St. Mary’s Priory Project
A Home for Priests. A Foundation for the Future.
A Growing Apostolate Needs a Proper Home
For nearly 50 years, the priests serving St. Mary’s have never lived in a true priory as envisioned by the Society’s founder. Today, with a flourishing parish, a rapidly expanding college, and an ever-increasing number of souls to serve, the need is no longer optional – it is essential.
A Community without a True Priory
•14 priests and 2 brothers currently live in converted apartments
•No remaining space for additional clergy
•No proper common areas for meetings, recreation, or fraternity
•Guest accommodations are insufficient and scattered
Growing Apostolate & Visitors
•Up to 10 visiting priests during summer teacher seminars
•6+ visiting clergy monthly year-round
•Frequent pilgrims and alumni clergy visiting the Immaculata
•These clerical guests often have to be turned away or housed elsewhere
Why a New Priory Is Necessary
Daily Life Lacks Unity
•No shared refectory – meals are fragmented
•Limited time together as a community
•No dedicated space for recollection, conferences, or quiet prayer
•Priests are dispersed rather than united in common life
Proximity to the College
•Priests live directly among student classrooms and often noisy hallways
•Shared building with 60+ college students
•SMC has doubled in size. This means space shortages for Classrooms, Lounges, Restrooms and other rooms
•Repurposing the current priest housing would significantly relieve this pressure
A Priory According to the Mind of the Church
A Place Set Apart
The new priory will be built in a quiet, rural setting on campus near the existing farmhouse, offering silence, recollection, community and renewal after apostolic labor.
Designed for Priestly Life
The new priory will include:
•30 bedrooms
•Chapel for daily prayer and recollection
•Refectory for shared meals
•Library and conference space
•Guest accommodations for clergy
•Recreation areas
•ADA-accessible room for elderly or infirm priests
St. Mary’s continues to expand:
•170 baptisms and 47 weddings in 1 year
•Growing Catholic population
•Increasing vocations and apostolic needs
•Future schools and missions under consideration
This priory is not just for today—it is for the next generation of priests.
Peace Amid Activity
After serving in classrooms, confessions, and parishes, priests will return not to noise and interruption — but to silence, order, and community.