Our
Lady of Grace Parish celebrates 100 years
By Lou Baldwin
Special to The CS&T
There is something new at Our Lady of Grace Church in Penndel.
Above the main doors is an eight-foot bas-relief of Our Lady in that title,
installed as part of the parish centennial.
“It was a way of thanking Mary for intercession on behalf of our
parish,” said Father William B. Dooner, who has served for nine
years as pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish.
“It is a sign of the many graces the parish has been given, and
a sign of the many graces the parish has poured out into the community,”
Father Dooner said.
A hundred years ago, the little hamlet where the church is situated was
called Eden, according to a history prepared by parishioner Ellen Gifford.
In 1905, Father Michael Bunce, pastor of St. Mark Parish, Bristol, arranged
for the purchase of the former St. James Episcopal Church after that congregation
built a new church.
The newly converted church became Our Lady of Grace Chapel for Catholics
in the Eden area, served by Holy Ghost Fathers stationed at their former
minor seminary on Bristol Pike.
It is assumed that the region served by the chapel formed an official
parish in early 1908; Father Miles A. Keegan arrived as pastor in 1909.
A permanent church was built quickly about a block-and-a-half from the
first chapel, and dedicated October 9, 1910.
Under the parish’s third pastor, Father Richard P. Phelan, a school
was opened in 1923, with 70 children in four classrooms. They were taught
by Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, led by Mother Casimer.
Father Phelan purchased nearby ground for a parish cemetery, which still
has about 500 burials annually, serving families from neighboring parishes
as well as Our Lady of Grace. Father Phelan also established St. Therese
Chapel in Trevose, a forerunner to Assumption B.V.M Parish, Feasterville.
Cardinal Justin Rigali celebrated a centennial Mass on April 27 in the
1,300-seat church of today, which was dedicated in 1962, during the pastorship
of Msgr. Thomas J. Corrigan. Among the concelebrants was Vincentian Father
David O’Connell, president of the Catholic University of America
and a proud son of the parish.
“I received all of my sacraments at Our Lady of Grace,” Father
O’Connell said.
Today, Our Lady of Grace has 3,100 families, according to Father Dooner.
The school, with Denise Lewis as its principal, has 430 students, and
almost an equal number of children attend PREP classes. The junior and
senior youth groups are very large, with a strong CYO program, said Father
Dooner. The music ministry, with adult and children’s choirs, cantors
and organ, is also excellent.
Other active programs include a rosary group, a charismatic prayer group,
a bereavement program and a St. Monica Group for parents experiencing
difficulties in relationships with adult children.
Although the parish consists mostly of middle- to upper-middle income
families, it is sensitive to the needs of others, with good outreach programs.
“We embrace both the elderly and the young,” Father Dooner
said. “The people are supportive of the clergy, proud of their parish
and its history. There is a loyalty to Our Lady of Grace Parish.”
Lou Baldwin is a member of St. Leo Parish and a freelance writer.