Philadelphia’s First Catholic Cathedral

...gton and John Adams attended Vespers there in October of 1774. On September 13, 1788, the Pennsylvania Legislator passed an act incorporating the new trustees of St. Mary’s. When Philadelphia was made a diocese in 1808 there were only four Catholic Churches in the city: Old St. Joseph’s, Old St.

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Parish and School Closing

...ey were a necessity that secured the financial stability of the Archdiocese for the future. They also led to a new beginning – when Blessed Katharine Drexel in Chester had its first Mass on July 1, 1993, the church was filled to capacity as parishioners began a new era. Halvey_670J_056

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Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Rt. Rev. Thomas Shahan 1993.018.EOS017; CHRC On August 15th of 1913, the project that Msgr. Thomas Shahan has been working on and dreaming of since the early 1900s was given the green light by none other than Pope Pius X. The approval was for the building of the Basilica of

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Archbishop Ryan

...ther Katharine wrote the rule for her new order.   Ryan's Funeral, February 16, 1911 Ryan would serve as Archbishop of Philadelphia for 27 years until his death on February 11, 1911. Before his funeral, his body lay in state at the Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul were

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