Center Planned

Linda Friskey
???, March 1, 1984

The Kamakoti & Tirupati Foundation plans to open the doors of historic St. Mary's College in Ilchester to anyone who wants to study religion and philosophy.

But that probably won't happen anytime soon.

A.N. Murty, director and spokesman for the non-profit foundation, said repair work has to be done first. The college and chapel, built in the 1800s, need everything from roof work to sewer and water hook-ups.

The foundation, named after a monastery and temple in India, was incorporated in Maryland in September to operate the spiritual center, Murty said. He would not reveal the identity of the founders, saying they prefer that their charitable work through the center be anonymous. Nor would Murty say whether the founders reside in the county.

Murty, who has an office in Savage, said he is on a one-year sabbatical from Grambling State University in Louisiana, where he has been a physics professor for more than 15 years. He is scheduled to return to Grambling in the fall, he said, but may extend his sabbatical.

The college's owner, Michael Nibaldi, said the founders entered into a rental agreement with him Friday, but he would not comment on the terms. He did say that the founders- whose names he would not divulge- plan to buy St. Mary's. Murty said settlement is to be next August, at which time the founders will decide how many of the estate's 33 acres they can afford to buy.

Murty estimated that the foundation would pay $250,000 for the buildings and 12 acres, and an additional $150,000 for the remaining acres.

The seminary will be a non-sectarian refuge with a well-stocked library for anyone who wants to contemplate and discuss religion. Rooms-for-rent will be available for those who want to spend a few days in seclusion. The foundation plans to sponsor some students and others to study there, and to encourage them and world religious leaders to write articles for a journal the foundation hopes to establish.

"Such a spiritual center would be serving a good purpose for the society," Murty said. He stressed that the seminary will in no way be connected with any faith or cult.

Nibaldi decided to sell the foundation a few months ago, when local architect James Schulte gave up his ideas for St. Mary's. Schulte tried unsuccessfully for nearly two years to persuade county boards and area residents that the college should be converted to apartments.

County officials say the foundation's proposals meet zoning regulation requirements. In a letter to the foundation, John W. Musselman, chief of the Division of Land Development and Zoning Administration, wrote, "Your proposed use of the property, i.e. to continue the spiritual tradition initiated over 127 years ago, is recognized and lauded…"

St. Mary's College was constructed by the Catholic Redemptorist Fathers in 1868. The chapel was built in 1882.

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