I am really enjoying the church visits. It seems you have captured my life somewhat. I have attended several of those churches.
St. Philomena is my current parish. You recently were there. It looks like a poor relation compared to some of the others.
Here is a wish list that I hope you will consider:
St. Helena's at 5th and Godrey (I was married there)
Holy Angels on Old York Road at the very northern end of Broad St. I thought Broad Street never ended until I moved to Oak Lane. This is another poor relation compared to the others.
And best for last: ever hear of Our Lady of Pompeii? It was on Erie Avenue in North Phila.
The only thing the Project loves more than compliments is suggestion lists. To answer:
Our Lady of Pompeii closed in 1993, a victim of the North Philadelphia Swath of Destruction, circa Year of Hell, and the building has since been demolished. I have not yet come across any pictures of the place, so I can unfortunately say nothing about it. If anyone out there has any, feel free to send them on.
Holy Angels is indeed a poor comparison. I actually did make a visit there back in the fall, but found it to be so substandard that I left and visited my Plan B church instead. (Which turned out to be St. Bonaventure.) In another time the Project would have taken the bad with the good, but I now need to be more selective in my choices.
And, finally, Olney's St. Helena. Jessica actually isn't the first person to suggest this church, a mammoth tweener near the city's northern border. I've referenced it a couple of times, but haven't done a Project visit. Why, you ask? Well, St. Helena has the pesky tendency to avoid using their football field-sized upper church, even when they tell you they're going to, so visiting is tough.
On a more personal note, though, St. Helena is actually the Project's home parish. Come on, you knew I had to have one, right? Back when I wasn't a religious nomad, I grew up in the neighborhood and attended St. Helena for 18 years or so. I'm no longer a registered member, of course, but the parish holds a special place in my heart. And out of respect to that, I'm saving the Project review for a special occasion.
When will that be, you ask? As with all Project matters, you'll just have to wait and see.
Re Our Lady of Pompeii:
ReplyDeleteDo a Google Search for 6th Street and Erie Avenue, and then click on map. A photo will come up for that area. You can maneuver the screen around and you will see the building for Our Lady of Pompeii.
I think it's a Protestant church now.
As Billy Joel would say, you may be wrong for all I know, but you may be right. I initially dismissed that building because it doesn't look Catholic-y enough; indeed, from the outside it shares more in common with Protestant than R.C. styles.
ReplyDeleteThat said, perhaps it is Pompeii. Until someone ponies up some old photos, or until the Project gets itself to the PAHRC, we can't know for sure.