St. William's Parish
Encyclopedia
Quick Facts:
, Archbishop Dennis Dougherty asked Rev. Motley if he wished to remain at Presentation or would he like to lead a new parish?...his answer was clear and on January 20, 1920, St. William Parish was officially founded under Motley's leadership.
Immediately, a worship location was secured at the Germania Maennerchor Hall (**) at 514 Devereaux Ave with the first mass being held on Jan 23. The new Parish comprising 70 families, spread out within the boundaries of; Cottman Ave to the North, Tookany Creek to the West and Roosevelt Boulevard to the South and East. A Rectory was established at 415 Levick Street that included a small chapel. In 1922, a move to 909 Levick street would be prompted by need for additional space.
(**) Some 60 years later, this same building was bought by the Parish and converted into the parish day care center. It was sold in 1999.
In 1921, ground was broken for the combination Church/School at Rising Sun Avenue and Robbins Street. The first mass was said on December 8, 1921. In 1923, the parishes of St. Ambrose and - St Martin Of Tours were established which ate up a large portion of St. William's Southern and Eastern parts. New (and current) boundaries were Magee Ave to the North, Phila/Mont.Co Twnshp Line/Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad
/Newtown Branch of the Reading Railroad Company to the West, the Oxford Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad now Pennway Street/Air line through the Naval Supply Depot to the East and Allengrove Street To the South. The Parish grounds are now nearly centered within the boundaries. In 1924, St William School opened with 102 students under the direction of the Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Two sisters commuted back and forth from St Joachim's Parish in Frankford to teach. As far back as 1925, fundraising was begun to build additions to the school, and by 1929 two additional floors were built to the existing building to give a total of 12 classrooms for the 450 students enrolled in the School at that time.
A new "basement church" was constructed closer to Devereaux Avenue, completed in the 1930s, of stone construction with a traditional gothic look on the interior. The Main Church was to be built atop this structure once enough funds were raised and other 'priority building' was completed. A new Rectory was also built at this time. In 1948, construction was begun on a new convent building. Up to this time the Sisters had been housed in a group of row homes behind the Lower School on Robbins Street where the current Memorial Hall now stands. Most of the buildings of the Parish built between 1920 and 1948 were designed by the Henry D. Dagit & Sons Firm.
317 names appeared on the Roll of Honor of St. William parishioners who served in the armed forces during World War II.
In 1965 with school enrollment now at over 1500, plans were drawn up for a new school building with 12 classrooms to be built behind the Lower School on Robbins, again where Memorial Hall now stands. A fire in early 1966 that destroyed the Rectory shelved those plans and the building was never built. A temporary Rectory was established at 6145 Argyle Street. The current Rectory was completed in 1967.
All substantial changes to the parish physical plant were during the 24-year reign of Father William Boyle - a quiet, deeply religious man, a strong administrator well liked and commonly known by parishioners as "The Builder." It was also during his administration that the parish population nearly tripled in size.
In 1986, the Kindergarten Building was completed. It was designed and built by parishioners. Also that year, the "St. William Creche" was dedicated. The 6 foot case was built in the Narthex of the Upper Church to house the 2 foot (0.6096 m) statues which were hand carved by Gregor Betz, also a parishioner, who was schooled in Germany as a woodcarver. Rotated throughout the year, the display incorporates the 3 major events of the liturgical year (Nativity, Crucifixion, Resurrection) with the Nativity being the largest and most impressive.
In 1988, "Memorial Hall" at Robbins and Argyle was completed at a cost of $1.25 million and dedicated by Archbishop Bevilacqua.
In 1989, The Adoration Chapel was opened on Ash Wednesday. Dedicated to Mother Katherine Drexel, the Chapel is located behind the Lower Church Altar with the entrance off of Argyle Street.
In 1991, the Lower Church was renovated once again to meet with Liturgical Norms under Vatican II with the main Altar moved closer to the congregation, side pews turned to face the altar and new locations for the shrines established. New statues of the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, Sacred Heart, and Katherine Drexel were brought over from Italy. Seating capacity was reduced to 820 with these renovations. All work was again done by Parishioners.
To alleviate overcrowding, the vacant Annex of the old Lawndale Hospital (now Kindred Hospital) at 6200 Palmetto Street was purchased and renovated by parishioners into 14 additional classrooms. Completed in 1993 it was known as the Primary School. School enrollment at this time was over 1,300 but shortly after this building opened, school enrollment started to drop.
During his 22 years, Msgr. Mortimer made his mark on the Parish. Most notably was his flair for decoration and stage design. Both Churches saw quite elaborate decorations for the various holidays over the years. He kept the parish women busy sewing and hemming various draperies and decorations. The most visible aspect of his touch was the Christmas light display which saw every parish building and tree lit up over the holiday. This tradition continues under current leadership. A large painting of the Nativity, made up of five 6 foot panels was created by parishioner Jim Gallagher and has been hung on the outside of the church every year since.
Starting in the mid-90s, white flight
began to take hold on the Lower Northeast. The German, Irish, Polish and Italian make up of the parish was being augmented by Hispanic, Asian and African Americans who were moving into the community. The Parish welcomed the newcomers. Still, registration dropped to 8,900 by 1997 then down to just over 7,000 by 2002. School enrollment dropped from 1,100 in 1997 to just over 700 in 2002.
Though major change was taking place, St. William parish was listed as one of the top 300 parishes in the US in the book "Excellent Catholic Parishes: The Guide to Best Places and Practices" in 2001. St William was one of three parishes in the Diocese and the only parish within the City of Philadelphia to receive this recognition.
On January 12, 2009, Msgr. Perez was assigned as Pastor of St. Agnes Parish, in West Chester, Pa. In his place, St William Parish welcomed the Reverend Scott Brockson as Pastoral Administrator. Fr. Brockson, formerly Pastor of St. Hugh's in North Philadelphia, would hold this temporary position until news came in May 2009 of the assignment of Fr. Joseph G. Watson as the 8th Pastor of St. William Parish. Fr. Watson, a former graduate of St. William School, was ordained in 1992 and most recently served as Pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish at 20th and Christian Sts., in South Philadelphia.
Fr. Scott Brockson remained at St William Parish as an assistant along with Fr. Skip Miller until their new parish assignments took effect in June 2010. Fr Scott took over as Pastor of St. Agustine in Bridgeport and Fr. Skip became a Parochial Vicar for nearby St. Cecilia Parish in Fox Chase.
The Parish Welcomed their newest priest, Fr. Stephen McCarthy on June 27, 2010. Fr. McCarthy was ordained in May 2010 and St. William is his very first parish assignment as a Diocesean Priest.
Fr. Dominic remains at St. William as a resident.
The parish also offers the "last chance Mass" which simply put, is the latest Mass available in the northeast part of Philadelphia on a Sunday at 8 pm.
The parish has hosted visiting choirs on occasions, such as the Archdiocesan Boys Choir and the St. Augustine Filipino Choir, though this has grown rare in recent years. One Choir, known simply as the "Nevilaires" is an amazing group of Alumni students from the Overbrook School for the Blind, formerly under the direction of Catherine Deraco and now under the capable direction of Ellie Schaffer. They traditionally sing for Veterans Day (the closest Sunday to) at the 12:00PM Mass in the Lower Church, among other occasions, and are well received.
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As stated earlier, two Parishioners, Gregor Betz and James Gallagher created some of the most seen artifacts in the Parish. In addition to the Creche in the Upper Church Narthex, the Nativity painting seen hung outside of the church, the Last Supper adorning the Lower Church Altar (seen at left) which Mr. Betz carved in 1973, the processional crosses and candles used in both churches, there are other custom works of their art. In the Lower Church are displayed 4 hand carved plaques depicting the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders and Anointing of the Sick. He also created 2 addition plaques which hang over the side entrance doors - "Creation" and "Exodus." These were all created by Mr. Gallagher over a period from 1990-1992 with a personal story behind each one. While all this work is extremely beautiful, one would certainly not say that they are alone in their "one of a kind" creations.
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Another parishioner has taken on the task of restoring and repainting the original statues of The Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, The Sacred Heart and St. Anthony that were from the first Church, which had long been stored away as well as the similar statues within the northeast stairwell tower of the Main School.
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During the pastoral years of Msgr. Mortimer, decoration of the churches for the various liturgical holidays took on an entirely new meaning. In order to accomplish the ideas in his head, Mortimer tapped into the sewing talents of the women of the Parish. Over the course of nearly a decade, women in groups of up to 20 could be found working on projects for Monsignor at any given time. Several sets of draperies were made for Easter and Christmas, in addition to other special events, so that a rotation could be had for 3–4 years without seeing the same thing each year. Each set was designed for the Upper Church, but could easily be adapted for use in the Lower Church. Many of these hand sewn projects can still be seen hanging in the church during these occasions, such as the dark blue drapes that hang in the photographs to the right of the Upper Church and Baldachin, with the individually sewn on silver stars, which is joined by ten 20 feet (6.1 m) panels on which navy blue, light blue and silver fabric was sewn to use as a backdrop for each of the O Antiphons mentioned above that would hang from Advent through Christmas. Of other noteworthy sewing is the set of ten 20 feet (6.1 m) panels of Tulips that are hung at Easter Time in the Nave of the Upper Church as well. There were many other sets made and seen throughout the year. While today, this work may not seem all that unordinary, it was a first in the Diocese and the Parish was known citywide in the 1980s for the elaborate decorations that were seen within. Today, much of it has been scaled back to allow the proper focus on the Liturgical aspect of the Church, vrs. elaboration.
Many of the women who worked on the creation of these decorations have long since passed on, but several can still be found at Sunday mass, critiquing the work of the newer generations who put up these displays.
All of the stained glass windows that are within the Lower Church, are expansions of the windows from the predecessor Gothic style church building that occupied the same site and are of 1930's vintage. It is commonly said that to enlarge these windows to fit the new openings, the blue bands were added to each window.
There are 8 sets of 3 windows in the Nave and 4 sets of 2 in the transepts that make up the traditional 12 seen in most churches, which account for the 12 Apostles. The center of each large windows depict several saints, including St. William, St. Peter, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Katherine of Sienna, St. Anne, St Joseph and Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The smaller windows depict Sts. Matthew, Mark, Luke John, Teresa and Bernard. In addition, there is the often unseen "hidden windows" of the Holy Name Society. Additional windows from the preceding church are found within the Sacristies of both churches.
Unfortunately, due to the aforementioned Rectory Fire, and the loss of many historic files, it is unknown who or what company was in charge of designing and creating the stained glass within both churches.
To many, the windows of our Upper Church are bland and un-adorning, not typical of what would be seen in the "Main" church of a large parish. While this may be what is first perceived, this is not true, they are very significant, if not rare. One must realize that the age difference between the Lower Church and Upper Church windows and how it exemplifies the age of their creation—there is nearly a 40 year difference.
Before you enter the Church itself, you will see in each stairwell leading up to the Narthex, 5 windows dedicated to the Blessed Mother for a total of 10, same as in a decade of the Rosary. There are eight additional windows in the Narthex of which six are hidden behind the Creche, These too are dedicated to the Blessed Mother. It is often said that the dedication of St. William Parish to the Blessed Mother is unmatched and the numerous windows, statues and shrines within the Buildings and on the grounds show that.
Once you enter the Upper Church you see the traditional 12 windows, 4 on each side of the Nave and 2 in each Transept. The 8 in the Nave depict the movements of the Celebrants hands as the Eucharistic Prayer transpires during the Mass. This is an extremely unique set of windows. One can literally follow along with the priest at mass by watching the windows and see the correlation.
The Rose window above the choir loft, while not overly elaborate, nor large and sometimes referred to as "the phone dial" depicts the Holy Spirit shining down upon those who enter the Church. This window faces East and in the morning, when the sun shines brightly through this window with its deep red, gold, golden yellow, bright white and beige colors, the effects of its symbolism is quite inspiring.
In the Apse, behind the Baldachin, are five windows of somewhat more colorful glass than the rest, which depict the life of Christ. They are as follows: (L-R) Nativity, Presentation, Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension.
An interesting note is while the traditional church is meant to be built with the altar to the East, St. William is polar opposite. This is not uncommon though in large cities where land value often stipulated construction abilities. The current substantial church building cost nearly $450,000 to build in 1955, not including all interior furnishings. That is an amount equal to well over $4 million in today's dollars.
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St. William is still home to many descendents of its original Parishioners and on any given Sunday you can still find those 2nd, 3rd and now 4th generations of German, Irish, Polish, Italian, French, Ukrainian, Lithuanian and Hungarian decent attending mass with the new 1st and 2nd generation parishioners from Peru, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Jamaica, East and Southeastern Asia, Pakistan and India.
Although the Parish registration has dropped roughly 45% since the year 2000 and Sunday Mass attendance has followed suite, it still remains strong in consideration of the total population. The Parish faces the same challenges as those faced by the Catholic Church as a whole. It should be considered as well, that the Parish that our Founding Pastor came from, Presentation B.V.M. while in Cheltenham PA, is just a mere 7 blocks North of St. William's physical location. While "Prez" is located in Montgomery county, its boundaries include one half of the community of Lawndale - from Magee Ave, North. Their registered population of about 1,308 families/3,800 people and student population of just over 250, is very similar in scope to St. William. The fact these two parishes are operating in such close proximity and are doing well is a feat in itself. For St. William, the current challenge is having an overly large complex of buildings that far outweigh what is currently needed.
The Parish buildings are in good order; both churches have seen and will see more work done to them to preserve their integrity. While the Upper Church is not used as often as liked, primarily due to the lack of an elevator (see note below), it is in good shape. It is interesting to note the Upper Church was officially closed in the late 1990s due to the mechanical issues regarding its failing heating system and the aging and reduced population of the parish. However it was still used for the weekly Spanish Mass since the 10:00 Mass Time saw both an English and Spanish Mass being held. It was officially reopened in 2003 after $70,000 in repairs to the church's hot water heating system were made and it was decided during the fall/winter/spring months to move the weekly 11:30AM English mass into the Upper Church as well, utilizing the Parish Choirs at many of the English Masses.
However, in June 2010, it was once again decided as a cost saving measure (primarily related to heating costs and current mass attendance), to move all masses into the Lower Church, including the Spanish Mass, with use the Upper Church relegated to special events only (Christmas, Easter, Weddings, Etc.). This also was beneficial during summer months as the Upper Church does not have air conditioning. A new, reduced, Mass schedule was also put into effect during this same time.
The old Hospital Annex that was purchased at a time just when student registration was starting its final major drop, sat vacant for a while as the IHM center moved out after their 5 year lease expired. The Parish is currently in negotiations to sell this building to a Pre-K only School already located in the community that is looking to expand. The overall school population still warrants the use of both the Lower and Middle school buildings, within Diocese guidelines.
The recent rumors going around of the Parish closing should be ignored as they are indeed false. Considering that there are Parishes within the Archdiocese having only 100 - 150 people attending Mass throughout the entire week and are still open, at St. William's, with over 1,200 coming to Mass on Sundays, and 200 or so each day during the week, there is NO valid reason for the Archdiocese to even consider closing St. William Parish. The rumor of any closure of the Parish is just that - a rumor.
A large majority of parishes within the Diocese are seeing similar reductions in numbers in parish and school registration and Mass attendance all around, as has the Catholic Church as a whole in most major cities. The largest enrollment currently in any catholic elementary school is just over 870, which is at St. Matthew's Parish in Mayfair, with the parish of Our Lady of Calvary coming in at second with 810 students. Less than 20 years ago, a 1,000 plus student enrollment in any given parish school was once common place, particularly amongst the Northeast Philadelphia Schools. Currently, the Archdioces is looking into the consolidation of many of the City Parish Schools, to form regionalized elementary schools, similar to the way the Catholic High Schools are. Enrollment in the elementary schools of the Diocese is falling below what is fiscally feasible for an individual parish to sustain. It is most likely that in the very near future, there will no longer be a Parish School at ANY Parish, but rather a Regionalized school located at one "centrally located" parish, serving many parishes.
That said, Catholic Education remains here at St. William Parish until the Diocese says otherwise. There is a strong Alumni Association that has successfully reached generations of past Parishioners and Students alike who continue to support the Parish and School.
Note: Rev. William A. Motley is supposedly buried between the Parish Church and Rectory in the small garden where a tombstone marks only his tenure here at the parish, not his actual birth and death dates. While the church was built with two crypts (one on the North side and one on the South side of the building) neither have ever been used.
, is a St. William School Graduate, Class of 1936.
Vocations from St William
Over 100 men and women have taken vocations from St William Parish over the years, including Monsignor Joseph Tracy, Bishop Martin Lohmuller and current Pastor, Fr. Joe Watson. Most recently, 2 Men from the Parish began their Diaconate Studies and 1 Woman from the Parish entered into her vocation with the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, one of only 3 currently enrolled in the IHM program in the Country.
- Founded: January, 1920 - 70 Households
- Founding Pastor: Rev. William Motley
- School Opened: 1924 - 102 students, 2 Sisters of the IHM teaching
- Current Registration - 1,826 households / 4,834 people
- Current Pastor: Fr. Joseph G. Watson
- Current Average Sunday Attendance: 1,200
- Current School Enrollment: 290 Students, 13 lay teachers
- Highest School Enrollment: 1,586 Students in 1964
The beginning of the parish
In the early part of the 20th century, the area currently comprising Saint William Parish in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, made up of the communities of Lawndale and the Northern part of Crescentville, was part of Presentation BVM Parish in nearby Cheltenham, Pennsylvania which was under the leadership of Rev. William A Motley. When the Diocese began planning for a new parish in the developing part of Lower Northeast PhiladelphiaNortheast Philadelphia
Northeast Philadelphia, nicknamed Northeast Philly, the Northeast and the Great Northeast, is a section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the 2000 Census, the Northeast has a sizable percentage of the city's 1.547 million people — a population of between 300,000 and 450,000,...
, Archbishop Dennis Dougherty asked Rev. Motley if he wished to remain at Presentation or would he like to lead a new parish?...his answer was clear and on January 20, 1920, St. William Parish was officially founded under Motley's leadership.
Immediately, a worship location was secured at the Germania Maennerchor Hall (**) at 514 Devereaux Ave with the first mass being held on Jan 23. The new Parish comprising 70 families, spread out within the boundaries of; Cottman Ave to the North, Tookany Creek to the West and Roosevelt Boulevard to the South and East. A Rectory was established at 415 Levick Street that included a small chapel. In 1922, a move to 909 Levick street would be prompted by need for additional space.
(**) Some 60 years later, this same building was bought by the Parish and converted into the parish day care center. It was sold in 1999.
In 1921, ground was broken for the combination Church/School at Rising Sun Avenue and Robbins Street. The first mass was said on December 8, 1921. In 1923, the parishes of St. Ambrose and - St Martin Of Tours were established which ate up a large portion of St. William's Southern and Eastern parts. New (and current) boundaries were Magee Ave to the North, Phila/Mont.Co Twnshp Line/Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad
Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad
The Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad was a railroad in southeastern Pennsylvania that is now a part of the SEPTA commuter rail system...
/Newtown Branch of the Reading Railroad Company to the West, the Oxford Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad now Pennway Street/Air line through the Naval Supply Depot to the East and Allengrove Street To the South. The Parish grounds are now nearly centered within the boundaries. In 1924, St William School opened with 102 students under the direction of the Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Two sisters commuted back and forth from St Joachim's Parish in Frankford to teach. As far back as 1925, fundraising was begun to build additions to the school, and by 1929 two additional floors were built to the existing building to give a total of 12 classrooms for the 450 students enrolled in the School at that time.
A new "basement church" was constructed closer to Devereaux Avenue, completed in the 1930s, of stone construction with a traditional gothic look on the interior. The Main Church was to be built atop this structure once enough funds were raised and other 'priority building' was completed. A new Rectory was also built at this time. In 1948, construction was begun on a new convent building. Up to this time the Sisters had been housed in a group of row homes behind the Lower School on Robbins Street where the current Memorial Hall now stands. Most of the buildings of the Parish built between 1920 and 1948 were designed by the Henry D. Dagit & Sons Firm.
World War II
During this time, as the country was in the midst of the Second World War, St William Parishioners did their part by selling war bonds, collecting scrap metals, rolling bandages and serving as civilian air raid wardens. They also used every available plot of land in the community to plant food gardens. In May 1943, a welcome-home party was conducted under the Holy Name Society in honor of the ex-military service personnel of the Parish. Twelve men were honored with a bronze plaque at a special mass on May 30 of that same year for heroically giving their lives for the country.317 names appeared on the Roll of Honor of St. William parishioners who served in the armed forces during World War II.
Times of change
The Post War years of the 1950s and 60's, saw many changes come to the physical plant of the Parish that reflected the housing boom of the area, the economic upswing of the times and the growing parish population. Many of the original "Motley Buildings" were completely replaced. The Middle School (Junior High/Upper School) building was built and later an additional floor was added. When consideration was had for the completion of the Upper Church, it was found that the basement church was not structurally sufficient to support additional construction. In 1955, the old church was demolished to make way for the current granite and sandstone building designed by the Gleeson & Mulrooney Architectural firm. The first mass was said in the new church (lower) on December 25, 1956. This Church, now the parish's third, seated 900. All of the stained glass windows and some appointments were used from the second church. While structurally complete the parish was still without a "Main Church" as construction debts prohibited completion of the interior of the Upper Church (seating 1,100) until June 1963.In 1965 with school enrollment now at over 1500, plans were drawn up for a new school building with 12 classrooms to be built behind the Lower School on Robbins, again where Memorial Hall now stands. A fire in early 1966 that destroyed the Rectory shelved those plans and the building was never built. A temporary Rectory was established at 6145 Argyle Street. The current Rectory was completed in 1967.
All substantial changes to the parish physical plant were during the 24-year reign of Father William Boyle - a quiet, deeply religious man, a strong administrator well liked and commonly known by parishioners as "The Builder." It was also during his administration that the parish population nearly tripled in size.
The 1970s
The 1970s were relatively quiet construction years for the parish but that's not to say they were not busy ones. The most notable "beginning" during this time was the Parish Carnival, started by Fr. Kimble in 1974. As a source of funds for expansion and maintenance of the Parish facilities, the Carnival would last for well over a decade with its largest year being in 1986, when over $50,000 was netted from this week long event. The Carnival had had its last hurrah when the decision was made to construct a much needed hall in 1988 which took up half the grounds used for the event. It was also under the leadership of Fr. Kimble, that the Home and School Association, the CYO, the Boy Scout Troop, and the St. William Senior Citizen's Club were all either started or reestablished in the Parish.New leadership
In 1980, St William's 6th Pastor, Monsignor James E. Mortimer took the helm, a post he would hold for 22 years. In 1981, under his leadership, school tuition was established with minimum weekly payments required by parents. The School Hall (1st floor) was renovated to provide additional classroom space over the summer, but this work was quickly undone by a devastating fire that gutted the entire 1st floor in the fall of the same year. By February 1982, the hall had once again been renovated. Both Churches saw renovations, with new carpeting, sanctuary appointments, pew refurbishment and complete repainting in 1982.In 1986, the Kindergarten Building was completed. It was designed and built by parishioners. Also that year, the "St. William Creche" was dedicated. The 6 foot case was built in the Narthex of the Upper Church to house the 2 foot (0.6096 m) statues which were hand carved by Gregor Betz, also a parishioner, who was schooled in Germany as a woodcarver. Rotated throughout the year, the display incorporates the 3 major events of the liturgical year (Nativity, Crucifixion, Resurrection) with the Nativity being the largest and most impressive.
In 1988, "Memorial Hall" at Robbins and Argyle was completed at a cost of $1.25 million and dedicated by Archbishop Bevilacqua.
In 1989, The Adoration Chapel was opened on Ash Wednesday. Dedicated to Mother Katherine Drexel, the Chapel is located behind the Lower Church Altar with the entrance off of Argyle Street.
In 1991, the Lower Church was renovated once again to meet with Liturgical Norms under Vatican II with the main Altar moved closer to the congregation, side pews turned to face the altar and new locations for the shrines established. New statues of the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, Sacred Heart, and Katherine Drexel were brought over from Italy. Seating capacity was reduced to 820 with these renovations. All work was again done by Parishioners.
To alleviate overcrowding, the vacant Annex of the old Lawndale Hospital (now Kindred Hospital) at 6200 Palmetto Street was purchased and renovated by parishioners into 14 additional classrooms. Completed in 1993 it was known as the Primary School. School enrollment at this time was over 1,300 but shortly after this building opened, school enrollment started to drop.
During his 22 years, Msgr. Mortimer made his mark on the Parish. Most notably was his flair for decoration and stage design. Both Churches saw quite elaborate decorations for the various holidays over the years. He kept the parish women busy sewing and hemming various draperies and decorations. The most visible aspect of his touch was the Christmas light display which saw every parish building and tree lit up over the holiday. This tradition continues under current leadership. A large painting of the Nativity, made up of five 6 foot panels was created by parishioner Jim Gallagher and has been hung on the outside of the church every year since.
Parish growth
By the early 1990s, the Parish, which had started off seventy years earlier with 70 families in a small room, was now a complex of nine buildings and two large churches. Over 9,600 parishioners were on the register and attendance at the fourteen Sunday masses was over 3,500 people. In 1995, the Parish celebrated its 75th anniversary.Starting in the mid-90s, white flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
began to take hold on the Lower Northeast. The German, Irish, Polish and Italian make up of the parish was being augmented by Hispanic, Asian and African Americans who were moving into the community. The Parish welcomed the newcomers. Still, registration dropped to 8,900 by 1997 then down to just over 7,000 by 2002. School enrollment dropped from 1,100 in 1997 to just over 700 in 2002.
Though major change was taking place, St. William parish was listed as one of the top 300 parishes in the US in the book "Excellent Catholic Parishes: The Guide to Best Places and Practices" in 2001. St William was one of three parishes in the Diocese and the only parish within the City of Philadelphia to receive this recognition.
German/Irish heritage of Lawndale and Crescentville
The area comprising the section of LawnCrest directly around the Parish church, in the late 19th century, was originally a small German community known to some as Marburg. The community has always had a strong presence of the Protestant Church throughout. In fact, there are no less than 12 well established Protestant (Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopal and Baptist) churches within the physical boundaries of St William Parish, and the oldest Protestant Church in the Lawndale end of the neighborhood dates back to the year 1698. As stated earlier, St. William began its days in the German Men's Chorus Hall (Germania Maennerchor) on Devereaux Ave and was founded as a German Catholic Parish though this fact is not as well known today. The German heritage can be seen throughout the church, with one of the most notable symbols being within in the Lower Church through the Imperial Crown chandeliers with the Iron Cross festooned on each of the 8 sides of each fixture. However, with the post WW2 housing boom of this area seeing a move up of Irish Catholics from the "old neighborhoods" of North Philadelphia to the Lower Northeast, the latter half of the 20th century saw nearly two-thirds of the neighborhood populace registered at St. William, during which time, LawnCrest was considered a large Catholic Community, commonly, Irish. According to the 1990 Census, there were 15,446 people living within the physical boundaries of the Parish, in 2000, that number jumped to 16,447. The 2010 Census numbers have yet to be released.Changes of the guard
In 2002, Msgr. Mortimer retired and Msgr. Nelson Perez was installed as the 7th Pastor of St William. While the young Msgr. Perez came into a parish full of life and vigor, he also came into a parish burdened with major debt of over a half million dollars and a physical plant neglected. During his time, over $360,000 in repairs were made to the various buildings, including repair of the heating systems for both churches, repairs to the air conditioning in the Lower Church (the Upper Church does not have A/C), stone repointing, repainting the Lower Church (led by the Parish's Scout Troop), plaster & paint repairs to the Upper Church, replacement of the sound systems in both churches, replacement of the Convent heating system, repair and reconstruction of an entire corner of the Lower School building, replacement of roofs on both school buildings. Through the generosity of a local company, an alarm system was installed in the church, new carpeting was installed in the Lower Church, along with new seats for the Chapel. The Primary School (Hospital Annex) was closed and the building leased out to the Sisters of the IHM for a Ministry Center for a period of 5 years. The debt that welcomed the Msgr. Perez at the door was reduced significantly, bills were brought current, and a treasury was established. This could not have been accomplished without the dedication of the Parishioners of St William. Their generosity of time, talent and treasure given to the Parish has always been unmatched.On January 12, 2009, Msgr. Perez was assigned as Pastor of St. Agnes Parish, in West Chester, Pa. In his place, St William Parish welcomed the Reverend Scott Brockson as Pastoral Administrator. Fr. Brockson, formerly Pastor of St. Hugh's in North Philadelphia, would hold this temporary position until news came in May 2009 of the assignment of Fr. Joseph G. Watson as the 8th Pastor of St. William Parish. Fr. Watson, a former graduate of St. William School, was ordained in 1992 and most recently served as Pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish at 20th and Christian Sts., in South Philadelphia.
Fr. Scott Brockson remained at St William Parish as an assistant along with Fr. Skip Miller until their new parish assignments took effect in June 2010. Fr Scott took over as Pastor of St. Agustine in Bridgeport and Fr. Skip became a Parochial Vicar for nearby St. Cecilia Parish in Fox Chase.
The Parish Welcomed their newest priest, Fr. Stephen McCarthy on June 27, 2010. Fr. McCarthy was ordained in May 2010 and St. William is his very first parish assignment as a Diocesean Priest.
Fr. Dominic remains at St. William as a resident.
The parish today
With seven Masses, Sunday attendance is still strong at just over 1,200 people or 26% of the current registration of nearly 4,800 people. Five of the Sunday masses are in English, one in Spanish and one in Urdu (Pakistani) with the latter being a result of the assignment of the Archdiocesan Pakistani Community to St William Parish. Three daily English Masses see an additional 800–1,000 people attending each week, many from the surrounding business community and the Navy Depot. St. William Parish also hosts a weekly Communion Service and Sunday communion calls at the Philadelphia Protestant Home which is a large retirement community within the parish that despite its name, has a very large population of Catholics.The parish also offers the "last chance Mass" which simply put, is the latest Mass available in the northeast part of Philadelphia on a Sunday at 8 pm.
Music at St. William's
Music has always been an integral part of Parish life over the last 90 years and for several decades, was under the Direction of Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Green. With the current diversity in cultural make up, comes a diversity in the Liturgical Music. Over 70 people make up the present Music Department of the Parish, under the direction of Parishioner and St. William School Graduate, Ken Houser. This Ministry consists of 3 choirs — Adult (17), School (30), Spanish (8), with 12 Professional Cantors and 3 Organists/Pianists available for Liturgies. Both Churches are equipped with 2 manual Rodgers Organs installed in 1981 under the direction of famed Philadelphia Organist, Keith Chapman. Piano's are also on hand in both churches. The School Choir sings primarily for their School Liturgies as well as at the 12 Noon Mass on the First Sunday of each Month (Oct-June). The Adult Choir sings on the Third Sunday of each month at the 12Noon Mass (Oct-June) as well as for various special events. The Spanish Choir sings weekly at their 10:30 AM Mass. Larger events, such as Christmas and Holy Week can see both the School and Adult Choirs and occasionally all 3 Parish Choirs combining for certain Masses.The parish has hosted visiting choirs on occasions, such as the Archdiocesan Boys Choir and the St. Augustine Filipino Choir, though this has grown rare in recent years. One Choir, known simply as the "Nevilaires" is an amazing group of Alumni students from the Overbrook School for the Blind, formerly under the direction of Catherine Deraco and now under the capable direction of Ellie Schaffer. They traditionally sing for Veterans Day (the closest Sunday to) at the 12:00PM Mass in the Lower Church, among other occasions, and are well received.
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Art within
Over the years, many parishioners have lent their hand in the creation of the various artifacts that are seen throughout the Parish buildings. Within the last 30 years, several noteworthy creations were gifted to the parish.Hand-carved
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Hand-crafted
Centered within those 4 carvings listed above, is the Ambry that contains the Holy Oils. This Ambry, or case, was created and built by Parishioner William O'Donnell and takes the shape of the Church itself to house the 3 oils; the Oil of Catechumens, the Chrism and the Oil of the Sick. Unfortunately, Mr. O'Donnell died before he could complete the case and for years, the case hung on the wall of the church "as is" until the upper portions were completed last year by another parishioner in honor of Mr. O'Donnell. A Parishioner also created the altar on which the tabernacle of the Upper Church now sits, on the Main Altar. Again, a parishioner, in addition to creating the Creche Cabinet itself, created the crucifix that hangs under the baldachin of the Upper Church to hold the life sized Corpus Christi that was gifted to the parish by another long time Parishioner.Hand-painted
Mr. Gallagher also created a set of "O Antiphons" which were hung in the Upper Church for years during Advent. Unfortunately, they were not thought of as significant at the time of their creation and the materials on which they were painted have not withstood the test of time very well. Restoration of these now invaluable pieces of art work is in process.Another parishioner has taken on the task of restoring and repainting the original statues of The Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, The Sacred Heart and St. Anthony that were from the first Church, which had long been stored away as well as the similar statues within the northeast stairwell tower of the Main School.
Señor de los Milagros
A parishioner from the Hispanic community painted "Lord of the Miracles", (principal feast day: October 28) as seen to the left, which hangs in the lower church in a hand made frame created in Peru. It is a gift to St. William from the Peruvian people of the parish who make up a very large portion of the local Hispanic community. Each year in October, the Peruvian Community of St. William host a celebration of this feast with a special Mass and procession around the neighborhood in which they carry a palanquin with a much larger version of this painting, on their shoulders, followed by a festival in the hall. With traditional music and prayer, while much smaller, this event is an echo of the same procession that takes place in Lima, Peru each year. This celebration draws hundreds of people of Peruvian descent from all over the Delaware Valley Region for the day-long event..
Hand-sewn
Many of the women who worked on the creation of these decorations have long since passed on, but several can still be found at Sunday mass, critiquing the work of the newer generations who put up these displays.
Comics
One normally does not enter a school to find comic strips hanging all over, but St. William Parish is home to many special gifts from a former Student and Parishioner, William (Bil) Keane, the Creator of the widely syndicated comic strip, "Family Circus." Bil, in recognition of the parishes 75th anniversary in 1995, not only paid a special visit to the parish that year, but also created several one-of-a-kind posters related to parish life that can be found throughout the school buildings. There are even been some recent additions gifted within the last year.Lower Church
There are 8 sets of 3 windows in the Nave and 4 sets of 2 in the transepts that make up the traditional 12 seen in most churches, which account for the 12 Apostles. The center of each large windows depict several saints, including St. William, St. Peter, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Katherine of Sienna, St. Anne, St Joseph and Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The smaller windows depict Sts. Matthew, Mark, Luke John, Teresa and Bernard. In addition, there is the often unseen "hidden windows" of the Holy Name Society. Additional windows from the preceding church are found within the Sacristies of both churches.
Unfortunately, due to the aforementioned Rectory Fire, and the loss of many historic files, it is unknown who or what company was in charge of designing and creating the stained glass within both churches.
Upper Church
Before you enter the Church itself, you will see in each stairwell leading up to the Narthex, 5 windows dedicated to the Blessed Mother for a total of 10, same as in a decade of the Rosary. There are eight additional windows in the Narthex of which six are hidden behind the Creche, These too are dedicated to the Blessed Mother. It is often said that the dedication of St. William Parish to the Blessed Mother is unmatched and the numerous windows, statues and shrines within the Buildings and on the grounds show that.
Once you enter the Upper Church you see the traditional 12 windows, 4 on each side of the Nave and 2 in each Transept. The 8 in the Nave depict the movements of the Celebrants hands as the Eucharistic Prayer transpires during the Mass. This is an extremely unique set of windows. One can literally follow along with the priest at mass by watching the windows and see the correlation.
The Rose window above the choir loft, while not overly elaborate, nor large and sometimes referred to as "the phone dial" depicts the Holy Spirit shining down upon those who enter the Church. This window faces East and in the morning, when the sun shines brightly through this window with its deep red, gold, golden yellow, bright white and beige colors, the effects of its symbolism is quite inspiring.
An interesting note is while the traditional church is meant to be built with the altar to the East, St. William is polar opposite. This is not uncommon though in large cities where land value often stipulated construction abilities. The current substantial church building cost nearly $450,000 to build in 1955, not including all interior furnishings. That is an amount equal to well over $4 million in today's dollars.
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The future
Now in its 91st year, Saint William Parish continues to be a vibrant, central part of the Lawncrest, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Community, throughout many changes.St. William is still home to many descendents of its original Parishioners and on any given Sunday you can still find those 2nd, 3rd and now 4th generations of German, Irish, Polish, Italian, French, Ukrainian, Lithuanian and Hungarian decent attending mass with the new 1st and 2nd generation parishioners from Peru, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Jamaica, East and Southeastern Asia, Pakistan and India.
Although the Parish registration has dropped roughly 45% since the year 2000 and Sunday Mass attendance has followed suite, it still remains strong in consideration of the total population. The Parish faces the same challenges as those faced by the Catholic Church as a whole. It should be considered as well, that the Parish that our Founding Pastor came from, Presentation B.V.M. while in Cheltenham PA, is just a mere 7 blocks North of St. William's physical location. While "Prez" is located in Montgomery county, its boundaries include one half of the community of Lawndale - from Magee Ave, North. Their registered population of about 1,308 families/3,800 people and student population of just over 250, is very similar in scope to St. William. The fact these two parishes are operating in such close proximity and are doing well is a feat in itself. For St. William, the current challenge is having an overly large complex of buildings that far outweigh what is currently needed.
The Parish buildings are in good order; both churches have seen and will see more work done to them to preserve their integrity. While the Upper Church is not used as often as liked, primarily due to the lack of an elevator (see note below), it is in good shape. It is interesting to note the Upper Church was officially closed in the late 1990s due to the mechanical issues regarding its failing heating system and the aging and reduced population of the parish. However it was still used for the weekly Spanish Mass since the 10:00 Mass Time saw both an English and Spanish Mass being held. It was officially reopened in 2003 after $70,000 in repairs to the church's hot water heating system were made and it was decided during the fall/winter/spring months to move the weekly 11:30AM English mass into the Upper Church as well, utilizing the Parish Choirs at many of the English Masses.
However, in June 2010, it was once again decided as a cost saving measure (primarily related to heating costs and current mass attendance), to move all masses into the Lower Church, including the Spanish Mass, with use the Upper Church relegated to special events only (Christmas, Easter, Weddings, Etc.). This also was beneficial during summer months as the Upper Church does not have air conditioning. A new, reduced, Mass schedule was also put into effect during this same time.
The old Hospital Annex that was purchased at a time just when student registration was starting its final major drop, sat vacant for a while as the IHM center moved out after their 5 year lease expired. The Parish is currently in negotiations to sell this building to a Pre-K only School already located in the community that is looking to expand. The overall school population still warrants the use of both the Lower and Middle school buildings, within Diocese guidelines.
The recent rumors going around of the Parish closing should be ignored as they are indeed false. Considering that there are Parishes within the Archdiocese having only 100 - 150 people attending Mass throughout the entire week and are still open, at St. William's, with over 1,200 coming to Mass on Sundays, and 200 or so each day during the week, there is NO valid reason for the Archdiocese to even consider closing St. William Parish. The rumor of any closure of the Parish is just that - a rumor.
- Note: Both the current church building and the preceding basement church were actually built at street level due to the solid rock plateau on which the church property, and several nearby blocks of row homes to the immediate South, West and North sit. Building the church here meant little excavation was needed and while the stability is certainly good for the structual integrity of the church building, it also meant that the Upper Church would actually sit nearly 20 feet above street level, requiring many steps to get into the actual church. Sadly, construction costs prohibited the elevator installation at a time when many young families were making up the neighborhood so, it was never considered a priority. The original location for the Church property was to be near the intersection of Rising Sun and Godfrey Avenues, but ground testing revealed unstable soil as this location was once a wetlands area.
The school
St William School remains dedicated to serving the LawnCrest Community for years to come. Since its opening in 1924, enrollment has risen and fallen with the times and the waves of population changes within the parish. The all time high enrollment was in 1964 when 1,586 attended that year. Enrollment dropped down to around 800 by the early 1980s only to peak again in 1992 at nearly 1,300. During these times, Tuition either didn't exist or was very low cost due to mostly religious teaching in the schools or at least a high percentage. As the increase in Laity teaching in the school increased the benefits and salary cost to the parish, tuition has followed to meet these costs. The Parish still subsidizes 18% of the cost to educate each registered Catholic family's child. Although there is a good number of Non-Catholic students who pay full tuition rates, the majority of the student body is still made up of local Catholic Students. The School, still under the direction of the Sisters of the IHM, had held its enrollment to just around 400 for several consecutive years. Recently though numbers have dropped off slightly, most likely due to the economic conditions many families are facing and an increase in tuition prices.A large majority of parishes within the Diocese are seeing similar reductions in numbers in parish and school registration and Mass attendance all around, as has the Catholic Church as a whole in most major cities. The largest enrollment currently in any catholic elementary school is just over 870, which is at St. Matthew's Parish in Mayfair, with the parish of Our Lady of Calvary coming in at second with 810 students. Less than 20 years ago, a 1,000 plus student enrollment in any given parish school was once common place, particularly amongst the Northeast Philadelphia Schools. Currently, the Archdioces is looking into the consolidation of many of the City Parish Schools, to form regionalized elementary schools, similar to the way the Catholic High Schools are. Enrollment in the elementary schools of the Diocese is falling below what is fiscally feasible for an individual parish to sustain. It is most likely that in the very near future, there will no longer be a Parish School at ANY Parish, but rather a Regionalized school located at one "centrally located" parish, serving many parishes.
That said, Catholic Education remains here at St. William Parish until the Diocese says otherwise. There is a strong Alumni Association that has successfully reached generations of past Parishioners and Students alike who continue to support the Parish and School.
Pastors
- 1920-1928 - ( 8 years ) Rev. William A. Motley
- 1928-1935 - ( 7 years ) Rev. Austin C. Grady
- 1935-1944 - ( 9 years ) Rev. Richard W. Gaughan
- 1944-1968 - (24 years ) Rev. William J. Boyle
- 1968-1980 - (12 years ) Rev. Francis J. Kimble
- 1980-2002 - (22 years ) Rev. Msgr. James E. Mortimer
- 2002-2009 - ( 7 years ) Rev. Msgr. Nelson J. Perez
- 2009-2010 - (17 months ) Rev. Scott D. Brockson (6 months as Pastoral Administrator)
- 2009-(-----) - (Current ) Rev. Joseph G. Watson
Note: Rev. William A. Motley is supposedly buried between the Parish Church and Rectory in the small garden where a tombstone marks only his tenure here at the parish, not his actual birth and death dates. While the church was built with two crypts (one on the North side and one on the South side of the building) neither have ever been used.
Notable parishioners
William (Bil) Keane, Creator of Family Circus The Family CircusThe Family Circus
The Family Circus is a syndicated comic strip created by cartoonist Bil Keane and currently written, inked, and colored by his son, Jeff Keane. The strip generally uses a single captioned panel with a round border, hence the original name of the series, which was changed following objections from...
, is a St. William School Graduate, Class of 1936.
Vocations from St William
Over 100 men and women have taken vocations from St William Parish over the years, including Monsignor Joseph Tracy, Bishop Martin Lohmuller and current Pastor, Fr. Joe Watson. Most recently, 2 Men from the Parish began their Diaconate Studies and 1 Woman from the Parish entered into her vocation with the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, one of only 3 currently enrolled in the IHM program in the Country.