The Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia Quiz

Answer: archdiocese

A diocese is under the jurisdiction of a bishop, and Philadelphia was established as a diocese in 1808 by Pope Pius VII, originally encompassing all of Pennsylvania and Delaware, along with significant amounts of New Jersey. In 1875 it was raised by Pope Pius IX to the status of archdiocese, meaning an archbishop (higher in the clerical ranks than a bishop) was in charge.

Answer: St. Charles Borromeo

A seminary is an academic institution for the study of theology, usually in preparation for ordination. This seminary was founded in 1832, at Bishop Francis Kenrick's home on Fifth Street, Philadelphia. In 1871, after several temporary locations, land was purchased in the Main Line suburb of Wynnewood. In 2019 this property was sold, and plans were put into place for a move to a location on the campus of Gwynedd Mercy University.

The seminary was named in honour of an Italian saint who was archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584. He was a leading figure in the Counter-Reformation, and one of the main figures responsible for setting up seminaries to provide formal training for priests.

Answer: Michael Francis Egan, O.F.M.

Michael Francis Egan was born in Ireland in 1761, joined the Franciscans while still very young, and studied around Europe. He was ordained, probably in Prague, around 1785. After a series of appointments in Rome and Ireland, he came to the United States in 1802. In 1808, he was appointed the first bishop of Philadelphia, although communication difficulties because of the Napoleonic Wars meant the official papal declaration did not arrive until 1810. He used St Mary's Church, at which he had been a pastor, as his cathedral, and acted as bishop until his death in 1814.

The three incorrect options all served as Archbishop of Philadelphia during the 21st century.

Answer: Saints Peter and Paul

This cathedral is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 18th Street. When it was built, this land was next to the seminary. The largest Catholic church in Pennsylvania (with a capacity of around 2,000), it was built between 1846 and 1864 - slowly, so as to avoid too much debt being incurred. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1971, and has seen visits from two popes. John Paul II celebrated a Papal Mass in 1979, and Francis I in 2015.

The crypt under the main altar holds the remains of a number of significant figures, including the first bishop of Philadelphia, the first cardinal from Philadelphia (Dennis Joseph Dougherty) and St Katherine Drexel.

Answer: St. John Neumann

Born John Nepomucene Neumann in 1811, in Bohemia, he emigrated to the United States in 1836. There he was ordained, joined the Redemptorists, and was appointed the fourth bishop of Philadelphia in 1852, a position he held until his death in 1860. He established the first system of schools run by a Catholic diocese in the United States, expanding the number of parochial schools in the diocese from one to over 200.

He was declared venerable in 1921, beatified in 1963, and canonized in 1977, becoming the first male Catholic saint associated with the United States. Following his canonization, a special shrine was constructed in the Parish of St Peter the Apostle (where he had requested his remains be interred), and his remains now rest there in a reliquary that is encased in glass.

Answer: advocacy of racial tolerance

Katherine Mary Drexel (1858-1955) was born in a wealthy Philadelphia banking family, and grew up in a household where charitable use of their resources was a priority. After she took religious vows, she dedicated herself to improving the lives of Native Americans and African Americans, founding the order of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for this purpose. One of her achievements was the establishment of Xavier University of Louisiana, the only HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Catholic institution in the United States.

St Katherine Drexel was beatified in 1988 and canonized in 2000. The decree emphasized her work for minorities and victims of injustice, her efforts in education equality, and the donation of her personal inheritance to these causes.

Answer: Villanova University

Founded in 1842 and named after the Spanish friar Saint Thomas of Villanova, this is the oldest Catholic university in Pennsylvania. It is a highly regarded institution, but I chose to mention the basketball because the Villanova Wildcats have been a powerhouse in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) competition for a number of years. They made it to the final four in the first NCAA basketball championships in 1939; all right, there were only eight teams, but still they were in the semis! Much more success lay ahead.

Famous alumni of Villanova include Dr Jill Biden, Jim Croce, Maria Bello, Don McLean, Howie Long, Kyle Lowry, and Toby Keith. They cover a lot of different fields - surely you recognised some of those names.

Answer: covering up sexual abuse by priests

The Philadelphia Church was only one that was hit by this issue, but it made headlines around the world. In 2005 a grand jury began investigations that led to charges being laid against Fr Edward Avery (who pleaded guilty) in 2012. M Lynn was convicted of charges related to covering up extensive abuse in the archdiocese, the first to have such a conviction in the United States.

Other trials followed, although much of the worst involved people who had already died, and cases against higher officials proved difficult to develop to a stage where a successful prosecution was likely. A large number of civil lawsuits have since been filed, and an Independent Reconciliation and Reparations Program established to handle compensation for the damage done over many years.

Answer: False

While she may well have supported that issue, it was the fact that she had married her female partner in 2007 that caused her dismissal. As a Catholic K-8 school, the board found their position untenable when a parent lodged a complaint. She had informed them at the time of her employment, and agreed not to make mention of it at school, and to avoid any criticism of the Church position that only heterosexual relationships can be condoned. but once the situation became public knowledge, they felt they had to act in line with the official position. As the principal said at the time, "many of us accept life choices that contradict current Church teachings, but to continue as a Catholic school, Waldron Mercy must comply with those teachings." The Archbishop commended the action.

Ms Winters continued to call for a more open discussion of the issue within the Church. Later in 2015 she was invited to the White House, to attend a reception for Pope Francis I.

Answer: fostering by same sex couples

When Catholic Social Services refused to agree to allow same-sex couples to foster children, the city refused to renew their contract to make them an official foster care agency. The case argued that this was a curtailment of the First Amendment right to freedom of religion.

This was found in their favour in 2020, but the decision was reversed in 2021, meaning that the Supreme Court found that religious freedom was not a suitable reason in this case for failing to abide by the state law.