Denomination Catholic Church | Phone +1 215-482-4600 | |
Location Manayunk, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Address 146 Rector St, Philadelphia, PA 19127, USA Similar Holy Family Catholic, Old St Joseph's Church, St Augustine Church, St Nicholas of Tolentine, St William Parish | ||
St. John the Baptist Church is a Roman Catholic church building located in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The parish was established in 1831 and is the Tenth Oldest Parish in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The current Neo Gothic church was completed in 1906 and is the spiritual home for Roman Catholics living in the Manayunk, Roxborough, and Wissahickon neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Early History of the Parish
The prosperous mill town of Manayunk was the setting for a flood of Irish immigration in the Early Twentieth Century. Lured by the promise of work and freedom in the dark days of the Irish Famine many moved to this location along the Schuylkill River and chose to make their home there.
As the mother parish of Manayunk, St. John the Baptist was the first location where Catholics who immigrated to the region in the mid Nineteenth Century could worship. Principally from Ireland and Germany, the first masses were held in the private home of Jerome Keating, a prosperous mill owner who would later donate his property for the construction of the church and school buildings as well as the parish cemetery.
The parish was officially established in 1831, early masses having been held in the Keating's home on Cresson and Pensdale Streets.
Consolidation of the Parish
In 2012, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia consolidated St. John the Baptist Parish with St. Mary of the Assumption and St. Josaphat Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia.
Physical description
The present church building was completed in 1906, with the ensuing bell tower added two years later. The building was designed by famed New York architect Patrick Keely and towers over the rowhomes of Manayunk.
Altars
In addition to the Main Altar featuring statues of St. Bernard and St. Cecilia are four side altars. On the Cresson Street side is one devoted to the Blessed Mother and one to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Tower Street Side features one to St. Patrick and one to St. Joseph.
Organ and music
The organ is a 1906 Austin
Parish cemetery
The Parish cemetery contains several internments the earliest being in 1829.[1] Numerous Civil War veterans are buried here including Medal of Honor winner Peter McAdams [2]. Purportedly, the cemetery contains the largest collection of Civil War veterans of any small cemetery in the nation.
Restoration
In 2015, the parish undertook a $1 Million capital campaign to restore the tower and roof of the church.