History of St. Patrick's
In 1831, immigrant laborers, many of them Catholic, settled in the Borough of Norristown to work in constructing a railroad between Philadelphia and Reading. With no Catholic church in Norristown, this meant traveling to Manayunk to worship.
In 1834, Bishop Kenrick gave Father David Mulholland permission to start a parish in Norristown and when a Mr. Patrick Flynn came up with the necessary $100 needed to complete startup costs, a grateful pastor announced that the church would be placed under the patronage of St. Patrick.
The first church was completed in 1839 on Washington St. above Cherry on land donated by Bernard McCready.
In 1840, Bishop Kenrick came to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation for the first time in the parish.
