Catholic Historical Research Center of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia

09/11/2026

09/10/2026

As part of Archives Month Philly, join us for the opening of our new exhibit and tour of our archive!

Get an exclusive peek behind the scenes and check out new exhibits at this fun Archives Month event!

09/08/2026

A century ago, Northeast Catholic High School for Boys opened on land purchased from the Pennsylvania Railroad for $150,000. It was the fourth high school in the archdiocese and would be staffed by the Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales, who arrived in Philadelphia from Wilmington that same year. Along with Cardinal Dougherty High School, the school closed at the end of the 2010 school year.

09/08/2026

Today in 1941, Saint Hubert's High School for Girls opened in the Tacony neighborhood of Philadelphia. The grounds of the school was originally home to a Catholic parish built for German-speaking immigrants in 1924.

09/07/2026

Today in 1956, Monsignor Bonner for Boys opened its doors in Darby, Delaware County. The school had its origins three years earlier as Archbishop Prendergast high School for Boys, but later moved to a new building and adopted the new name. In 2006, the school merged with Archbishop Prendergast High School for Girls.

09/07/2026

Today in 1966, Archbishop Ryan opened its doors as two seperate schools: each divided by gender. It was not until the fall of 1989 that the two schools became one.

09/05/2026

On this day in 1956, Cardinal Dougherty High School opened its doors to 2,500 students from 48 feeder schools. The land that the school sat on once belonged to the Daughters of the Most Holy Redeemer, who were thinking of building a hospital on the site. In 1965, the enrollment at the school peaked at 5,944 students, but declining enrollment forced the school to close in 2010.

09/04/2026

230 years ago today in 1796, the cornerstone was laid for Saint Augustine's, the fourth Catholic Church in Philadelphia. From funds raised by prominent Americans like George Washington, Commodore Barry, and Stephen Girard, it would become the first Augustinian mission in the young United States and led by Father Matthew Carr, OSA. The associated school, Augustinian Academy, was founded in 1811 and would serve as the predecessor if Villanova University. Sadly, the original church was burned down in the Nativist Riots of 1844, and the current church was built in 1847.

08/29/2026

On this day in 1976, the last Sunday Mass was held at Saint Agatha's in West Philadelphia. From years of declining numbers of parishioners to a severe fire that gutted the upper Church, the parish merged with Saint James to form Saint Agatha-Saint James parish.

08/28/2026

As the school year begins shortly, teachers are heading back to school to prepare their classrooms. Shown here are teachers for John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls' High School coming in for their pre-school briefing.