Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church (Northern Liberties), Philadelphia

Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Location	Philadelphia
Country	USA
Denomination	Roman Catholic

The Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church is located at Front and Allen Streets in Philadelphia, PA 19123 in the Northern Liberties, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania section of the city; after over 140 years as an independent parish, it became a worship site of the adjacent St. Michael's parish in 2011. The parish was founded in 1869, under the leadership of Bishop James Frederick Wood. Twenty-five years earlier, two Catholic parishes within about a mile of the church—St. Augustine Church, Philadelphia at 4th and Vine and St. Michael at 2nd and Jefferson—were burnt to the ground in violent anti-Catholic nativist riots.

Founding and History through End of 20th Century

At the time of its founding, the area surrounding the church was largely composed of row houses which were home to Irish immigrants (although the ground for the church complex itself had earlier housed a spoke factory at Front and Canal (now Allen) Streets). Later the area became industrialized through the early part of the twentieth century.

In the early 1970s, much of it was gutted by the construction of Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania which emptied five blocks in the parish of houses and caused the demolition of houses on many other blocks in the way of the road. In the early part of the 21st century the area began to undergo a continuing process of gentrification with thousands of newly constructed and rehabilitated housing units as well as an increased workforce with the arrival, about three blocks from the church, of the SugarHouse Casino which anticipates an ultimate workforce of 1,500 full and part time positions and is planning an onsite hotel. (As for housing, the local Northern Liberties Neighborhood Association estimates an increase of close to 10,000 new residents in the area since 2000.)

The Mary Altar/Shrine at Immaculate Conception Church in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia, decorated for Christmas .

Twinning of Parish with St. Michael

In the spring of 2000, Immaculate Conception was twinned with St. Michael's parish (two of the 22 parishes twinned at the time) and a single pastor was appointed for both churches. In 2010, a former parochial vicar at the parish, the then-Msgr. Michael J. Fitzgerald, was ordained an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Suppression of Parish: Continuation of Church as Worship Site

Interior of Church at Dusk on 6 July 2009

In February 2011, it was announced by the then-parochial administrator, Reverend Eugene C. Wilson, and the Vicar for the Philadelphia-South portion of the Archdiocese, Monsignor Kevin Lawrence, that the status of the church would be changed from that of a twinned parish to that of a worship site of St. Michael's; this means that, while the church would be used for Sunday Masses, and occasional sacramental celebrations, such as weddings, funerals and baptisms, it would no longer be an independent parish. This change was completed as of July 1, 2011. The last administrator of the parish was Msgr. John J. Miller, who filled the same position at St. Michael's Parish. In June 2014, a new parochial administrator for St. Michael's, Father Arturo Chagala, who was ordained in the Diocese of Denver, Colorado in 2013, was appointed and he took up residence in St. Michael's Rectory at the end of that month. Msgr. Miller, the former administrator, had retired in August 2012 but continued to serve in the interim while a new administrator was sought.

There was no immediate change in the Mass schedule because of the change from parish to worship site: Mass at Immaculate Conception continued to be said once each week, at 10 a.m. on Sundays in the church; on holydays from Monday through Friday, there was a noon Mass in the church. The daily Mass chapel in the rectory had been unavailable for some time, prior to the suppression, because Auxiliary Bishop John McIntyre of Philadelphia had begun to reside in the former parish rectory.

Immediately prior to its suppression, the parish boundaries encompassed the area from Delaware River at Susquehanna Ave. south to Green St. then west to 3rd St., north to Girard Ave. and east to Susquehanna Ave. to Delaware River. Any Catholic living in this area would normally have been a member of the parish. In addition to the portion of the parish in Northern Liberties, much of it was in Fishtown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Following the suppression of Immaculate Conception Parish, this territory was added to that in which residents were already considered parishioners of St. Michael Parish.

References

Available at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary Parish History Collection CALL NUMBER: PH0062
Celebrating Our 125th Anniversary, 1869 - 1994: Immaculate Conception Parish.” (1995.023)
Immaculate Conception Parish Centennial, 1869-1969. (MC84)
Website listing materials in seminary collection for parish
PDF booklets detailing membership procedures, history and worship times in English and Spanish.

External links

Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Ordinaries	Bishops Michael Francis Egan, OFM Henry Conwell Francis Patrick Kenrick Saint John Nepomucene Neumann, CSsR Archbishops James Frederick Wood Patrick John Ryan Edmond Francis Prendergast Dennis Joseph Cardinal Dougherty John Francis Cardinal O'Hara, CSC John Joseph Cardinal Krol Anthony Joseph Cardinal Bevilacqua Justin Francis Cardinal Rigali Charles Joseph Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. Auxiliary Bishops, current Michael J. Fitzgerald John J. McIntyre Timothy C. Senior Auxiliary Bishops, former Cletus Joseph Benjamin Michael Francis Burbidge Joseph R. Cistone Michael Joseph Crane Edward Peter Cullen Louis A. DeSimone Francis James Furey John Joseph Graham Edward Hughes Hugh L. Lamb Martin Nicholas Lohmuller Robert P. Maginnis Joseph Francis Martino Joseph Carroll McCormick John Joseph McCort Gerald Vincent McDevitt Joseph P. McFadden Joseph Mark McShea Gerald Patrick O'Hara Francis B. Schulte Daniel Edward Thomas Thomas Jerome Welsh

Churches	Cathedral Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul Parish churches Immaculate Conception Old St. Joseph Old St. Mary St. Adalbert St. Agatha and St. James St. Anne St. Augustine St. Basil the Great St. Cyprian St. Donato St. Francis de Sales St. Joachim St. Nicholas of Tolentine St. William Chapels and shrines National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa National Shrine of St. John Neumann

Education	Seminary St. Charles Borromeo Seminary Higher education Cabrini College Chestnut Hill College Gwynedd Mercy University Holy Family University Immaculata University La Salle University Neumann University Rosemont College Saint Joseph's University Villanova University High schools Academy of Notre Dame de Namur Archbishop John Carroll High School Archbishop Prendergast High School Archbishop Ryan High School Archbishop Wood Catholic High School Bishop McDevitt High School Bishop Shanahan High School Cardinal O'Hara High School Conwell-Egan Catholic High School Country Day School of the Sacred Heart Devon Preparatory School Father Judge High School Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School Holy Ghost Preparatory School John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School La Salle College High School Lansdale Catholic High School Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls Malvern Preparatory School Mercy Career & Technical High School Merion Mercy Academy Monsignor Bonner High School Mount Saint Joseph Academy Nazareth Academy High School Pope John Paul II High School Roman Catholic High School for Boys Saint Basil Academy Saint Joseph's Preparatory School Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School, St. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls Villa Joseph Marie High School Villa Maria Academy

Priests	Living Edward Joseph Adams Herbert Bevard Michael Joseph Bransfield Francis Xavier DiLorenzo Joseph Anthony Galante James Patrick Green Joseph A. Pepe Nelson J. Perez Deceased Francis Brennan Edwin Byrne George Aloysius Carrell, SJ Hubert James Cartwright Joseph M. Corrigan Joseph Thomas Daley Edmond John Fitzmaurice John Edmund Fitzmaurice John Patrick Foley Francis Xavier Gartland Daniel James Gercke Ignatius Frederick Horstmann John Joseph Hughes Francis Edward Hyland Thomas Francis Kennedy Philip R. McDevitt Thomas Joseph McDonough Thomas McGovern Eugene J. McGuinness William Matthews John Joseph O'Connor William O'Hara Jeremiah F. Shanahan John W. Shanahan David B. Thompson

Miscellany	Archdiocesan Boy Choir St. Francesca Xavier Cabrini, M.S.C. Catholic League The Catholic Standard & Times St. Katharine Drexel, S.B.S. Sexual abuse scandal

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Coordinates: 39°57′57″N 75°08′14″W / 39.96591°N 75.13736°W / 39.96591; -75.13736

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