Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Philadelphia (Credit: Shakzu, iStock)
One of my favourite pastimes as a priest is listening to my more experienced (read: older) brothers talk about the Church of their youth. In urban centres like Philadelphia, the Catholic Church dominated the landscape – physically, through the glorious edifices constructed in an era of rapid growth – and in many other ways. They tell stories of hundreds of high-school students entering seminaries and religious communities every year, of masses so crowded with the faithful that pastors had to build “lower churches” so two masses could take place at once. They tell stories of family life revolving around Church and school, of Holy Name Societies and sodalities, of an endless train of weddings, baptisms and funerals.
