A century of Catholic devotion and fellowship was celebrated at St. Catharine of Siena Church in Reading on May 18 at a Mass with Bishop Alfred A. Schlert of the Diocese of Allentown, 13 diocesan priests, and hundreds of parishioners in attendance.
“It’s a church with a big history,” said Keith Gillner, a parishioner for 23 years.
It’s a history that began when Philadelphia Archbishop Cardinal Dennis Dougherty (1918-51) authorized the creation of St. Catharine of Siena Parish in Mount Penn in response to the East Reading population expansion of the early 1920s.
The parish began with 75 families and offered its first Mass on Dec. 20, 1925, in the basement of the Mount Penn Fire Company.
That same year, Calvin Coolidge was president of the United States, and the Church celebrated a Jubilee Year. Pope Pius XI also instituted the Solemnity of Christ the King and canonized St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
Since then, St. Catharine of Siena has had three locations, the latest being on Boyertown Pike in Reading with now 2,500 families in the parish.
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St. Catharine of Siena, Reading Celebrates 100 Years of Devotion - AD Today
A century of Catholic devotion and fellowship was celebrated at St. Catharine of Siena Church in Reading on May 18 at a Mass with Bishop Alfred A. Schlert of the Diocese of Allentown, 13 diocesan priests, and hundreds of parishioners … Continue reading
