Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
...mainly a story of the Church in Washington D.C., Philadelphia would have a number of important connections to the building of the shrine, including Reverend Bernard McKenna, who acted as Shahan’s secretary from 1915-1929 and then as the first director of the shrine from 1929-1933.[6] McKenna was born in Philadelphia
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
Philadelphia’s First Bishop
...ffered the safety of religious tolerance, but 50 years passed before great numbers of Catholics settled in the colony. The English-born Jesuit, Reverend Joseph Greaton, lived in Maryland as early as 1720, and traveled to Philadelphia to offer Mass and administer the sacraments. By 1729, Father Greaton had taken up
Archbishop Ryan
...5, respectively.[10] Ryan was also active in labor relations, working on a number of occasions as a mediator before management and labor unions to bring about peace resolutions. The most notable was the city’s trolley car strike in 1885-1886. Ryan, serving as chairman of the negotiating committee, helped broker a