American Federation of Catholic Societies

...that the Church had experienced in the mid-1800s. Despite these concerns a number of archbishops and bishops supported the new organization and it slowly started to expend. In 1903, the Pennsylvania Federation was founded with the goal of “cementing the bonds of fraternal union among the Catholic laity and the

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Thomas Nast Anti-Irish Cartoons

...society. In the immediate aftermath of the Orange Riot of July 12, 1871 in New York City, in which Irish Catholics clashed with the National Guard protecting an Irish Protestant parade, Nast drew a number of anti-Irish cartoons for Harper’s Weekly. One cartoon illustrated the Draft Riots of July 1863,

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Philadelphia’s First Bishop

...his immense diocese be divided, and in 1808 the Dioceses of Philadelphia, New York, Boston and Bardstown, Kentucky were established. The newly formed Diocese of Philadelphia encompassed all of Pennsylvania and Delaware, and the southern half of New Jersey. Just two years later, the Diocese of Philadelphia had approximately 11

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Philadelphia’s First Catholic Cathedral

...later. Due to all these issues, Kenrick sought to move the cathedral to a new church. Finally in 1838, Kenrick designated St. John the Evangelist as the new pro-Cathedral. Despite the rocky relationship between the trustees and the bishops, Old St. Mary’s served as vital role in the history of

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