Our Founding Pastor, Rev. Francis J. Hennegan

On May 22, 1953, the Archbishop of Philadelphia,  John O’Hara, announced the establishment of a new parish dedicated to Saint Joseph, the patron of the Universal Church, to be situated in Cheltenham Township in Montgomery County.  The new parish would be made up of parts of Holy Angels and Saint Helena in Philadelphia and Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Cheltenham.

At the same time as Archbishop O’Hara announced the establishment of Saint Joseph Parish, he also announced the appointment of the founding pastor, Rev. Francis J. Hennegan, then assistant pastor at Saint Gabriel Church in Philadelphia.  Father Hennegan would assume the arduous task of starting the new parish on Friday, June 12, 1953.

We thank God for the abundant blessings that He has bestowed on our parish during these 66 years.  We pray for the many men and women who sacrificed so much to build the parish community that we enjoy being a part of today.  We ask our patron, St. Joseph, to continue to protect our parish family as we continue the mission to build up the Kingdom of God for generations to come.  St. Joseph, pray for us!

For a detailed parish history, click here: