St. Joseph’s Prep Students Celebrate 175 Years at Site of First School Mass

St. Joseph’s Preparatory School students marked the school's 175th anniversary on Sept. 15 by celebrating the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit at the site of the institution's first school Mass.

A group of 95 students walked through the same hallway and doors at St. Joseph’s Church on Willings Alley in Philadelphia’s Old City that were used by the original 95 students when they began their studies at St. Joseph’s College and Preparatory School on Sept. 15, 1851. Assistant Principal for Academics Daniel Ranalli met the students in the courtyard of the parish grounds to explain the history of the site before the group processed into the church.

Religious studies teacher Father Richard McCouch noted that the Mass of the Holy Spirit follows a tradition maintained by Jesuit schools for nearly 500 years. While the students celebrated at the historic Old City location, other classmates participated in the Mass on the school's current campus at 17th and Girard streets in North Philadelphia.