At Old St. Mary’s Church in Philadelphia, a short walk from Independence Hall, the nation’s founding history and the early story of American Catholicism still intersect.
While George Washington was not Catholic (he was Anglican), the Father of Our Country maintained connections to the Catholic Church, including attending religious services at Old St. Mary’s Church in Philadelphia, according to the church’s pastor and historians.
Msgr. Paul DiGirolamo, the church’s pastor, said the Founding Fathers came to Old St. Mary’s, which is a 10-minute walk from what is now Independence Hall, during the Revolutionary War as a sign of respect for allies of Catholic nations like France and Spain who were helping in the fight for freedom from the British.
“The Founding Fathers came here to celebrate important events … because they were respectful of the allies who were supplying money, and munitions, and assistance,” he said. “I think it was out of respect for the allies, the French and the Spanish, to have a religious celebration, which they would have done.”
According to the parish website, members of the Continental Congress attended Mass at Old St. Mary’s “on at least four occasions from 1777 to 1781.”
George Washington, “in an ecumenical spirit, worshipped here on at least two occasions,” they also state.
RELATED: How a Group of Catholic Patriots Helped Shape the Birth of the U.S.
However, it’s unlikely that Washington or any of the other Anglican Founding Fathers could have fully participated in a Catholic service, Msgr. DiGirolamo explained.
“Back then everything would have been Latin, and they would not have been used to that,” he explained. “Their participation would have been limited.”
Established in 1763, Old St. Mary’s Church was also the site of the first religious commemoration of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1779 — three years after it was signed. A plaque hanging outside of the church denotes the historic moment.
Bill Lauto, an environmental scientist who speaks frequently at churches on the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, said he was researching Old St. Mary’s Church as a site for a possible retreat, and the church’s history led him to further investigate the Washington-Catholic connection.
“We’re never taught this, and it is definitely something that needs to be taught,” said Lauto, a parishioner of Our Lady of Mercy Church in Hicksville, New York.
There is also evidence that Washington corresponded with Bishop John Carroll, who was named the first Catholic bishop of the United States in 1789.
According to the Mount Vernon website, one of Bishop Carroll’s first official acts was to write a letter to the new president on behalf of the nation’s Catholics. “Your exalted maxims and unwearied attention to the moral and physical improvement of our country have already produced the happiest of effects,” he wrote in words of praise.
In the letter, Bishop Carroll also noted Washington’s religious tolerance. “You encourage respect for religion,” he wrote at a time when Catholics comprised less than 2% of the country’s population and faced discrimination.
In 1790, Washington penned a letter to the nation’s Catholics in which he wrote: “all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protection of civil government.”
Meanwhile, Old St. Mary’s Church, the parish that Washington visited, is still thriving, Msgr. DiGirolamo said. “It’s a very interesting congregation because we have people who have been here 30, 40, and 50 years,” he said.
“And then we have young families starting up with children. And so, you’re watching all the generations come together, and everyone enjoys it.”