Saint Agnes Parish History Continued...

Sixteen pastors served St. Agnes between 1840 and 1885.  When the Very Reverend Samuel B. Spalding arrived in 1885 he brought with him the gift of longevity.  Since 1885 until the present only four pastors have served:

Father Spalding was born in Mechlin, Belgium.  He encouraged the social life of the parish, e.g., suppers, bazaars, strawberry and peach festivals and the annual picnic at Lenape Park.  Father Spalding was well aware of the public parties and dances for the youth at which there was excessive drinking.  These "other notions of entertainment" were held in Armory Hall and were the targets of his one- man crusade until the parish youth stopped attending.

It was during his pastorate that St. Agnes School began to take shape.  As already noted Father Wall built the first school building, which opened on September 2, 1872 with two Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  By 1888 there were four Sisters and eight grades.  In 1892 Spalding purchased ground next to the church on which he would build what would become the girls’ school while the boys continued to occupy the original building.  Sometime later, the Armory (next to the church property) was bought and the new school was built and opened.  This building was completed in 1910 and contained the auditorium and six classrooms.

Father Spalding was dedicated to the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  St. Agnes Parish continued to care for the spiritual needs of the Motherhouse in West Chester.  When Father Spalding died on February 16, 1919 he was buried in the Sisters’ Circle in St. Agnes Cemetery.

Monsignor Henry C. Schuyler assumed the pastorate of St. Agnes Parish in February, 1919 and would remain the pastor in West Chester for over four decades,- the longest pastoral tenure in parish history.  The highlights of Msgr. Schuyler’s pastorate were the dedication of the present church on October 17, 1927 and the consecration of the same church on October 2, 1949. 

Msgr. Schuyler began weekly Stations of the Cross in November, 1919 and in 1920 the first annual retreat in honor of St. Agnes was held.  Missions were soon conducted every two years.  The scholar-pastor organized Catholic Information Classes in 1929.  He spent many hours each day in school, promoting the study of music, Junior and Senior Debating Teams.  He visited every classroom on Monday Mornings to inquire about “his children’s” attendance at Sunday Mass.  His devotion to the sick and elderly was without question.    He showed a special affection for the Italian Community.  In 1920 a series of Missions in Italian were begun and he inaugurated the annual Assumption Day Procession in 1919. 

He was always a friend to the Knights of Columbus.  He had their unqualified support and they had, in him, a true pastor, spiritual director and confidante.  The Knights of Columbus showed their gratitude  by re-naming the Council in his honor after his death.  In 1953 Henry C. Schuyler was named Dean of Chester County and in 1959 was named a Monsignor.  After forty-three years of service he died on August 29, 1962 and was laid to rest in the front of the church that he built.

Laurence Francis Kelly assumed his duties as pastor of St. Agnes Parish about the same time that Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council.  Both events occurred in 1962.  Father Kelly would be responsible for guiding a large suburban parish during a time of great change.  The 1960’s ushered in an era of change both in society and in the church.  Kelly would diplomatically lead his congregation assuring them that the Holy Spirit was actively present among them.  Father Kelly was named pastor in West Chester on February 6, 1962. 

He first remodeled the convent so that each sister would have the privacy of her own room.  In 1965 the gym beneath the church was remodeled into a beautiful chapel to accommodate a steadily growing parish.  Two additions were made to the rectory, one in 1965 and another in 1980.  Prescott Alley would eventually become the combination parking lot/playground.  The cemetery was enlarged and a mausoleum was completed in 1982.

With the closing of the Vatican II Council in 1965 Father Kelly saw to the implementation of the vernacular in the Mass and the administration of the Sacraments.  As his predecessor looked after the needs of the Italian Community, Kelly saw to the needs of the Hispanic Community by requesting that a Spanish-speaking priest be assigned to St. Agnes Parish.  Laurence Kelly was named a Monsignor on December 12, 1965 .  Monsignor Kelly was many thing to many people.  He is perhaps best remembered for his availability to his people, his dedication to the Confessional and his ever present smile.  Monsignor Kelly retired in 1986 and remained in retirement at St. Agnes for many years.  He died on March , 1998 and is buried in St. Agnes Cemetery.

Monsignor Thomas P. Craven became pastor on June 16, 1986.  He had previously served as pastor of St. Hugh Parish in the Tioga section of the city since 1980.  He had served as an assistant at St. Agnes from 1968-69.  Thomas P. Craven was ordained in 1956.  His first assignment was as a parish priest in Naranjito, Puerto Rico (1956-57).  He spent many years serving the Spanish-speaking people of the Archdiocese, was director of the Casa del Carmen (an outreach center for social services for Hispanics) and Archdiocesan Director of the Spanish Apostolate.

Upon being named pastor at St. Agnes, Monsignor Craven worked tirelessly to enhance the Liturgical life of the parish.  He said:  “I think that the worship of God is the first priority for a pastor or priest, and I hope that’s my priority.  I try to make it that.”  Monsignor Craven embarked on an ambitious building plan.  Laurence Kelly Hall was completed in 1995 and houses the Kindergarten, Pre-K and Day Care programs.  In 2003 the Thomas Patrick Parish Center was opened.  It contains a Gymnasium and state-of-the-art meeting rooms.  The Thomas Patrick Hall was actually dedicated at the retirement of Msgr. Craven.

Craven was a dedicated ecumenist and was revered by both Protestants and the Jewish Community of West Chester.  His column “From the second Floor Front” became a staple of the weekly Sunday Bulletin.  Congregants waited each week to be nourished with Monsignor’s pearls of wisdom and in spiritual insights.

Thomas P. Craven was in 1927 in Williamstown, Pa.  The family moved to Philadelphia in 1941 and young Thomas Craven attended Roman Catholic High School.  He matriculated to St. Charles Seminary and was ordained in 1956.  Much of his priestly life was dedicated to Spanish Ministry serving in St. Mary, West Grove; St. Agnes, West Chester; Casa del Carmen, Apostolate Director, Pastor of St. Hugh in Phila. And St. Agnes.  Monsignor Graven retired on June 16, 2003 and died on February 9, 2004.  He was buried in the family plot in Williamstown, Pa.

Monsignor Edward M. Deliman is the twenty-second pastor of St. Agnes Parish.  He was appointed on June 16, 2003.

He was ordained on May 19, 1973 and served in the following parishes:

Msgr, Deliman has been working in Spanish Ministry since 1978.

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