January 29, 2018

Dominican Friars of the Province of Saint Joseph to Begin Service at Saint Patrick Parish in Philadelphia

The Dominican Friars of the Province of Saint Joseph will begin service at Saint Patrick Parish in Philadelphia on July 1st, 2018. The Dominicans, also known as the Order of Preachers, most recently served at Holy Name of Jesus Parish (Philadelphia) for nearly a century, leaving the Archdiocese in 1998. The friars also served on the faculty of La Salle University during that time.

Staffing will initially consist of four friars: two of them will work in the parish as the pastor and parochial vicar, one of them will join the faculty of an Archdiocesan high school and the fourth will assist with various ministries.

The Order’s provincial,Very Reverend Kenneth Letoile, OP,  said of the move, “We are delighted to accept Archbishop Chaput’s gracious invitation to establish a new Dominican community in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.  It comes at a providential moment for us: vocations to our Dominican province have been increasing over recent years, and we have long wanted to return to Philadelphia in order to serve the vibrant local church there.  The Dominican Order was founded over 800 years ago as the Order of Preachers, and ever since, Dominicans have been dedicated to the work of preaching and teaching the faith.  We are therefore very happy to be able to minister in the Archdiocese by accepting the pastoral care for Saint Patrick’s Church in Rittenhouse Square, which offers a rectory with sufficient space for a full Dominican community of priests and brothers, and a pastoral setting congruent with our charism.”

The Province of Saint Joseph was founded in 1805, and serves the Eastern United States. Their 300 friars engage in a variety of ministries, including serving as teachers (Providence College), parish priests, hospital chaplains, itinerant preachers, and campus ministers, while also undertaking missionary work in Eastern Africa.

Father Daniel Mackle, who has served as the pastor of Saint Patrick’s since June 2004, will move to Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary where he currently teaches Liturgy. That work will continue as he serves as Director of Liturgy for the Seminary.

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Editor’s Note: To find out more about the Dominican Friars, please visit: https://opeast.org/.