St. Philip Church

St. Philip Church
Crossingville
25797 State Highway 98
Edinboro, Pennsylvania 16412





St. Philip is the oldest church in continuous use in the Erie Diocese.
Immigrants from Ireland first arrived and built log cabins in Crossingville
in October 1798.

In 1802 the first log school house was built and land was set aside for a
cemetery, the present day St. James Cemetery located a mile from the church
on the Crossingville Road.

The first church was built in what is now the old section of the cemetery.
This hewed log church measuring 24 by 36 feet cost $500 and was the first
Catholic Church in northwestern Pennsylvania.

The first Mass in the settlement was celebrated by a Father Whalen in 1807.
Bishop Kenrick of Philadelphia celebrated Mass in the church in 1833, but
because title to the church was in the name of the trustees he refused to
bless the church. So the church was not blessed until his second visit in
1836 after the title was changed.

Work on the present Church was begun in 1840 after the first pastor was
appointed to the parish. Until this time, missionary priests had taken care
of the spiritual needs of the people. The church cost $3,500 to build and
on September 9, 1847 was blessed by Father Brown who was delegated by Bishop
Michael O'Connor of Pittsburgh to perform the ceremony. At that time Western
Pennsylvania was part of the Pittsburgh Diocese.

The Baptismal and Marriage records kept in the parish office begin with the
year 1840.

In 1852 Reverand Arthur McConnell was ordained to the priesthood here by
Bishop O'Connor. The present rectory was completed in 1870 by the Rev. John
Quincy Adams. The structure cost $1,400 to build.

The bell in the church tower was a gift to the parish by the Rev. Michael
Edward Tracy, who served as pastor from 1871 to 1894. The name of the bell
is The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and was dedicated
to her on December 8, 1882.

Between 1898 and 1905 when J. P. Dugan was pastor, the stained glass windows
were placed in the church. On July 8,1907 Bishop John Fitzmaurice of Erie
celebrated the centennial Mass.

In 1989 the top twelve feet of the Bell Tower were rebuilt and the new gold
cross was erected. Restoration work on the church began in 1990 with the
window sills and frames on the front side of the church.

The wooden ceiling was copied from the original, settlers village church in
Ireland to remind them of home. There are still members of the parish who
trace their ancestors back to the first settlers of 1798. Mass was celebrated
in Crossingville before any of the men who served as Bishops of the Erie Diocese
were even born.

St. James Cemetery is the burial place of Fred McCarthy, professionally known
as John Todd, who played the part of Tonto on the Lone Ranger radio program
when it began in 1933 and was with the cast for 23 years. JoAnna Connell, the
life-long teacher and educator after whom the JoAnna Connell school in Erie was
named, is also buried in St. James Cemetery.

On August 13, 1863 Thomas Gannon and Julia Dunlevy were married in St. Philip
Church. They were the parents of Archbishop John Mark Gannon who was ordained
bishop February 6,1918 and died September 5,1968. He served as Bishop of Erie
from December 16, 1920 to December 13.1966.