About Our Parish
Your parish community.
St. Alphonsus Parish, Maple Glen, Pennsylvania was founded on June 4, 1963 by Reverend Archbishop of Philadelphia John J. Krol. The founding pastor was Father Daniel Lenahan, who idolized St. Alphonsus and was assigned the task of building a new parish. Father Lenahan stressed the importance of family unity and dedicated his new parish to the Holy Family. The Holy Family Grotto and its position at the center of the property facing the church, was to reflect the guardianship of the Holy Family over our Church.
Temporary quarters for Mass and meetings were established in the Knights of Columbus Hall, Norristown Road and Limekiln Pike, which serviced the 350 parishioners. The first Mass was said on July 7, 1963, when the Knights of Columbus was not a completed building. For 23 months, four Sunday Masses were said at the Knights of Columbus and daily Mass was said in the den of the rectory.
On October 31, 1965, the Feast of Christ the King, the first Mass was celebrated in the church proper. On August 10, 1964, the Mercy Sisters came to our parish and moved into a house next to the property until the following May when they were able to move into the convent which is the present day rectory. St. Alsphonsus school opened its doors on September 8, 1964 with four Sisters of Mercy and four lay teachers. The original student body consisted of 221 children.
Some of the original Parish Organizations are still active today, Aids for Friends, CCD, Bible Study, Choir and CYO. Most of the organizations developed from interested parishioners and today our parish offers a diverse selection of church organizations for all parishioners.
St. Alphonsus Parish is grateful for the dedicated parishioners of the past and look forward to the continued growth spiritually, academically and socially with the 1500 current parish families.
Our Mission
At Saint Alphonsus Parish, we strive to…
WORSHIP God through the celebration of the Eucharist, the other sacraments and special devotions with liturgies that are meaningful, well prepared, and which encourage active participation.
EDUCATE and guide the development of our younger members with effective parish school and religious education programs; and provide for the continued faith development of our adult community through training programs and prayer experiences designed to challenge the intellect and enhance spiritual growth.
REACH-OUT to those parishioners no longer active in the practice of their faith to reunite them with the joys and blessings of our faith.
SHARE our resources to aid those suffering, especially the poor, the sick, the forgotten, and victims of tragedies of any kind.
PROMOTE a sense of community which draws all parishioners together around our church and our faith through prayer, a spirit of hospitality, mutual respect, and Christian concern for one anothe.
RECOGNIZE and develop the leadership potential of our parish members by providing opportunities for all to participate fully in the various missions and ministries of the Church.
Pastoral Plan
Saint Alphonsus’ Commitment to the Future
- Parish Groups
Come serve your parish at Saint Alphonsus