Old Saint Joseph's Catholic Church

Old Saint Joseph’s Church sits tucked down a narrow alleyway, marked by a simple brick facade that disappears into the surrounding row houses. This is the oldest Catholic congregation in Philadelphia, founded in seventeen thirty-three. While the rest of the colonies enforced strict anti-Catholic laws, the Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges permitted public worship here. When the bell tolls, it rings for a place where early congregants once gathered in secret, defying the crown to practice their faith in an alley.