Philadelphia’s First Bishop

...” echoed through the city. Bishop Egan’s weakened physical state may have contributed to some of the administrative problems he encountered during his years in Philadelphia. The growing debt at Saint Mary’s prompted the lay trustees to suggest decreasing the number of priests serving the congregation, as well as reducing

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Archbishop Ryan

...s also active in expanding ministry work for the marginalized. He opened a number of institutions, including, St. Joseph’s House for Homeless Industrious Boys and the Philadelphia Protectory for Boys (now St. Gabriel’s Hall) in 1888 and 1895, respectively.[10] Ryan was also active in labor relations, working on a number

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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

...ded all religious services at the church until the trustees backed down a month 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

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