Thank you to all of the alumni and friends who have contributed to the Alumni Education Fund. So far, we have raised $120,000! With your help, we WILL keep St. Anne School open!
Please consider making a donation to St. Anne Alumni Association PO Box 63398 Philadelphia, PA 19114-8398
is dedicated to maintaining relationships and establishing lifelong connections between Saint Anne Parish and School and its alumni and friends, leading to increased support for the institution’s mission and goals.
In 1842, the Pennsylvania and Reading Railroads extended rail tracks from the Central Pennsylvania coal mines to the Delaware River. So the coal trade took off. Many of the Irish Immigrants who were members of St. Patrick's Church had been working on the Schuylkill River. However, when jobs became available on the Delaware, many sought work in Port Richmond. The long commute from their homes to the Delaware River was exhausting, so they decided to relocate and build their new houses in Port Richmond.
The Pastor of St. Patrick's, Rev. Daniel F.X. Devitt, was concerned about the spirituality of his departing parishioners, the hope of perhaps some Catholics joining nearby St. Michael’s was dashed when that church was burnt down during the Anti-Irish Catholic Riots of May of 1844, so Rev. Devitt approached Bishop Kenrick with an idea to start a new parish in Port Richmond. Rev. Devitt worked unceasingly in establishing St. Anne Church, but going back and forth from St. Patrick's began to take its toll. As noted below, Rev. Hugh McLaughlin became the first official pastor of St. Anne Church in 1846.
The original boundaries encompassed what is now Holy Name, St. Laurentius, St. Michael's, Visitation, Immaculate Conception, Mother of Divine Grace, Nativity, St. George's, Our Lady Help of Christians and St. Aldalbert's parishes. Through the years, with the growing ethic populations, new churches were established, and St. Anne's boundaries got smaller.
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