Safe keeping: St. Dominic’s Church parish dates back to 1849 while the neo-Gothic brownstone house of worship at 8504 Frankford Ave. has been its home since 1897. City inspectors surveyed the church a couple of years ago and instructed the parish to sure up the masonry, particularly in the tower. The inspection was part of a citywide review of all tall buildings.
The mother church of the Northeast is starting to show some age.
With its bell tower and steeple soaring more than 150 feet skyward, St. Dominic’s Church in Upper Holmesburg is one of the most prominent and, in fact, oldest public buildings north of Cheltenham Avenue.
The Roman Catholic parish dates back to 1849 while the neo-Gothic brownstone house of worship at 8504 Frankford Ave. has been its home since 1897, the previous church building having been destroyed by fire one year earlier.
Then, as today, the steeple served as a beacon to parishioners from nearby Holmesburg who would walk or perhaps ride horses across the old stone bridge spanning the Pennypack Creek, through the woods then up a steep hill to attend Mass.
“When you’re coming down Frankford Avenue, the steeple and the cross really stand out. You see them through the trees and think, ‘There’s home,’ ” said the Rev. Edward T. Kearns, the parish pastor who often visits family in his native Mayfair before returning to the rectory adjoining the church.
But time has left St. Dom’s with blemishes, some more glaring than others. A recent storm damaged the gilded cross that sat atop the church through all of those decades. Kearns noticed it swaying in the breeze and hired a crane operator to take it down for repairs. It remains in safe keeping while the steeple sits bare.
Less obvious to untrained observers is the building’s need for an overall exterior facelift. City inspectors surveyed the church a couple of years ago and instructed the parish to sure up the masonry, particularly in the tower. The inspection was part of a citywide review of all tall buildings, according to Kearns, who suspects that the city launched the inspection program in response to several highly publicized building collapses.
“If you were over sixty feet, you had to get a survey,” the pastor said. “We’re not in any danger, but they said we should get it done within the next three to five years.”
The parish is planning to repoint the stone on the entire facade, make some roof repairs and re-caulk the church’s massive stain-glass windows. All told, the work will cost about $200,000.
“We have three years left, so we’re going to try to do it in phases,” Kearns said.
A fundraising campaign will occupy much of the parish’s efforts in the coming years, starting with a craft beer festival on Sunday, April 26. The event will take place from noon to 4 p.m. at Marian Hall on the parish grounds, Admission costs $30 in advance or $40 at the door.
Craft beer tasting will be indoors and is open to adults. For children and those not interested in craft beer, about 50 vendors will set up outside, including arts and crafts and food carts. There is no admission charge for the outdoor portion. Vendors may buy spaces at $25 each.
“The young people like beer tasting. That’s what I’ve heard,” Kearns said.
Keeping young people engaged in all aspects of parish life has been an ongoing mission at St. Dom’s and enabled it to avoid the plight of many other city parishes in recent years. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has closed or merged many parishes and their schools, largely in urban areas.
“We got 2,700 (member) families. That’s good. And we’ve got 350 kids in school. That’s a good number, also,” Kearns said. “It’s an active parish. There’s a lot going on. Involvement is a big issue.”
In Kearns’ six years there, the parish has improved its general collections by hiring outside consultants to organize targeted campaigns. The parish also brings in guest speakers for Mass from time to time, such as missionaries from other cities or nations.
The parish conducts its own on-site missions for groups within the congregation, including seniors, young people and families, the latter being an important theme with the World Meeting of Families arriving in Philadelphia in September.
All of these activities have helped St. Dom’s maintain participation despite a relatively consistent population figure for the neighborhood.
“The area hasn’t grown much. (But) it’s an old area, so people have lived here for generations, back to 1849 at least,” Kearns said. “Our cemetery goes back to the Civil War days. A general is buried there and some guys from the Philadelphia A’s. So I think there’s a history of community living here, and people want to keep that going, because they have a long tradition.” ••
Safe keeping: St. Dominic’s Church parish dates back to 1849 while the neo-Gothic brownstone house of worship at 8504 Frankford Ave. has been its home since 1897. City inspectors surveyed the church a couple of years ago and instructed the parish to sure up the masonry, particularly in the tower. The inspection was part of a citywide review of all tall buildings.
A piece of history: Rev. Edward T. Kearns stands outside St. Dominic’s Church in Upper Holmesburg. The Roman Catholic parish is raising money for needed restorations, including repairs to the roof and stain-glass windows. MARIA POUCHNIKOVA / TIMES PHOTOS
