History

In April 1964, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia purchased fifty-six acres of land in Upper Gwynedd, known as the John Curtin Farm and on May 22nd issued the decree establishing a new parish to be situated on this land. His Eminence, John Cardinal Krol, appointed Rev. John E. Doyle the first pastor of the parish to be known as Corpus Christi: the Body of Christ.

Early in 1965, the Archdiocese gave Father Doyle authority to spend $460,000 for the Church and School buildings. The school building was the first to be completed and opened September 8th with 220 children present. Four Sisters of St. Joseph staffed the new school under the guidance of Mother Marie Margaret, the principal. The school hall was then able to be used for Sunday Masses.

Ground breaking for the parish building was held on February 14, 1964. The design was formulated to meet present and future requirements of the parish and to conform to the residential character of the community.

Many of our parish organizations were started — The Holy Name Society, Ushers and Altar Committee, Ladies of Corpus Christi, the Home and School Association and the Athletic Association. The parishioners were generous with time, talent and financial help to support the parish.

In June 1981, Father Doyle retired from active duty and was appointed Pastor Emeritus and Father Francis J. Loughran was assigned as our new pastor.

Because of the growth of the parish it was necessary to expand the school as well as the parish facilities. Funded by pledges (from generous parishioners) of approximately $800,000, the parish added new classrooms, meeting rooms, library and kindergartens. A large gymnasium was included with a stage which is used for many church and school functions. The new addition was dedicated in December 1984. Academically, our school ranks in the top ten percent of the Archdiocesan schools and many athletic championships have been won. Five hundred thirty children attend our parish school as well as five hundred and eighty-six children in religious education classes.

In January 1995, Father Loughran retired from active leadership and was appointed Pastor Emeritus. Father Thomas P. Flanigan was assigned our new Pastor

During these forty years Corpus Christi has grown from two hundred fifty families to over thirty nine hundred families and continues to grow.

Since 1995, the parish has completed a Self-Study and developed an action plan. Our goals are to build Christian Community, to teach our faith to all ages, and to bring everyone to meaningful worship.

In October, 1997 a Capital Campaign was initiated to raise two million dollars for a new church. Groundbreaking took place in September, 1998. Because of the wonderful generosity of the people, the church was completed in December 1999 and was dedicated by Cardinal Bevilacqua on January 15, 2000. The parish of Corpus Christi has the distinction of having the first new church in the Archdiocese in Jubilee Year 2000, the new millennium of Christianity.

The Parish continues to grow with many talented and involved parishioners participating in the numerous programs. With ongoing prayer of praise and thanks to God we are striving to live out in our homes and the community the parish goals mentioned above. Under the leadership of Monsignor Flanigan, to build the Body of Christ – Corpus Christi.