St. Christopher Parish
13301 Proctor Road,
Philadelphia, PA 19116
Cluster: 14 Why was this name selected for the parish? Who first suggested it?
Our founding pastor, Father Christopher Purcell, was asked to found a parish including and surrounding the Somerton section of Northeast Philadelphia.
Because St. Christopher was his own patron saint, and inasmuch as no parish in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia was named after the saint, Father Purcell requested and received permission to have his parish named after St. Christopher.
The people in our parish take very seriously what the name “Christopher” means — that is “to carry Christ.” They had been disappointed in 1969 when St. Christopher’s feast day was removed from the Roman Missal. Our people were pleased when the new martyrology of saints was published in 2001. St. Christopher was listed among the saints of the Church.
What special devotions are observed at the parish?
Our parish is privileged to have exposition of the Blessed Sacrament every day. Also, most years, we have had a parish mission in the Lenten season.
Of which ministries are you most proud?
Ours is a very fine parish with many good things happening. Our parish school is our most powerful and visible ministry. Headed by our wonderful principal, Patricia Kilbride, and assisted by our excellent vice-principal, Mary Tremper, and a dedicated and qualified staff of forty-five lay teachers, our school is outstanding. I am very proud that our school is Catholic in every sense of the term.
Are there any new ministries projected to begin this year?
A parish stewardship committee is being formed. This past year a bereavement support group was started; now we are beginning a bereavement outreach group for families that have experienced a death. We also started a parish welcome committee for new families.
Those who are not parishioners might be surprised to know:
Those who are not parishioners might be surprised to know that St. Christopher Parish is one of two parishes in the entire archdiocese in which the boundaries are in three counties. (The other is St. Katherine in Wayne) While most of our families come from Philadelphia, 200 of our families live in Huntingdon Valley (Montgomery County) and 600 of them live in Feasterville/Trevose (Bucks County).
Has anyone famous, now or previously, been a member of the parish?
Our former State Senator, Hank Salvatore, is a parishioner; so is our current State Senator, Mike Stack. Our State Representative, George Kenney, is also a parishioner. I am happy to say that Auxiliary Bishop Joseph McFadden now lives at our parish, in part of the building that used to be our convent.
What interesting artifacts, architectural features and/or special works of art are in the church?
Our parish has beautiful stained glass windows. We also have a beautiful wood-carved Nativity set which comes from the South Tirol in Northern Italy. From the same area, we also have a large wood carving of our patron, St. Christopher.
What amusing incidents are part of the parish’s history?
Those who were kids here in the 1960s remember with joy the visits of Moses, the Trainer family mule. Moses would also come to be blessed on the feast day of St. Christopher, patron of travelers, when the parish blessed different modes of transportation, such as cars, bikes, and the occasional mule!
What occasions of, or in, the parish have been particularly poignant?
The most poignant occasions have been the thousands of funerals we have had in the parish’s 54-year history. Our annual All Souls Memorial Mass, in which we remember by name those parishioners who have died in the past year is beautiful, but poignant.
What are among the most commonly asked questions about the parish?
“How do I get to St. Christopher’s?” Although our parish is near most major highways in Northeast Philadelphia, we are tucked into a neighborhood and not on a main street.
The pastor would also like all to know the following about the parish:
The parish will be forever in debt to the Trainer family who donated all of the land on which the Church and parish buildings are located. The original Trainer family home lives on as a spiritual center called Cranaleith, operated by the Sisters of Mercy. It is a place where people can come for a spiritual retreat or even just for a day. Finally, I would like people to know that something my primary mentor as a priest, Father Richard Flemming, who lived at St. Christopher’s for 19 years, would often say to me when I served here in my first assignment as a young priest: He always said St. Christopher’s was one of the best parishes in the diocese. I love the people here and I couldn’t imagine myself being anywhere else.
— Compiled by Melissa Fontanez
PARISH FACTS:
Date Founded: November 3, 1950
Current Pastor: Msgr. Joseph P. Garvin
Parochial Vicar(s): Father John P. Gutekunst, Father Thomas J. Rooney
Priest(s) in Residence: Msgr. John P. Boland
Director of Religious Education:
Sister Michele Fisher, CSFN
Name of School: St. Christopher School
Number of Students: 860
Lay Staff Members: 45
Principal: Mrs. Patricia Kilbride
Vice-Principal: Mrs. Mary Tremper
Number of Registered Individuals: 11,140
Number of Registered Families: 3,450
Annually, number of:
Baptisms: 125
Marriages: 47
Funerals: 94 |