Sunday, February 19, 2006

St. Bridget's Catholic Church in 2006

This Catholic church is located on Midvale Avenue in the East Falls section of Philadelphia. Not only was it the parish of the famous Kelly family (Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco) but it was the parish of William and Anna Gallagher, Bernard and Mary Cafferty, Arthur and Mary Maier and where my brother Michael and I attended grade school. It was in this church that I was baptized, made my First Communion and had my Confirmation.
This statue of the Blessed Mother is located on a series of small hills in front of the church. During my days at St. Bridget's, I stood on these hills every May for the annual May procession where we honored the Blessed Virgin by singing songs and reciting prayers. Each year one lucky girl in the 8th grade would be chosen to be the May Queen. Her responsibility was to crown the Blessed Virgin's statue at the conclusion of the procession with a crown of roses. Every Catholic 8th grade girl wished for this honor.
This is a view of the church's steeple on the North side at Cresson Avenue next to the railroad tracks.

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