Research Request Forms

...for genealogical purposes. Records after 1940 can only be obtained by the person the record pertains to and requires a photo I.D. to obtain a copy of the record. CHRC has some school records, mainly report cards, for a number of parochial schools: Ascension of Our Lord, St. Catharine of

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Research

...se records be closed to researchers for varying lengths of time. Access to American Catholic Historical Society collections is practically unlimited and major portions of the Seminary, Archdiocesan and Drexel materials are open to researchers. Use of Archdiocesan departmental records requires the permission of the department. The reference services offered

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Parish and School Closing

...2, Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua announced plans to examine the closing of a number of parishes in North Philadelphia and the city of Chester. Both areas saw a major decrease in parishioners, with both areas losing around 60% of registered members from 1970 to 1990. Due to this and lingering financial

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Philadelphia’s First Catholic Cathedral

...races its history to 1763, when a second church was needed for the growing number of Catholics in the city. Built on land originally bought to serve as a cemetery for Old St. Joseph’s, Old St. Mary’s was referred to as “Mission Number 1” as St. Joseph’s was seen as

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