Our History
Established in 1850 to serve the people of North Central Philadelphia, a largely Irish population at its foundation. As the years wore on, the humble parish of St. Malachy grew to be very prominent around the turn of the 20th century with the episcopal consecration of their pastor, the future Archbishop Prendergast. With the arrival of the 40s and 50s, a major influx of African Americans from the south led to competition for local manufacturing jobs which were slowly but surely disappearing.
The rise to prominence of the Irish who made up the majority of parishioners began moving our of the “city” to areas like East Oak Lane and Olney (Incarnation and St. Helena’s). The African American population moving in largely practiced in protestant congregations and the active parishioner base of St. Helena saw a dramatic decrease. Pastors/people over time would work hard to remain a light to the working-class people of the area providing for essential services in English, Spanish, and Creole.
In 1982, Fr. John MacNamee became Pastor and led St. Malachy Parish into the late 2000s. His devotion to the poor and promoting social justice animated many throughout the Archdiocese and people would come to St. Malachy’s from all over in order to support this effort. His liturgical sense continues to be seen in the celebration of the Mass at St. Malachy’s today.
In 2008/2009, Fr. Kevin Lawrence became Pastor and hired Stacy Williams to assist him as a Pastoral Associate. Stacy would serve the parish faithfully under three separate Pastors and on Administrator. She would help to form many of the faithful at St. Malachy’s and is responsible for helping lead the parish through the Pandemic and its aftermath. In 2024 she left her position at St. Malachy in order to assume direction of the Archdiocesan Office for Black Catholics. One of the more dynamic groups she helped to establish before her departure is the Anti-Racism Committee.
From the 1980s to the early 2000s, the parishioner base of St. Malachy has remained loyal and sacrificed much to sustain and grow the parish. With the Pandemic of 2020, a number of parishioners ceased attending in-person and a variety of parish ministries/services ceased to operate as usual. With 2023-2025, under the leadership of Fr. Thomas Gardner, and assisted by Fr. Wilfred Emeh, efforts to connect the parish community with the Temple University Newman Center were initiated. As of 2025, the blending of the two communities remains in progress.
On June 16, 2025, Fr. Matthew Biedrzycki began serving as Parochial Administrator of St. Malachy Parish and Chaplain of the Newman Center. Fr. Emeh serves as Parochial Administrator of the St. Martin de Porres Parish and Assistant Chaplain of the Newman Center with residence at St. Malachy Parish.