St. William Parish (Lawncrest)
| St William Church | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | 6200 Rising Sun Avenue Philadelphia Pennsylvania, Postal Code 19111 United States |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| District | Archdiocese of Philadelphia |
| Country | United States of America |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Parish Church |
| Website | St William Parish |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Gleeson & Mulrooney Firm |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical, Romanesque |
| Groundbreaking | 1955 |
| Completed | Lower Church-1956 Upper Church-1963 |
| Construction cost | $400,000 + |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | East |
| Capacity | Lower Church 900 Upper Church 1,250 |
| Materials | Granite, Sandstone, Tile |
St. William is a US Catholic parish founded in January 1920 in the Philadelphia Pennsylvania neighborhood of Lawncrest. The parish originally served 70 households. The Parish elementary school was opened in 1924. The parish eventually expanded to include a rectory, convent, kindergarten, lower school, junior high school, day care center, parish hall and the two churches. The school, which reached a peak enrollment of 1,586 students in 1964, closed on June 15, 2012 with a final enrollment of 280 students. As of 2016, the church served 1,780 households totaling 4,816 people and Mass attendance currently averages 1,400 people, spread among the 8 Sunday Masses.
In the early part of the 20th century, the area currently comprising Saint William Parish in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, made up of the communities of Lawndale and the Northern part of Crescentville, was part of Presentation BVM Parish in nearby Cheltenham, Pennsylvania which was under the leadership of Rev. William A Motley. When the Diocese began planning for a new parish in the developing part of Lower Northeast Philadelphia, Archbishop Dennis Dougherty asked Rev. Motley if he wished to remain at Presentation or would he like to lead a new parish?...his answer was clear and on January 20, 1920, St. William Parish was officially founded under Motley's leadership named in honor of the Hermit; William of Vercelli.
Immediately, a worship location was secured at the Germania Maennerchor Hall (**) at 514 Devereaux Ave with the first mass being held on Jan 23. The new Parish comprising 70 families, spread out within the boundaries of; Cottman Ave to the North, Tookany Creek to the West and Roosevelt Boulevard to the South and East. A Rectory was established at 415 Levick Street that included a small chapel. In 1922, a move to 909 Levick street would be prompted by need for additional space.
(**) Some 60 years later, this same building was bought by the Parish and converted into the parish day care center. It was sold in 1999.
In 1921, ground was broken for the combination Church/School at Rising Sun Avenue and Robbins Street. Built of local Bethayres stone. It was dedicated on Nov 27, 1921 by Bishop Michael Crane. In 1923, the parishes of St. Ambrose and - St Martin Of Tours were established which ate up a large portion of St. William's Southern and Eastern parts. New (and current) boundaries were Magee Ave to the North, Phila/Mont.Co Twnshp Line/Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad/Newtown Branch of the Reading Railroad Company to the West, the Oxford Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad now Pennway Street/Air line through the Naval Supply Depot to the East and Allengrove Street To the South.
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Wikipedia