Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church
Saint John Neumann consecrated Saint Mary's in 1858 when Wilmington was still part of the Diocese of Philadelphia. At the time it was the fourth church in in New Castle County.
The parish was established to serve the growing population of mostly Irish immigrants, and some Germans, drawn to the industry on the East Side of the city. The parish flourished, and a school building was completed in the second decade of the parish. The school continued until 1975, and the parish now rents the building. Membership peaked at about 3000 souls, but like, Saint Patrick's, with which it was yoked in 1974, it saw rapid decline in membership in the years following World War II and is now the smallest parish in the diocese. Recently, major repairs to the steeple were concluded and the church hall painted and refurbished. The small, close-knit, racially-mixed parish continues to bear witness where it was planted more than a century-and-a-half ago.
In 1976 the parish was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The parish was established to serve the growing population of mostly Irish immigrants, and some Germans, drawn to the industry on the East Side of the city. The parish flourished, and a school building was completed in the second decade of the parish. The school continued until 1975, and the parish now rents the building. Membership peaked at about 3000 souls, but like, Saint Patrick's, with which it was yoked in 1974, it saw rapid decline in membership in the years following World War II and is now the smallest parish in the diocese. Recently, major repairs to the steeple were concluded and the church hall painted and refurbished. The small, close-knit, racially-mixed parish continues to bear witness where it was planted more than a century-and-a-half ago.
In 1976 the parish was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Downtown Catholic Offices
1414 N. King Street Wilmington, DE 19801 Phone: 302-652–0743 Fax: 302-652–7678 [email protected] open Mondays–Thursdays 9:30am to 3:30pm |