The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia is a

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

ecclesiastical territory or

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in southeastern

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It covers the City and County of Philadelphia as well as Bucks, Chester,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, and Montgomery counties. The diocese was erected by Pope Pius VII on April 8, 1808, from territories of the

Archdiocese of Baltimore The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore ( la, link=no, Archidiœcesis Baltimorensis) is the premier (or first) see of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the United States. The archdiocese comprises the City of Baltimore and nine of M ...

. Originally the diocese included all of

, and seven counties and parts of three counties in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. The diocese was raised to the dignity of a

metropolitan archdiocese A metropolis religious jurisdiction, or a metropolitan archdiocese, is an episcopal see whose bishop is the metropolitan bishop or archbishop of an ecclesiastical province. Metropolises, historically, have been important cities in their provinces. ...

on February 12, 1875. The seat of the archbishop is the Cathedral-Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul. The Most Reverend Nelson J. Perez was appointed as Archbishop of Philadelphia in January 2020. It is also the Metropolitan See of the

Ecclesiastical Province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of seve ...

of Philadelphia, which includes the suffragan episcopal sees of

Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them: *Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California *Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County *Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Taze ...

, Altoona-Johnstown,

Erie Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

, Greensburg,

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, and

Scranton Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...

. The territory of the province is coextensive with the state of Pennsylvania.

History of the archdiocese

The history of the Catholic Church in the area dates back to

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

and when

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...

was said publicly as early as 1707.''A Brief History of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia''
. Retrieved 2010-03-11. On April 8, 1808, the suffragan dioceses of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Bardstown (moved to Louisville in 1841) were erected by Pope Pius VII from the territory of the Diocese of Baltimore, which was simultaneously raised to the rank of

. Michael Egan was appointed as the first

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

and was consecrated as a bishop on October 28, 1810, by Archbishop

John Carroll John Carroll may refer to: People Academia and science *Sir John Carroll (astronomer) (1899–1974), British astronomer *John Alexander Carroll (died 2000), American history professor *John Bissell Carroll (1916–2003), American cognitive sci ...

In 1868, the dioceses of Harrisburg, Scranton, and Wilmington were erected from the territory of the diocese (the Wilmington diocese also received parts of Maryland and Virginia). Philadelphia was raised to a metropolitan archiepiscopal see on February 12, 1875, with Harrisburg and Scranton among its suffragan dioceses. On January 28, 1961, the five northern counties of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, and Schuylkill were split off from the archdiocese, to create the

Diocese of Allentown The Diocese of Allentown ( la, Diœcesis Alanpolitana) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church, located in Allentown, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The Diocese of Allentow ...

. By 1969, the archdiocese had grown to 1,351,704 parishioners, 1,096

diocesan In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

priests, 676 priests of religious institutes and 6,622

religious Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatur ...

women. In February 2012, the diocese announced the largest reorganization of their elementary and high school education system, with numerous recommended school closings and/or mergers. In a Thursday, August 23, 2012, online news story article about the Archdiocese's schools, Lou Baldwin of

Catholic News Service Catholic News Service (CNS) is an American news agency owned by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) that reports on the Catholic Church. The agency's domestic service is set to shut down at the end of 2022, but its Rome bur ...

(CNS) announced that the Faith in the Future Foundation would assume management of the seventeen archdiocesan high schools and the four special education schools.

Bishops

Bishops of Philadelphia

# Michael Francis Egan, O.F.M. (1808–1814)
(

Ambrose Maréchal Ambrose Maréchal, P.S.S. (August 28, 1764 – January 29, 1828) was an American Sulpician and prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the third Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland. He dedicated the Basilica of the N ...

, P.S.S. appointed in 1816; did not take effect.) #

Henry Conwell Henry Conwell ( – April 22, 1842) was an Irish-born Catholic bishop in the United States. He became a priest in 1776 and served in that capacity in Ireland for more than four decades. After the Pope declined to appoint him Archbishop of Arm ...

(1819–1841) # Francis Patrick Kenrick (1842–1851; coadjutor bishop 1830–1842), appointed

Archbishop of Baltimore The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore ( la, link=no, Archidiœcesis Baltimorensis) is the premier (or first) see of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the United States. The archdiocese comprises the City of Baltimore and nine of M ...

# Saint

John Nepomucene Neumann John Nepomucene Neumann (german: link=no, Johann Nepomuk Neumann, cs, Jan Nepomucký Neumann; March 28, 1811 – January 5, 1860) was a Catholic priest from Bohemia. He immigrated to the United States in 1836, where he was ordained, joined t ...

, C.Ss.R. (1852–1860) #

James Frederick Wood James Frederick Bryan Wood (April 27, 1813 – June 20, 1883) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the fifth Bishop and first Archbishop of Philadelphia, serving between 1860 and his death in 1883. Early life James Wood ...

(1860–1875; coadjutor bishop 1857–1860), elevated to archbishop

Archbishops of Philadelphia

# James Frederick Wood (1875–1883) #

Patrick John Ryan Patrick John Ryan (February 20, 1831 – February 11, 1911) was an Irish-born prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the second Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1884 until his death in 1911. Early life and education Patrick Ryan was born in ...

(1884–1911) #

Edmond Francis Prendergast Edmond Francis Prendergast (May 3, 1843 – February 26, 1918) was an Irish-born prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the third Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1911 until his death in 1918. Biography Edmond Prendergast was born in Clonm ...

(1911–1918) # Cardinal

Dennis Joseph Dougherty Dennis Joseph Dougherty (August 16, 1865 – May 31, 1951) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1918 until his death in 1951, and was made a cardinal in 1921. He was Philadelphia's longes ...

(1918–1951) # Cardinal John Francis O'Hara, C.S.C. (1951–1960) # Cardinal John Joseph Krol (1961–1988) # Cardinal Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua (1988–2003) # Cardinal Justin Francis Rigali (2003–2011) #

Charles Joseph Chaput Charles Joseph Chaput ( ; born September 26, 1944) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the ninth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, serving from 2011 until 2020. He previously served as archb ...

, O.F.M. Cap. (2011–2020) # Nelson J. Perez (2020–present)

Current auxiliary bishops

* Timothy C. Senior (2009–present) * John J. McIntyre (2010–present) * Michael J. Fitzgerald (2010–present)

Former auxiliary bishops

* John Joseph McCort (1912–1920), appointed Coadjutor Bishop and later Bishop of Altoona *

Michael Joseph Crane Michael Joseph Crane (September 8, 1863 – December 26, 1928) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1921 until his death in 1928. Biography Michael Crane ...

(1921–1928) *

Gerald Patrick O'Hara Gerald Patrick Aloysius O'Hara (May 4, 1895 – July 16, 1963) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (1929-1935), as bishop of the Diocese of Savannah in Georg ...

(1929–1935), appointed Bishop of Savannah and later

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international ...

and

Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

* Hugh L. Lamb (1935–1951), appointed Bishop of Greensburg * J. Carroll McCormick (1947–1960), appointed Bishop of Altoona-Johnstown and later Bishop of Scranton * Joseph Mark McShea (1952–1961), appointed Bishop of Allentown * Cletus Joseph Benjamin (1960–1961) * Francis James Furey (1960–1963), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop and later

Archbishop of San Antonio The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the United States, and sui juris Latin Church in full communion with the pope of Rome. It encompasses in the U.S. state of Texas. The Roman Catholic Archdi ...

* Gerald Vincent McDevitt (1962–1980) * John Joseph Graham (1963–1988) * Thomas Jerome Welsh (1970–1974), appointed Bishop of Arlington and later Bishop of Allentown * Martin Nicholas Lohmuller (1970–1994) * Edward Thomas Hughes (1976–1986), appointed Bishop of Metuchen *

Francis B. Schulte Francis Bible Schulte, O.H.S. (December 23, 1926 – January 17, 2016) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans in Louisiana from 1989 to 2002. Schulte previously served ...

(1981–1985), appointed Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston and later

Archbishop of New Orleans The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans ( la, Archidioecesis Novae Aureliae, french: Archidiocèse de la Nouvelle-Orléans, es, Arquidiócesis de Nueva Orleans) is an ecclesiastical division of the Roman Catholic Church spanning Jeffers ...

* Louis A. DeSimone (1981–1997) * Edward Peter Cullen (1994–1997), appointed Bishop of Allentown * Joseph Francis Martino (1996–2003), appointed Bishop of Scranton * Robert P. Maginnis (1996–2010) * Michael Francis Burbidge (2002–2006), appointed Bishop of Raleigh and later Bishop of Arlington * Joseph R. Cistone (2004–2009), appointed Bishop of Saginaw * Joseph P. McFadden (2004–2010), appointed Bishop of Harrisburg * Daniel E. Thomas (2006–2014), appointed Bishop of Toledo * Edward Michael Deliman (2016–2022)

Other living priests of this diocese who became bishops

:''Note: Year range in parentheses indicates the time of service as a priest of the (Arch)diocese of Philadelphia, prior to appointment to the episcopacy.'' * Edward Joseph Adams (1970–1996), appointed nuncio and titular archbishop''See'': List of the Catholic bishops of the United States#American bishops serving outside the United States. *

Herbert Bevard Herbert Armstrong Bevard (born February 24, 1946) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the bishop of the Diocese of Saint Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also call ...

(1972–2008), appointed Bishop of St. Thomas * Michael Joseph Bransfield (1971–2004), appointed Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston * Joseph Lawrence Coffey (1996–2019), appointed auxiliary bishop of U.S. Military * James Patrick Green (1976–2006), appointed nuncio and titular archbishop * Joseph A. Pepe (1970–2001), appointed Bishop of Las Vegas * Nelson J. Perez (1989–2012), appointed auxiliary bishop of Rockville Centre; ''appointed Archbishop of Philadelphia in 2020''

Other deceased priests of this diocese who became bishops

:''Note: Year range in parentheses indicates the time of service as a priest of the (Arch)diocese of Philadelphia, prior to appointment to the episcopacy.'' * Francis Brennan (1920–1940), appointed official of the Roman Rota; appointed titular archbishop and Cardinal in 1967 *

Edwin Byrne Edwin Vincent Byrne (August 9, 1891 – July 26, 1963) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served in Puerto Rico, as Bishop of Ponce (1925–1929) and Bishop of San Juan (1929–1943), before returning to the United St ...

(1915–1925), appointed Bishop of Ponce * George Aloysius Carrell, SJ (ordained 1827; Philadelphia native but not priest of this diocese), appointed Bishop of Covington in 1853 * James Jordan Carroll (1889–1908), appointed Bishop of Nueva Segovia, Philippines * Hubert James Cartwright (1927–1956), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Wilmington * Joseph M. Corrigan (1903–1940), appointed titular bishop * Joseph Thomas Daley (1941–1963), appointed auxiliary bishop of Harrisburg * Francis Xavier DiLorenzo (1968–1988), appointed auxiliary bishop of Scranton *

(1890–1903), appointed Bishop of Nueva Segovia, Philippines; ''appointed Archbishop of Philadelphia in 1918 (Cardinal in 1921)'' * Edmond John Fitzmaurice (1904–1925), appointed Bishop of Wilmington * John Edmund Fitzmaurice (1862–1897), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Erie * John Patrick Foley (1962–1984), appointed titular archbishop (Cardinal in 2007) *

Joseph Anthony Galante Joseph Anthony Galante (July 2, 1938 – May 25, 2019) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Camden in New Jersey from 2004 to 2013. He previously held several positions as a bishop in Tex ...

(1964–1992), appointed auxiliary bishop of San Antonio * Francis Xavier Gartland (1832–1850), appointed Bishop of Savannah * Daniel James Gercke (1901–1923), appointed Bishop of Tucson *

Ignatius Frederick Horstmann Ignatius Frederick Horstmann (December 16, 1840 – May 13, 1908) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland in Ohio from 1892 until his death in 1908. Biography Early life Ignat ...

(1865–1891), appointed Bishop of Cleveland * John Joseph Hughes (1826–1837), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of New York *

Francis Edward Hyland Francis Edward Hyland (October 9, 1901 – January 31, 1968) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of what was then the Diocese of Atlanta in Georgia from 1956 to 1961. He previously served as an auxiliary ...

(1927–1949), appointed auxiliary bishop of Savannah-Atlanta *

Thomas Francis Kennedy Thomas Francis Kennedy (11 November 17881 April 1879), Scottish politician, was born near Ayr in 1788. He studied for the bar and became advocate in 1811. Having been elected Member of Parliament for the Ayr Burghs in 1818, he devoted the gre ...

(1887–1907), appointed titular bishop * James Paul McCloskey (1898–1917), appointed Bishop of Zamboanga, Philippines * Philip R. McDevitt (1885–1916), appointed Bishop of Harrisburg * Thomas Joseph McDonough (1938–1947), appointed auxiliary bishop of St. Augustine * Thomas McGovern (1861–1888), appointed Bishop of Harrisburg * Eugene J. McGuinness (1915–1937), appointed Bishop of Raleigh * John Joseph O'Connor (1945–1979), appointed auxiliary bishop of U.S. military; future Cardinal * William O'Hara (1842–1868), appointed Bishop of Scranton * Jeremiah F. Shanahan (1859–1868), appointed Bishop of Harrisburg * John W. Shanahan (1869–1899), appointed Bishop of Harrisburg * David B. Thompson (1950–1961), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Charleston in 1989

Churches

Educational institutions

Circa 1912 there were about 68,000 students in Catholic schools within the archdiocesan territory. This increased to 250,000 in 1961, but the figures decreased after that year. Enrollment was down to 68,000 in 2012. There were about 50,000 students in Catholic schools in the city of Philadelphia in 2000, and this figure decreased to 30,000 in 2010. In that span one Catholic high school and 23 Catholic elementary schools closed or merged, and the proliferation of charter schools in that period meant that the number of students combined in that type of school outnumbered that of the remaining Philadelphia Catholic schools. In 2012 the archdiocese proposed closing or merging 18 schools in Philadelphia and 31 schools outside of Philadelphia; the ''

Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Penns ...

'' stated this would further weaken Philadelphia's

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Com ...

. The proposal would affect 24% and 29% of the senior high and K-8 schools, respectively.

Elementary schools

(only includes schools notable for their own Wikipedia articles) The first Catholic school established in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia was at St. Mary Parish in Philadelphia during the late eighteenth century. During the nineteenth century, Bishop Kenrick encouraged the establishment of Catholic schools. Subsequently, St. John Neumann (1851–1860) made the establishment of parish elementary schools a priority and by 1860 there were seventeen parish elementary schools in Philadelphia. Between 1900 and 1930, Catholic elementary schools increased to 124 schools in Philadelphia and 78 schools in the four suburban counties. Between 1945 and 1965, 62 new Catholic elementary schools were established. In 2012, about 25% of the students in Philadelphia Catholic elementary schools were not Catholic. In 2010

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west."Roman Catholic High School of Philadelphia", founded for the education of boys in 1890. (It is often referred to as "Roman Catholic", occasionally as "Catholic High", and most commonly as "Roman".) The "Catholic Girls High School" was founded in 1912. Mary McMichan, one of the school's founders, requested in her last will that the school be renamed in honor of her brother. The school became "John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School" after her death. Both schools are still in existence. Between 1916 and 1927 West Catholic Boys and Girls and Northeast Catholic were opened. Despite the economic hardships of the 1930s and 1940s, seven more diocesan high schools were founded. During a 22-year growth period from 1945 to 1967, fifteen high schools were opened.

Seminaries

* St. Charles Borromeo Seminary * Redemptois Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary

Colleges and universities within the archdiocese

:''Note: Each Catholic college and university within the archdiocese is affiliated with a religious institute, rather than the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.'' * Alvernia University - Philadelphia Center ''(branch campus)'', Cheltenham Township ( Bernardine Sisters of St. Francis) *

Cabrini University Cabrini University is a private Roman Catholic university in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1957, and was named after the first American naturalized citizen saint, Mother ...

, Radnor Township (

Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a Roman Catholic female religious congregation, founded in 1880 by Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini. Their aim is to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart by means of spiritual and corporal works ...

) *

Chestnut Hill College Chestnut Hill College is a private Catholic college in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The college was founded in 1924 as a women's college by the Sisters of St. Joseph. It was originally named Mount Saint Joseph Colleg ...

, Philadelphia (

Sisters of Saint Joseph The Sisters of St. Joseph, also known as the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, abbreviated CSJ or SSJ, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, in 1650. This congregation, named for ...

) * Gwynedd Mercy University, Lower Gwynedd Township (

Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...

) *

Holy Family University Holy Family University is a private Roman Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was chartered in 1954 by the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. In addition to the main Torresdale campus in the northeast ...

, Philadelphia (

Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth are a Roman Catholic religious institute that was founded in Rome in 1875 by Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd (Franciszka Siedliska). The Sisters of the Holy Family are an apostolic, international ...

) *

Immaculata University Immaculata University is a private Roman Catholic university in East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The university is composed of 1,427 traditional undergraduate and ...

, East Whiteland Township (

Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (I.H.M.) is a Catholic religious institute of sisters, founded by Fr Louis Florent Gillet, CSsR, and a co-founder of the Oblate Sister of Providence, Mother Theresa Maxis Duchemin, in 1845. ...

) * La Salle University, Philadelphia ( Christian Brothers) *

Neumann University Neumann University is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Aston, Pennsylvania. It is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia. History The roots of Neumann University began in 1855 when Bishop (later Saint) John ...

, Aston Township (

Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia are a women's religious congregation of the Third Order of Saint Francis founded in 1855 by Maria Anna Boll Bachmann, an immigrant from Bavaria. The congregation is known for its work in education and hea ...

) * Rosemont College, Lower Merion Township (

Society of the Holy Child Jesus The Society of the Holy Child Jesus is an international community of Roman Catholic sisters founded in England in 1846 by Philadelphia-born Cornelia Connelly. History Born Cornelia Peacock in Philadelphia, she was raised a Presbyterian. In 18 ...

) * Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia (

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

) *

Villanova University Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Penns ...

, Radnor Township ( Augustinians)

Catholic Social Services

The Archdiocese has had a foster care agency for more than 100 years. It sued Philadelphia after the city stopped referring foster care cases to the agency after it refused to use same-sex couples to foster children. The case went to the Supreme Court with the nam
Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, Pa

Controversies

Sexual abuse scandals

The

sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia The sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, U.S., is a significant episode in the series of Catholic sex abuse cases in the United States, Ireland and elsewhere. The Philadelphia abuses were substantially r ...

, in Pennsylvania, U.S., is a significant episode in the series of Catholic sex abuse cases in the United States, Ireland and elsewhere. The Philadelphia abuses were substantially revealed through a grand jury investigation in 2005. In early 2011, a new grand jury reported extensive new charges of abusive priests active in the archdiocese. In 2012, a guilty plea by priest Edward Avery and the related trial and conviction of Monsignor William Lynn and mistrial on charges against Rev. James J. Brennan followed from the grand jury's investigations. In 2013, Rev. Charles Engelhardt and teacher Bernard Shero were tried, convicted and sentenced to prison. Lynn was the first official to be convicted in the United States of covering up abuses by other priests in his charge and other senior church officials have been extensively criticized for their management of the issue in the archdiocese. On March 12, 2020, a new trial date was official set for Lynn, who was released and ordered to be retried in 2016 after serving 33 months of his sentence, with jury selection to start March 16. However, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic forced Lynn's retrial to be delayed until January 2021. Following his release from prison in 2016, Lynn was ordered to remain on supervised parole until his retrial. In 2019, it was reported that the 2011 grand jury report also resulted in Lynn being suspended from ministry. On May 5, 2020, Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced that it now expected to pay $126 million in reparations. The archdiocese also said its Independent Reconciliation and Reparations Program, which was established in 2018, has received a total of 615 claims, and had settled 208 of them for $43.8 million as of April 22, 2020. That averages out to about $211,000 per claim, which is in line with what other dioceses have been paying under similar programs. The same day, however, the total number of money which the Archdiocese of Philadelphia expects to pay in sex abuse settlements was soon revised to $130 million by Archbishop of Philadelphia Nelson J. Perez. On August 14, 2020, it was revealed that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and its suffragan dioceses of Pittsburgh, Allentown and Scranton were enduring the bulk of 150 new lawsuits filed against all eight Pennsylvania Catholic dioceses. On December 3, 2020, William McCandless, a member of the Wilmington-based religious order Oblates de St. Francis De Sales who was formerly assigned to DeSales University in Lehigh County, was charged in Philadelphia for possession of child pornography. He also served as an adviser to

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

's royal family,

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

, the late mother of Monaco's leader Prince Albert, was also a native of Philadelphia. Much of McCandless' child pornography was imported from overseas as well. McCandless has been ordered to remain under house arrest until the outcome of his trial.

Firing of Margie Winters for same-sex marriage

In 2015, it was reported that the school's director of religious education, Margie Winters, had been fired from the

Waldron Mercy Academy Waldron Mercy Academy is a K- 8 Catholic private elementary school, sponsored by thSisters of Mercyand located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, located in Merion Station, Pennsylvania, USA. The school is accredited by the Mi ...

after a parent had reported her directly to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for marrying her long-term lesbian partner in a civil ceremony in 2007. Winters had been upfront with school administrators at the time of her hiring and was advised to keep a low profile which she says she did. Many parents expressed anger and concern over the school's decision. Principal Nell Stetser justified the decision by arguing that "many of us accept life choices that contradict current Church teachings, but to continue as a Catholic school, Waldron Mercy must comply with those teachings." But she called for "an open and honest discussion about this and other divisive issues at the intersection of our society and our Church." The Archbishop of Philadelphia,

Charles Chaput Charles Joseph Chaput ( ; born September 26, 1944) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the ninth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, serving from 2011 until 2020. He previously served as arch ...

, called the dismissal "common sense."

Saints of Philadelphia

* St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, for whom the suburban college is named and who visited on numerous occasions. She started an orphanage and an Italian national parish that still is functioning today, St. Donato's in West Philadelphia. *

St. Katharine Drexel Katharine Drexel, SBS (born Catherine Mary Drexel; November 26, 1858 – March 3, 1955) was an American heiress, philanthropist, religious sister, educator, and foundress of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. She was the second person born i ...

* St. John Nepomucene Neumann – A

Redemptorist The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...

; became the fourth Bishop of Philadelphia (1852–60) and the first U.S. bishop to be canonized; as bishop of Philadelphia, he founded the first Catholic diocesan school system in the U.S.

Shrines of Philadelphia

* Miraculous Medal Shrine *

National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa ''(or simply Czestochowa)'', known also as the American Czestochowa is a Polish-American Roman Catholic shrine near Doylestown, Pennsylvania, founded in 1953. It houses a reproduction of the Black ...

* National Shrine of Saint John Neumann * Saint Katharine Drexel Mission Center and Shrine *

National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

''See'' St.

Rita of Cascia Rita of Cascia, born Margherita Lotti (1381 – 22 May 1457), was an Italian widow and Augustinian nun venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. After Rita's husband died, she joined an Augustinian community of religious sisters, whe ...

an
National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia
official website. Retrieved 2011-01-28.

Publications

* The Catholic Standard & Times (former newspaper)
CatholicPhilly.com
(online news site)

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia Official Site
**
Office of Catholic Education
* {{authority control Christianity in Philadelphia Religious organizations established in 1808

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

1808 establishments in Pennsylvania