Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Rt. Rev. Thomas Shahan 1993.018.EOS017; CHRC On August 15th of 1913, the project that Msgr. Thomas Shahan has been working on and dreaming of since the early 1900s was given the green light by none other than Pope Pius X. The approval was for the building of the Basilica of

Continue reading

Thomas Nast Anti-Irish Cartoons

...red American 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

Continue reading

Parish and School Closing

...ey were a necessity that secured the financial stability of the Archdiocese for the future. They also led to a new beginning – when Blessed Katharine Drexel in Chester had its first Mass on July 1, 1993, the church was filled to capacity as parishioners began a new era. Halvey_670J_056

Continue reading

Philadelphia’s First Catholic Cathedral

...gton and John Adams attended Vespers there in October of 1774. On September 13, 1788, the Pennsylvania Legislator passed an act incorporating the new trustees of St. Mary’s. When Philadelphia was made a diocese in 1808 there were only four Catholic Churches in the city: Old St. Joseph’s, Old St.

Continue reading