Saint Philomena Roman Catholic Church at 41 East Baltimore Avenue, Lansdowne, PA 19050-2297 US - Our Patroness, Saint Philomena
Our Patroness, Saint Philomena
On 25 May 1802, excavators in the Catacomb of St. Priscilla in Rome found a tomb sealed with terra cotta slabs in the manner often reserved for martyrs.
The tomb was marked with three tiles, inscribed with the following: LUMENA / PAX TE / CUM FI. Reading the markers beginning with the middle tile, a Latin sentence emerges: Pax tecum, Filumena, which translates "Peace be with you, Philomena."
Also inscribed on the tiles were symbols: a lily, the symbol of purity and virginity, a palm branch, the symbol of martyrdom, arrows, an anchor and a lance. The remains Inside the tomb were examined and found to be those of a young girl of about twelve or thirteen years of age. Also found in the tomb was a vial of blood, consistent with the practice of the early church when burying a Martyr.
The body was transferred to the Treasury of the Rare Collections of Christian Antiquity in the Vatican until in 1805, a priest, Don Francesco di Lucia, traveling to Rome, received the relics of this martyr "Philomena" to enshrine in his village church at Mugnano del Cardinale.
Unusual events immediately began to occur immediately. Graces and miracles occurred, even before her remains arrived at Mugnano del Cardinale and she quickly became known as "Philomena, Powerful with God."
In 1837, Pope Gregory XVI elevated this "Wonder-Worker of the Nineteenth Century" to sainthood. Saint Philomena thus became the only person recognized by the Church as a Saint solely on the basis of her intercession after her death.
Pictured is the Shrine of Saint Philomena in our Church. Below the statue is the First Class Relic of Saint Philomena brought from the Shrine in Mugnano del Cardinale.
The Founding of Saint Philomena Parish in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
A new Catholic parish in Lansdowne was first suggested by Father O'Brien, Pastor of Saint Charles Parish Church in Drexel Hill. The reason for a new parish was the difficulty of getting to St. Charles. The steep hill posed a problem even in good weather.
Application was made to Archbishop Ryan for a new parish centered in Lansdowne and including the adjacent areas to the East, South and North.
In January of 1898, Archbishop Ryan appointed the Reverend Francis J. Markee, who was at that time the Rector of St. Martin Parish in New Hope, Pa. to establish the new church. Father Markee chose Saint Philomena, Virgin and Martyr, to be the patroness of the new parish which would be named in her honor.
An empty house on Nyack Avenue, owned by the Hughes family, became the Rectory. The search for suitable land on which to build the church began immediately. Through the generosity of Mr. Murtha Kelly, Father Markee was able to lease an assembly room in Lansdowne Hall, on the East side of Lansdowne Avenue, for Sunday Mass. The first floor housed the Lansdowne Post Office. On Sunday February 4, 1898, the first Masses were celebrated in Saint Philomena Parish at 7 and 9 o'clock.
The land chosen for the site of the new parish was a corner plot situated directly on Baltimore Pike along which ran a single trolley line. The plot of ground in earlier times formed the Southeast section of the farmlands of Michael Gibbons. The first available record, however, seems to be a real estate transfer made to Archbishop Ryan in May 1902, by a Francis Nesmith and his wife Mary.
The architect chosen to design the new church was Mr. Roland A. Boyle, who was noted for his Catholic Institutional buildings. The style of the structure was to be Romanesque with a seating capacity of five hundred. The edifice, for a time was to be a one story stone structure with a temporary wooden roof. Auxiliary Bishop Prendergast was invited to officiate at the corner stone laying ceremony on December 4th.
By September of 1899 the church was completed sufficiently so that Mass could be celebrated there. On Sunday, May 27, 1900 St. Philomena Church was dedicated by the Right Reverend Edmund F. Prendergast, Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia.
The altar used in the church had been given to Father Markee by the Rector of St. Malachy's in Philadelphia, where it had been the high altar. The organ originally used in the new church was a parlor melodeon. The flat ceiling reached just above the tall side windows.
The house to the east of the new church, 41 East Baltimore Avenue, was acquired to be the Rectory.
In 1925, through the generosity of Mr. And Mrs. Thomas M. Fitzgerald, the new construction of a new Rectory began. Unfortunately, at the same time, the Convent caught fire and was nearly destroyed. The Sisters found lodging in quarters found for them by the Sisters at Blessed Virgin Mary Parish. The Sisters continued teaching at Saint Philomena School, travelling to their temporary dwellings in taxis hired by Father Markee.
The long contemplated project of completing Saint Philomena Church was finally underway. During this time, In 1924-1925, Mass was celebrated in the basement of the School building. The work on the Church was completed in June of 1925.
The roof of the Church had been raised to twice its former height. The original wood altar was replaced by a handsome marble altar designed by the Architect, George I. Lovatt, and presented to the parish by Mrs. Thomas Fitzgerald in memory of her husband. To the right and left of the main Sanctuary, Altars were erected in honor of the Blessed Virgin, donated by Dr. John McKenna in memory of his parents, and Saint Philomena, given by Mr. And Mrs Harry Farren. Father Markee, when in Rome for the canonization of St. Therese, the Little Flower, bought a statue of the new Saint, which rests on a pedestal to the right of the altar of St. Philomena.
In addition to the major donors for this project, the generosity of all of the parishioners of Saint Philomena Church was overwhelming.
Foundation as the National Center of the
Universal Archconfraternity of Saint Philomena
for the United States
On Sunday, November 13, 2011, Monsignor Giovanni Braschi, Rector of the International Shrine of Saint Philomena in Mugnano del Cardinale, Avellino, Italy, and President of the Universal Archconfraternity of Saint Philomena, designated Saint Philomena Roman Catholic Church in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, a Center of the Universal Archconfraternity of Saint Philomena worldwide. We were honored by Monsignor Braschi with the presentation of a First Class Relic of Saint Philomena (shown below) which he brought from the Sanctuary in Mugnano del Cardinale.
On Sunday, February 12, 2012, we were designated the National Center of the Archconfraternity for the United States, and Reverend Jason V. Kulczynski was appointed the founding National Director.
The relic of Saint Philomena at the Shrine in our Church
Moments in our History
Statue of Saint Philomena carved in Alaska. This statue was originally destined for St. Philomena Church in Molokai, the Church of St. Damien. We are still researching the question of how it ended up in Lansdowne.
Plaque dedicated to St. Anne located in our Votive Candle Chapel, presented by Rev. A. Paul Lambert, former Pastor of St. Philomena Church. In thanksgiving for being rescued from the shipwreck of the Andrea Dorea.
