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
Philadelphia’s First Bishop
...adelphia. After Egan’s appointment as bishop, Saint Mary’s became the diocesan procathedral (an existing parish church used as a cathedral). Engraving of Old St. Mary, n.d. Michael Egan was named the first bishop of the Diocese of Philadelphia in April 1808, although political conditions in Europe and slow communications from
American Federation of Catholic Societies
...o the constitution of the group declaring that it would not engage in partisan politics nor endorse any candidates.[6] However, some members of the clergy were nervous that this would give rise to anti-Catholic sentiment that the Church had experienced in the mid-1800s. Despite these concerns a number of archbishops