Eucharistic Congress

...to 1881, when a one day congress was held in Lille, France and attended by 800 people. The event in Philadelphia would last for a week and be attended by over 1,500,000 people including 44 Cardinals and 417 Bishops from around the world. Halvey_A429_001 Halvey_A429_052 Halvey_A429_054 Halvey_A429_056   Hungers and

Continue reading

World War One Army Chaplains

...Catholic priests in the armed forces; however, by the end of the war that number grew to over 1,000.[2] Of those, 38 chaplains came from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.[3] One chaplain’s life of remarkable note was that of Father Joseph L. N. Wolfe. Born December 26, 1881, Wolfe attended Roman

Continue reading

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

...merging of Byzantine and Romanesque styles.[3] The change in design had a number of reasons, which the architect, Charles Maginnis, stated arose out of a desire for a “distinctively American” church that would allow for a blending of the architecture in Washington D.C.[4] Another practical reason was the contemporary building

Continue reading

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

Continue reading