St Bridget’s (East Falls)

There is something truly majestic about St. Bridget’s; the deep connection between the church and the school only adds to its enchantment. Located in the East Falls section of Philadelphia, St. Bridget’s celebrated its first mass in 1855. Decades later, in 1888, the original school building opened its doors to the Catholic students of the parish. By 1949, a new school building was opened to accommodate the post-WWII baby boomers.

This parish holds a deep family connection for me. My mother and her siblings attended St. Bridget’s, and I was fortunate enough to locate a fifth-grade class picture from my mother’s class in 1949.

Years later, I entered first grade at St. Bridget’s in 1966. At the time of my enrollment, the first, second, and third grades were still held in the original school building, while the fourth through eighth grades were housed in the new building.

I received the sacraments of Baptism, Holy Communion, and Confirmation at St. Bridget’s. To this day, I still cherish some of my fondest memories of both the church and the school.