25 Philadelphia Catholic “facts and firsts” to celebrate America 250

Posted on June 12, 2026 Posted By: shunmahoney Categories: News

As we celebrate the sesquicentennial of our country and the many firsts of Philadelphia, we recognize some of the “facts and firsts” of the Archdiocese and Philadelphia Catholics that made a significant difference in the birth and life of our country.

Early Catholic Life

1. One of the earliest public Catholic Masses in the American colonies was celebrated in Philadelphia in 1707.

2. Old St. Joseph’s Church (1733) is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in the United States.

*Old St. Joseph’s Church holds the unique historical distinction of being the only place in the English-speaking world where the public celebration of Catholic Mass was legally permitted at the time.*

3. Old St. Mary’s Church (1763) was one of the first Catholic churches built publicly in colonial America.

*Old St. Mary’s Church served as a vital center of worship during the American Revolution and became the first Catholic Cathedral of the Diocese of Philadelphia in 1810.*

4. A Mass of thanksgiving for the Declaration of Independence was celebrated at Old St. Mary’s in 1779, attended by members of the Continental Congress.

On July 4, 1779, the first public religious commemoration of the Declaration of Independence was attended by Members of the Continental Congress, officers of the Continental Army and Navy, and foreign ministers from France and Spain. Catholics were ardent patriots. Their backing of the Revolution resulted in this historic display of unity between the new American republic and its French and Spanish allies.

Parishes for Immigrants

5. The first national parish in the United States for German-speaking Catholics was Holy Trinity Church was established in 1789.

*Holy Trinity Church was founded* *by German-speaking Catholics. It was the first national (ethnic) parish established in the United States.*

6. St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi Church was among the earliest Italian Catholic parishes in the United States.

*St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi Church was a sanctuary where Italian immigrants could celebrate Mass in Italian, and maintain their cultural heritage while navigating life in America.*

7. Philadelphia became a model for ethnic parishes that later spread across the United States.

Catholic Education

8. The first organized diocesan parish school system in the United States was created by St. John Neumann.

*St. John Neumann formed the first unified network of Catholic schools under a central diocesan board in 1852.*

9. St. John Neumann built nearly 100 Catholic schools during his episcopacy in the diocese.

10. The first free Catholic high school for boys in the United States was Roman Catholic High School, established in 1890.

*Roman Catholic High School opened as the nation’s first free diocesan Catholic high school for boys, funded by the estate of Philadelphia merchant Thomas E. Cahill.*

11. The first diocesan Catholic high school for girls in the United States was John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls’ High School, established in 1912.

*John W. Hallahan High School was originally established as Girls’ Catholic High School thanks to a major funding gift from Mary E. Hallahan McMichan, a businesswoman and champion of her community.*

Devotions and Spiritual Life

12. The first introduction of the Forty Hours Devotion in the United States was introduced by St. John Neumann in 1853.

Forty Hours Devotion involves 40 consecutive hours of Eucharistic adoration, representing the time Christ’s body traditionally spent in the tomb. It quickly spread across the country and was approved nationally in 1866.

13. Philadelphia became a national center for Eucharistic devotion in the 19th century.

Saints and Holy Figures

14. The first male saint of the United States was St. John Neumann (canonized 1977).

*St. John Neumann, the fourth Bishop of Philadelphia, became the first American male and first American bishop to be canonized as a saint. Pope Paul II canonized him on June 19, 1977.*

15. The first saint born a U.S. citizen was St. Katharine Drexel (canonized 2000).

*St. Katherine Drexel was canonized by Pope John Paul II. She is known as the patron saint of racial justice and philanthropists.*

16. Philadelphia is the only U.S. diocese with two canonized saints buried within it.

17. St. Katharine Drexel founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Philadelphia.

*St. Catherine Drexel founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament to advance the cause of Native-American and African-American education.*

Catholic Social Outreach

18. Beneficial Bank (1853) was created to help immigrants safely save money.

*Founded in 1853 at the initiative of St. John Neumann, the Beneficial Saving Fund Society was created to provide a safe place for working-class immigrants in Philadelphia to deposit their earnings.*

19. Philadelphia developed one of the earliest Catholic charitable networks in the United States.

*The Daughters of Charity nursed wounded Civil War soldiers at West Philadelphia hospital*.

20. Catholic hospitals, orphanages, and social ministries in Philadelphia became models for Catholic charity nationwide.

St. Joseph’s Orphan Asylum was the first Catholic outreach program in Philadelphia, established to care for children left destitute by deadly yellow fever epidemics. It pioneered a legacy of orphan care that laid the groundwork for the modern foster care system.

National and International Church Events

21. Pope John Paul II made the first papal visit to Philadelphia in 1979.

*Pope John Paul II historic visit to Philadelphia featured an open-air Mass at Logan Circle that drew over one million people.*

22. The First World Meeting of Families in the United States was hosted in Philadelphia in 2015.

The official theme for the 2015 World Meeting of Families was “Love is our mission: the family fully alive,” aiming to strengthen the sacred bonds of family. Tens of thousands of people attended keynote sessions, workshops, and artistic events.

23. Pope Francis visited Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families in 2015. More than one million people attended the public Mass.

*Pope Francis visited Philadelphia in 2015. His outdoor Mass on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway drew roughly one million attendees.*

Historical Influence

24. Philadelphia helped shape the American model of Catholic parish life, schools, and immigrant ministry.

*Map of Philadelphia’s Catholic parishes in 1946. The history of Philadelphia’s Catholic parishes is deeply rooted in William Penn’s “holy experiment” of religious toleration.*

25. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia became one of the largest and most influential Catholic dioceses in the United States.

Many traditions and institutions that began here helped to shape American Catholic life. Philadelphia helped to establish Catholic schools, immigrant parishes, Eucharistic devotions, charitable institutions, and even two American saints, making it one of the most historically significant Catholic dioceses in the United States.

Thank you to Sister Margaret Rose Adams, IHM for creating this list on behalf of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.