Old St. Mary's
Old St. Joseph's Church & National Shrine
Old St. Joseph's Church founded in 1733 is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Philadelphia.
To get to Old St. Joseph's Church one walks down tiny Willings Alley and passes
under a narrow arch with iron gates. The archway occasioned Agnes Repplier's
description of Old St. Joseph's as, "a church as carefully hidden away as a
martyr's tomb in the catacombs." The archway opens onto a sunny courtyard that
puts one in mind of Rome. On the north wall is a commemorative plaque that pays
tribute to William Penn, who in his Charter of 1701 granted religious toleration
and understanding in his colony.
When in 1733, St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, was founded and, Dedicated to
the Guardian of the Holy Family, it was the only place, in the entire English
speaking world, where public celebration of the Holy sacrifice of the Mass was
permitted by law.
The first church was built on this site in 1733, enlarged in 1821 and rebuilt in
1838. During a period of church-burning during the Anti-Catholic Riots of 1844,
this church emerged unharmed. Several "City of Brotherly Love" churches were
burned in this period by residents fearful of Papal influence and afraid of an
influx of Irish into Philadelphia.a.
nearby home
