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
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
Parish and School Closing
...es. This almost forced Roman Catholic High School for Boys, the first diocesan high school in the country to close in 1988. While it was able to recover, other institutions would not be so lucky. Halvey_654J_021 Halvey_654J_022 Halvey_667J_004 Halvey_667J_009 Halvey_667J_013 Halvey_677J_024 Parishes Merge In 1992, Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua announced
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