The oldest Catholic institution of higher learning in the Philadelphia region, the school is named after Charles Borromeo, an Italian saint from the Counter-Reformation.

[1] In August 2024, the seminary moved from its former site in Overbrook to a new campus in the municipality of Lower Gwynedd Township.

[4] In 1863, then Bishop James F. Wood made the first of three property purchases to create a new Saint Charles campus in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia.

On May 23, 2024, workers moved the historic white cross overlooking the Ben Franklin Parkway at Logan Square, initially erected in honor of Pope John Paul II's 1979 visit to Philadelphia, to the Malvern Retreat House.

Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, offered remarks and was present for the blessing, along with the Seminary’s rector, Most Reverend Keith J. Chylinski, Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia.

St. Charles offers the following degrees: At the start of the 2024–2025 academic year, the total enrollment of 140 seminarians was studying for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, as well as 14 partner dioceses and religious orders.