Saint John Neumann and the Forty Hours Devotion
With the National Eucharistic revival taking place this year, it would be appropriate to talk about the Forty Hours Devotion. The devotion began in Milan, Italy, in memory of the forty hours that the Sacred Body of Jesus laid in the tomb. Not long after, the practice spread to Rome
Cornelia Connelly, S.H.C.J.
Since March 8th is International Women's Day, it felt right to share the story of one of Philadelphia’s own: Cornelia Connelly, Foundress of the Society of the Holy Child of Jesus. Cornelia Augusta Peacock Connelly was born on January 15, 1809, to Ralph Peacock and Mary Swope Bowen. Tragedy struck
Philadelphia’s First Catholic Cathedral
Old St. Mary’s traces 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.
St. Peter Claver
On March 26, 1889, Archbishop Patrick Ryan wrote to Mother Katharine Drexel to inform her that he had secured a priest to minister to the Black Catholics in Philadelphia.[1] There had been a growing need for a dedicated ministry for some time. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Black Catholics