Our Lady of Lourdes Parish (Philadelphia, PA)

Go to Our Lady of Lourdes parish website

In 1994, Our Lady of Lourdes celebrated its centennial year of existence, and in that year the Order of Mercy first began serving the parish. On July 1, 2004,  Archbishop Justin Cardinal Rigali graciously entrusted the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes to the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy.

The Reverend Fr. James W. Mayer, O. de M. was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes on that day, at the age of 38, and was formally installed as the Eighth Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, by Bishop Michael Burbidge on August 29, 2004.

Christmas, 2004, was a joyful and historic moment for Our Lady of Lourdes, as the parish celebrated Midnight Mass for the first time in many years, but more so as Bishop Joseph McFadden, Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia and a priest son of the parish, recently raised to the Episcopacy, returned to Lourdes to celebrate the Midnight Mass. Within one year, the Friars instilled new life into the parish with the implementation of several programs for the work of Evangelization. The upper church was air-conditioned and underwent major work or restoration to the plaster, lighting, painting, pews and altar appointments. In response to Pope John Paul II’s dedication of 2004-2005 as the Year of the Eucharist and his desire for increased devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, on the Feast of Divine Mercy, April 3, 2005, the parish began Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Grotto Chapel of our Lady of Lourdes. Efforts were then focused on the School’s Centennial Celebration in 2008.