Welcome to the Audioguide of St. James - St. Agatha Parish! This guided tour of the church will guide you through the history, architecture, and wisdom of this sacred place.

The audioguide is divided into 6 acts, each 5-8 minutes long. You can stop the audioguide and resume at any time. If you are visiting with a mobile device, click "Listen in Browser" in the player below. For those visiting virtually from a computer, click the orange play button at the top left to begin. This video offers a helpful view of the church interior.

A media gallery for each act is available beneath the player. They are optimized for mobile viewing, but are available on desktop as well.

Act 1 Media Gallery

The Original St. James (Print)

A sketch of the original 1850 church. The rectory to the left is still in use; the school visible behind the church was torn down in 1928.

The Original St. James (Photograph)

A photo of the original 1850 church, taken shortly before its demolition in 1881.

Bishop Francis Kenrick

Photo credit: http://www.pahrc.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Bishop-Kenrick.jpg

Act 2 Media Gallery

Satterlee General Hospital

A lithograph of the hospital by Charles Magnus, 1864

Photo Credit: https://collections.countway.harvard.edu/onview/items/show/6056

Fr. Francis P. O'Neill

Mother Mary Gonzaga Grace

This book on her life was written by Eleanor Donnelly in 1900. It is available in its entirety here: https://archive.org/details/lifeofsistermary00donn

Act 3 Media Gallery

1887 Church Exterior

The church was originally constructed with two different towers. In a later renovation, the cylindrical tower was replaced with a rectangular one.

Edwin F. Durang

This portrait of Edwin Durang is housed in the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. More information on Durang here: https://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/ar_display.cfm/23154

1887 Church Interior

The original interior of the church was quite different from the modern interior designwork. Much of it was replaced in the early 2000s.

Act 4 Media Gallery

Fr. James Monahan

St. James Sanctuary Society, 1901

Dr. Patrick Garvey

Act 5 Media Gallery

Centenary Renovation Scaffolding

Major renovation was done throughout the church during the tenure of Msgr. Ross

Msgr. Francis Ross

Centenary Parish Book

This book was published in 1950 under the tenure of Msgr. Ross. Much of the information contained in this audioguide was gathered from this source.

Act 6 Media Gallery

University Students

St. Agatha-St. James serves the students of Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Corpus Christi Procession

Students and parishioners join in regular public witness to the Gospel.

Ash Wednesday

St. Agatha - St. James continues to minister to the spiritual needs of the diverse, thriving community of West Philadelphia.

This audioguide was developed by Radioheart Media. Many members of St. James - St. Agatha Parish contributed to its production. See full production credits here.