompanied Salesian Retreat." Since ordination in 1970, his numerous ministries include pastoral ministry, RCIA, lectures on the spirituality of St Francis deSales and of Divine Mercy, leadership of regular and directed retreats, Cursillo, and televised Scripture classes.

MRS. PHYLLIS M. JICHA, B.S.N., is a graduate of the College of Notre Dame of Maryland and the Baltimore School of Massage. She is currently a student at the Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary's Seminary. As a Certified Massage Therapist she provides "Healing Touch." On the parish level she is RENEW Program Coordinator and also works as a Bereavement Facilitator with the Baltimore Cancer Support Group.

BR. CLIFFORD J. LEDGER, OFMCap., (Br. Kip) is a Capuchin Franciscan Friar who is Director of the Cap Corps Volunteer Program. Originally from Massachusetts, he studied at Trinity College, The Catholic University of America, and Montgomery College, in addition to studies in spiritual direction at the Washington Theological Union. He holds a Professional Certificate in Youth Ministries, has experience in retreat work, and gives workshops on prayer. A guitarist for over 30 years, he has made several recordings.

REV. GERALD D. McBREARITY, S.S., D.Min., M.A. ,S.T.B. Gerry McBrearity is a Sulpician priest who has been involved in the ministry of priestly formation for over thirty years. He has served as a teacher in the area of spirituality and has served as a spiritual director for seminarians as well as priests, sisters, and laymen and women. He has his doctorate from Catholic University and wrote his dissertation on the history and practice of spiritual direction. He presently serves as the Director of Personnel and Formation for the American Province of the Sulpicians.

MR. HOWELL A. McCONNELL, S.F.O., a published poet and high school religion teacher for over 20 years, develops and teaches in the RCIA program of his parish. He has also served as parish Director of Religious Education and has conducted programs in spirituality for the Archdiocese of Washington. He is currently an instructor in spirituality for the Church Leadership Institute of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. His ministries in the past include coordination and implementation of programs for sacramental life and spiritual development and days of prayer for CCD staff/teachers and parish groups. He is a professed secular Franciscan.

MS. MARGARET A. McGRAIL, M.T.S., holds degrees in theology from Trinity College and the Washington Theological Union. Her graduate studies focused on spiritual direction and women's prayer and ritual. She has served as coordinator and director of religious education for fifteen years and as a spiritual director for five years. For three years during that time, she was a religious education program consultant for Sadlier Publishing Company. She is currently an instructor in spirituality for the Church Leadership Institute of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

MRS. ANNE I. MERWIN has a B.A. in history and music from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. After graduation she moved to New York City, where she married, worked in classical concert management and attended Grace Episcopal Church in lower Manhattan. A convert to the Catholic Church in 1986, she moved to Baltimore in 1989, where she has been active in many Catholic organizations and is currently president of the Mother Seton House on Paca Street.

MR. PHILIP G. RIVERA, M.L.A., is a retired high school administrator and teacher currently teaching psychology part-time at Towson High School . After one year of theological studies at St. Mary's Seminary and University he earned a graduate degree in liberal arts from The Johns Hopkins University and a certificate of spiritual direction from Hesychia School for Spiritual Directors at Redemptorist Renewal Center . A member of the Adult Faith Formation Committee at St. Isaac Jogues Parish, he is also an instructor in spirituality for the Church Leadership Institute of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

MRS. CYRILE SINCOCK, M.S., M.A., is an educator, spiritual director and a pastoral counselor. She earned a B.A. from the College of Notre Dame, a M.S. in pastoral counseling from Loyola College, and a M.A. in theology from St. Mary's Seminary and University. She has received training in directing individual and group retreats, days of recollection and Ignatian spiritual direction. She is a Professional Catechist and a Professional Youth Minister for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. An instructor in spirituality for the Church Leadership Institute of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, she is also a member of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians and of the Baltimore Carmel.

MRS. ALICE J. WEAVER is the office coordinator for the Admiral Elevator Company. A Certified Professional Catechist of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and graduate of the archdiocesan "To Be Church Together" program, she has also completed a certificate program for the training of spiritual directors at Shalem Institute. She has served as parish administrator of religious education and leader of retreats and workshops on various themes for spiritual development, and is an instructor in spirituality for the Church Leadership Institute of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

MRS. MARY R. ZIMMERER, O.C.D.S., a leader of retreats since 1989, has completed several training programs for spiritual directors, including one at Pecos Benedictine Monastery. She is also a graduate of the "To Be Church Together" program of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and a certified grief recovery specialist. In addition, she conducts days of prayer and Ignatian retreats.

Mr. Joseph M. Reynolds, Fund Raising
Mr. Robert Wilkins, Maintenance and Operations Assistant
Mrs. Carolyn Dunham, Housekeeping and Operations Assistant (part-time)

That phrase is the umbrella covering everything we do at St. Mary's Spiritual Center. We are not in competition with parishes and we do not intend to duplicate parish programs.

We do intend to make available programs of spiritual nourishment to supplement those at parishes and to meet particular needs. These programs can be put into two simple categories: those for individuals and those for groups.

For individuals:
Spiritual Direction and Progoff Intensive Journal Workshops.

For groups:
Days of Prayer and Recollection, and use of our facilities for their own programs.

For our group programs, we accept orders from representatives of groups or organizations rather than from individuals. That is, the whole group subscribes to the program as a group.

We do not have a previously scheduled day and time for serving our spiritual nourishment for groups. The group decides when it wants the Day of Prayer and Recollection, mini-retreat, etc., and we comply.

WE ALSO DELIVER! We will readily provide the program at the Center, of course. But, if you want, we will bring it to wherever else your group wants to have it, within 50 miles of Baltimore, at $0.405 per mile. (We have gone farther than 50 miles, but we assure you in advance that we will go at least that far.)

We have several trained and experienced people available for spiritual direction.

We sponsor Progoff Intensive Journal Workshops for individuals in the spring and fall every year.

We are located on the site of great spiritual striving for both men and women: The first Catholic seminary in the U. S. was founded here in 1791. Mother Seton founded the Sisters of Charity here in 1809. Mother Mary Lange founded the first Catholic religious community for women of African heritage here in 1829.

The Council of Trent (1545-1563) stipulated that each diocese have a seminary for the training of men for ministry as priests. To that end Pope Gregory XIII reconstructed and endowed the Roman College in 1572. However, in France wars, resistance to papal authority (Gallicanism), and lack of religious leadership inhibited implementation of the decrees of the Council of Trent until the next century.

In 1640 Jean-Jacques Olier and a five or six other diocesan priests attempted to start a seminary at Saint-Maur near Paris, but they attracted no students. In 1641 they tried and failed again in Chartres. Later that year they had some success with their experiment at Vaugirard on the outskirts of Paris. The seminary opened there December 29, which is considered the birthday of the Society of St. Sulpice, although it did not yet have that name.

In 1642 the pastor of the church of Saint-Suplice (the largest parish and the largest church building in Paris) asked the community of priests at Vaugirard to take charge of the pastoral responsibility of his parish. Two members of the community persuaded Fr. Olier to become pastor, which he did on August 15, 1642, and the fledgling seminary moved to Saint-Sulpice. By 1648 the student body became so large that new buildings had to be erected.

The Society of St. Sulpice today is still an association of diocesan priests (that is, priests who are not members of a religious community such as the Benedictines, Franciscans, Dominicans, Jesuits, etc.) who mainly operate seminaries to train men to become diocesan priests. In 1790 the first and only Catholic bishop of the United States, John Carroll, invited the Priests of Saint-Sulpice to his diocese, Baltimore. He bought a building, the One-Mile Tavern, and sold it to the Sulpicians at cost. Four Sulpicians had paid their fare from France and brought five students with them. The Seminary of St. Sulpice in Baltimore, later re-named St. Mary's Seminary, opened October 3, 1791. It is the first fully developed American institution exclusively devoted to theological education. (Harvard and Yale are older, but Andover Theological School did not become independent of Harvard until 1808.)

In 1808 the Sulpicians founded Mount St. Mary's College, a preparatory seminary, at Emmitsburg, Maryland, 50 miles from Baltimore. It remained a Sulpician institution until 1826.

In 1929 the theology department moved from its original location to Roland Park in Baltimore. Other Sulpician seminaries in the U.S. are Theological College (originally named Sulpician Seminary) at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and St. Partick's Seminary in Menlo Park, CA.

Today the Society of St. Sulpice also operates seminaries in France, Canada, Japan, Columbia, and Zambia.

St. Mary's Spiritual Center is a relatively new institution in an old neighborhood. It was incorporated only in 1988. However, many old-timers in Baltimore -- and some others as well -- remember the large five-story building with the high brick wall on North Paca Street near Franklin. Some of them remember that it was St. Mary's Seminary. They probably don't know that the old building they remember was not the first but the fourth seminary building on the property. And, certainly, there's nobody left whose memory goes back to the time it was built in 1876!

Today the neighborhood of St. Mary's Spiritual Center is called Seton Hill, named after a woman from New York City who arrived at the seminary on June 16, 1808. (That is a lifetime before the edifice that people remember was built.) Mrs. Seton, a poor widow with five children, and a recent convert to the Catholic Church, came here to earn a living by opening a boarding school for girls after a similar endeavor in New York had failed. She arrived while Bishop Carrol of Baltimore, then the only Catholic bishop of this country, was dedicating the new seminary chapel. This chapel is of particular interest today as the first example of neo-gothic church architecture in the United States.

Mrs. Seton lived on the property of the seminary only one year. During that year, she founded the first Catholic boarding school for girls in the country. Also, on March 25, 1809, in the lower chapel of the building dedicated the previous year, Mrs. Seton became Mother Seton, foundress of the Sisters of Charity in the U.S. A year after her arrival, Mother Seton moved to Emmitsburg, Maryland when one of the seminarians offered her land as well as funds to begin what later became St. Joseph's College there. Her efforts brought about the beginnings of the parochial school system in the United States.

From the site on Paca Street twenty years later, Elizabeth Lange, of Haitian background, founded the Oblate Sisters of Providence. As Mother Mary Lange, she helped create the first religious community of African heritage in the world. One of the four original members of the Oblates, Mother Marie Thérèse Maxis Duchemin, founded the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Monroe, Michigan.

Hence, three communities of religious sisters trace their roots to the seminary on Paca Street. A fourth one, the Sisters of Divine Providence, provided food and laundry services there from 1892 until 1969.

The events mentioned above were possible because of the presence of the Priests of St. Sulpice on the site since 1791. In that year, four priests and five seminarians arrived from France to open the first Catholic seminary in this country. St. Mary's Seminary was in the neighborhood when Paca Street came only as far north as Franklin Street, before the seminary chapel and Mother Seton's house were built.

The seminary began in the One-Mile Tavern, an inn which faced the Hookstown Road (later named Pennsylvania Avenue). As the seminary attracted more students, additional buildings were constructed and earlier ones razed. The main section of the fourth seminary building was erected in 1876.

In 1929 the theology department moved to Roland Park in Baltimore. The last class was graduated from St. Mary's Seminary on Paca Street in 1969. Because so many future priests worshiped in the old chapel for 161 years, it has been called the most priestly spot in the country.

After the seminary authorities tried unsuccessfully for six years to find a new use for the old seminary building on the site, it was razed in 1975 in order to prevent vandalism or arson.

St. Mary Park now comprises most of the old campus. Three buildings remain: The Mother Seton House on Paca Street (1808), the Old Seminary Chapel (1808), and St. Mary's Spiritual Center, which had been a convent for the Sisters of Divine Providence (1894). The Sulpician Fathers have been continuously present on the site since 1791.

Auspice Maria ("Under Mary's Protection")
is the motto of the Society of St. Sulpice.

The chapel is the only integral part of the seminary founded by the priests of the Society of St. Sulpice in 1791 which remains on Paca Street. However, something of the Sulpician spirit is embodied in St. Mary's Spiritual Center, which is now on the site of the seminary. In particular, the Center seeks to continue the Sulpician tradition of commitment to the development of the Christian life through spiritual direction.

St. Mary's Spiritual Center also provides a menu of days of prayer and workshops for parish groups and ministers. The kinds of programs offered by the Center are not readily available at most parishes. All programs presented by the Center are structured to help participants deepen their relationship with God. The primary objective of our programs is to help people discern the meaning and direction of their life and work, rather than to teach skills.

"What parish are you at, Father?" People often use that as an ice-breaker. I tend to reply, "Well, actually, I'm not at a parish. I'm a Sulpician." Now, there's a conversation piece! Then they look bewildered and say, "Oh. What order is that again?" I put on a friendly countenance as I reply, "Well, um, I'm really not in an order. The Sulpicians are an association of diocesan priests that mainly operate seminaries to train men for the diocesan priesthood." The next comment is something like this: "I see." Pause. "So, what seminary do you teach at?" About then I reach for a business card and say, "Well, actually, I'm not at a seminary." By this time I have convinced them that I'm not anybody and I don't do anything, but I give them the card anyway. After reading it they say, "I've never heard of St. Mary's Spiritual Center and I don't know what you do." Although St. Mary's Spiritual Center occasionally runs ads in the Catholic Review and provides a variety of descriptive brochures for parish pamphlet racks, I hear that remark lots of times. This is my chance to respond to it!

At this writing an Adjunct Staff of 13 and the Director provide a variety of services. What we do falls under the general heading, not readily available at most parishes. We try not to compete with parishes and not to duplicate services readily available there. Everything we do is intended to foster one's relationship with God. Our spiritual programs fall under two specific headings: Programs for Individuals and Programs for Groups.

One-to-one spiritual direction. When someone inquires about spiritual direction at this Center, we send him/her a brochure, "Is Spiritual Direction for Me?" S/he is requested to set up an appointment with the Director of the Center if, after perusing the brochure, s/he is still interested in seeking spiritual direction here. The Director then interviews the person to discover what s/he is looking for in spiritual direction and in the spiritual director, and to explain how the two parties in the relationship can help the process run smoothly. Two points are stressed: confidentiality and the periodic assessment of the process. The latter may be unique to this Center. Each prospective candidate for spiritual direction here receives another brochure, "Beginning Spiritual Direction," which gives some details of the mechanics of spiritual direction and a set of guidelines for the assessment. The Director asks the person to give the matter a few more days of thought and prayer and then to call the Director after deciding whether to continue the process or not.

When the prospective candidate for spiritual direction calls back with an affirmative response, the Director of the Center contacts one of the eight experienced and trained spiritual directors on the Adjunct Staff who he thinks would be suitable to work with the person. When the member of the Adjunct Staff consents to work with the person seeking spiritual direction, the Director puts the candidate in touch with her or him.
Spiritual direction most often takes place at the Center, where there are several suitable rooms. Some spiritual directors on the Adjunct Staff are also available at a few satellite locations.

Progoff Intensive Journal® Workshops. Each spring and fall the Center presents two modules of the Intensive Journal program of personal and spiritual growth created over thirty years ago by the New York psychologist Ira Progoff. Each module consists of four three-hour sessions. The program itself has no content. It is a method in which each participant uses written exercises in a structured sequence under the direction of an experienced leader to work in private with the contents of his/her life. The objective is a stronger sense of meaning and direction in life. The program resembles an individually directed retreat. No one is expected to read aloud from what has been written and participants are asked to refrain from speaking to one another except during the breaks. Authorized workshop leaders are required to follow guidelines issued by Dialogue House, the institution founded by Dr. Progoff.

"Massage Therapy in a Spiritual Setting." A nurse massage therapist who, incidentally, is the mother of a priest of the Archdiocese, provides this program "as another path to access the sacred space within each person" (from our brochure). The Director interviews each prospective client of the Center prior to acceptance.

"Spiritual Menu." The Center has concocted a rather extensive menu of part-day or full-day mini-retreats or Days of Prayer/Recollection. An unusual feature of this Center is that we accept orders for items on our menu from representatives of groups such as a parish staff, parish council, RCIA team, school faculty, CCD teachers, etc., rather than from individuals. Furthermore, we do not have a scheduled time for serving items ordered from our menu. The group decides when and where it wants to be served. In other words, like Domino's, we also deliver! Our spiritual pizzas travel up to 50 miles, or they can be served at the Center at no extra charge. In addition to the menu, we provide other programs made-to-order for whatever group wants them. Finally, we provide meeting facilities for groups, organizations, or programs not at odds with what we stand for.

"Spirituality" for the Church Leadership Institute. At the invitation of archdiocesan officials, this Center has developed three modules each consisting of eight two-and-a-half-hour sessions on spirituality for lay people who are preparing for positions of lay leadership in the Archdiocese. We have compiled a teacher's manual for each of the modules and we present the program quarterly at various sites designated by officials of the Church Leadership Institute. Certain of these modules are prerequisites for the diaconate program of the Archdiocese. The Center also makes components of these modules available as items on our spiritual menu.

The following free brochures have been distributed to several parishes for pamphlet racks and are available to you upon request: "Is Spiritual Direction for Me?", "Beginning Spiritual Direction," "Spiritual Menu," "Our Spiritual Pizza," "Massage Therapy in a Spiritual Setting," and "Who We Are . . ." The last one is a brief history of the place: what it was and what is and what it hopes to be. Brochures and articles on the Progoff Intensive Journal program are also available. For statistics and more detailed information, please ask for a copy of the annual Director's Report to the Board of Trustees.
I recently accepted an invitation from Bishop Bennett to meet with pastors of each of the four regions of his vicariate for a 15-minute presentation on possible "outreach" of the Center in terms of the needs of predominantly African-American parishes. I have also informally asked several members of the Oblate Sisters of Providence for input on the matter of "outreach."

Besides leading Intensive Journal workshops at this Center, I continue to lead them also at other sites in the Baltimore-Washington area and to make shorter presentations on the program upon request, for example, at a hospital, university, or other interested institution. Two of the last are scheduled for 2002.

The Center has no staff. Besides the Adjunct Staff of spiritual directors and program leaders, the Center also has an Auxiliary Staff consisting of a full-time Administrative Assistant, a full-time Maintenance and Operations Assistant, and a part-time Housekeeper.

A few closing remarks about the Old Seminary Chapel: It is still in pretty good shape from the Bicentennial Celebration in 1991. Thanks to a shower of tiles during a storm, plans are in the works for a new slate roof, and thanks to Laura Tester, we have a $30,000-grant from the Maryland Historical Trust to do the job, which will probably begin spring 2002. And, in conclusion, thanks to a remark by a renowned Sulpician organist recently arrived in Catonsville, the organ was tuned in time for the wedding of the daughter of the Dean of the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music.