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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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

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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

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Catholics in WWII

...stant chaplains.[6] O’Hara’s letter also included a list breaking down the number of chaplains from each diocese, in which Philadelphia had the second most with 51. As the war continued that number would increase to 68, unfortunately eight of those Philadelphia priests would die in the war, the most of

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