Old St. Mary's Church, Philadelphia, PA

Built in 1763, Old St. Mary’s is the second oldest Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia. It was the site of the first public religious commemoration of the Declaration of Independence. In 1788, the Board of Trustees was incorporated to manage the temporal affairs of the church. After Philadelphia was made a diocese in 1808, Bishop Egan selected Old St. Mary as the first Cathedral. Problems arose between the trustees and the bishops over the appointment of priests. This would eventually lead to the Hogan schism and appeals to the Pope for intervention. After over 20 years of conflict, the third Bishop of Philadelphia, Francis Kenrick temporarily closed in the church 1831 and would later move the Cathedral to St. John the Evangelist in 1838.