Roman Catholic Archdiocese Of Philadelphia

Metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia Archidiœcesis Metropolitae Philadelphiensis
Catholic
Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia
Coat of arms
Flag
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Philadelphia and the counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia
Ecclesiastical province	Metropolitan Province of Philadelphia
Headquarters	222 North 17th St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates	39°57′26″N 75°10′04″W / 39.95722°N 75.16778°W / 39.95722; -75.16778
Statistics
Area	2,183 sq mi (5,650 km2)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2019) 4,119,268 1,437,400 (34.9%)
Parishes	214
Information
Denomination	Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	April 8, 1808; 216 years ago (1808-04-08)
Cathedral	Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul
Patron saint	Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (Primary) Peter and Paul (Titular)
Secular priests	274
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Metropolitan Archbishop	Nelson J. Perez
Auxiliary Bishops	John J. McIntyre Keith J. Chylinski Christopher R. Cooke Efren V. Esmilla
Bishops emeritus	Justin Rigali Charles Joseph Chaput Edward Michael Deliman Michael J. Fitzgerald
Map
Location of the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania
Website
archphila.org

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia originally included all of Pennsylvania and Delaware, along with seven counties and parts of three counties in New Jersey. The diocese was raised to an archdiocese in 1875. The seat of the archbishop is the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia.

As of 2023, Nelson J. Pérez is the archbishop of Philadelphia.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia covers five Pennsylvania counties: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia. It is the metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of Philadelphia.

The archdiocese includes the following suffragan dioceses:

• Allentown
• Altoona-Johnstown
• Erie
• Greensburg
• Harrisburg
• Pittsburgh
• Scranton

 

The history of the Catholic Church in the area dates back to William Penn when Mass was said publicly as early as 1707.

19th century

In 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the suffragan dioceses of Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Bardstown, Kentucky, from the territory of the Diocese of Baltimore. The pope appointed Reverend Michael Francis Egan as the first bishop of Philadelphia.

In 1868, the Vatican erected the dioceses of Harrisburg, Scranton, and Wilmington, taking their territory from the Diocese of Philadelphia.

The Vatican elevated the Diocese of Philadelphia to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on February 12, 1875.

20th century

In 1961, Pope John XXIII erected the Diocese of Allentown, taking several northern counties from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

By 1969, the archdiocese had grown to 1,351,704 parishioners, 1,096 diocesan priests, 676 priests of religious institutes and 6,622 religious women.

21st century

In February 2012, the diocese announced the largest reorganization of their elementary and high school education system, with numerous recommended school closings or mergers.

In August 2012, the archdiocese announced that the Faith in the Future Foundation would assume management of the 17 archdiocesan high schools and the four special education schools.

 

Bishops of Philadelphia

1. Michael Francis Egan, O.F.M. (1808–1814)
   (Ambrose Maréchal, P.S.S. appointed in 1816; did not take effect.)
2. Henry Conwell (1819–1841)
3. Francis Patrick Kenrick (1842–1851; coadjutor bishop 1830–1842), appointed Archbishop of Baltimore
4. John Nepomucene Neumann (1852–1860)
5. James Frederick Wood (1860–1875; coadjutor bishop 1857–1860), elevated to archbishop

Archbishops of Philadelphia

1. James Frederick Wood (1875–1883)
2. Patrick John Ryan (1884–1911)
3. Edmond Francis Prendergast (1911–1918)
4. Cardinal Dennis Joseph Dougherty (1918–1951)
5. Cardinal John Francis O'Hara, C.S.C. (1951–1960)
6. Cardinal John Joseph Krol (1961–1988)
7. Cardinal Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua (1988–2003)
8. Cardinal Justin Francis Rigali (2003–2011)
9. Charles Joseph Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. (2011–2020)
10. Nelson J. Perez (2020–present)

Current auxiliary bishops

• John J. McIntyre (2010–present)
• Keith J. Chylinski (2024–present)
• Christopher R. Cooke (2024–present)
• Efren V. Esmilla (2024–present)

Former auxiliary bishops

• John Joseph McCort (1912–1920), appointed Coadjutor Bishop and later Bishop of Altoona
• Michael Joseph Crane (1921–1928)
• Gerald Patrick O'Hara (1929–1935), appointed Bishop of Savannah and later Apostolic Nuncio and Titular Archbishop
• 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
• 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 (1981–1985), appointed Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston and later Archbishop of New Orleans
• 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)
• Timothy C. Senior (2009–2023), appointed Bishop of Harrisburg
• Michael J. Fitzgerald (2010–2023)

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
• Herbert Bevard (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 (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
• Dennis Joseph Dougherty (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 (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 (1865–1891), appointed Bishop of Cleveland
• John Joseph Hughes (1826–1837), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of New York
• Francis Edward Hyland (1927–1949), appointed auxiliary bishop of Savannah-Atlanta
• Thomas Francis Kennedy (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

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 stated this would further weaken Philadelphia's middle class. The proposal would affect 24% and 29% of the senior high and K-8 schools, respectively.

Elementary schools

(this category only includes schools notable enough 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, 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 Catholic elementary schools had 2,572 students, a decline by 27% from the 2006 figure.

Special needs schools

With the foundation of Archbishop Ryan School for Children with Deafness in 1912, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia school system began serving families of children with special needs. St. Katherine Day School and Our Lady of Confidence School, serving students with mental retardation, were opened in 1953 and 1954, respectively, after parent petitions to John Cardinal O'Hara. St. Lucy Day School for Children with Visual Impairment followed in 1955. Queen of the Universe Day Center was added in 1980 to serve students with mental retardation in Bucks County. These five schools are supported by the Catholic Charities Appeal.

High schools within the archdiocese

Diocesan high schools

Leadership within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia envisioned a continued comprehensive education for secondary students.

The first free Catholic high school in the United States was the "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. Between 1945 and 1967, fifteen high schools were opened.

As of 2023, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has 15 diocesan high schools.

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 – Radnor Township (Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus)
• Chestnut Hill College – Philadelphia (Sisters of Saint Joseph)
• Gwynedd Mercy University – Lower Gwynedd Township (Sisters of Mercy)
• Holy Family University – Philadelphia (Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth)
• Immaculata University – East Whiteland Township (Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary)
• La Salle University – Philadelphia (Christian Brothers)
• Neumann University – Aston Township (Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia)
• Rosemont College – Lower Merion Township (Society of the Holy Child Jesus)
• Saint Joseph's University – Philadelphia (Jesuits)
• Villanova University – Radnor Township (Augustinians)

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 name Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, Pa.

Sexual abuse scandals

The Philadelphia abuses were substantially revealed through a grand jury investigation in 2005. Cardinal Justin Francis Rigali adopted the policy of laicizing those who were accused and confirmed by investigations. A second grand jury in 2011 said that as many as 37 priests were credibly accused of sexual abuse or inappropriate behavior toward minors. In 2012, a guilty plea by priest Edward Avery and the related trial and conviction of William Lynn and mistrial on charges against James J. Brennan followed from the grand jury's investigations. In 2013, 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 set for Lynn, who was released in 2016 and ordered to be retried after serving 33 months of his sentence. Jury selection was to start on March 16, 2020. 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 amount of money which the Archdiocese of Philadelphia expected to pay in sex abuse settlements was 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. Much of McCandless' child pornography was imported from overseas. 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 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, called the dismissal "common sense."

• 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.
• Katharine Drexel
• John Nepomucene Neumann – A Redemptorist; 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.

• Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
• National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa
• National Shrine of Saint John Neumann
• Saint Katharine Drexel Mission Center and Shrine
• National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia

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