CC SHORT: Catholic church tour
Channel: Croak and Crow
Date: 2022-09-25

This is a Pennsylvania church in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
According to the early records of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, there were so few Catholic families residing in the Southampton area in 1920 that they attended Mass at St. Andrew’s Church in Newtown. A year later, however, twelve families had Sunday Mass in Southampton at Fitzpatrick’s Hall, located at the corner of Street Road and Second Street Pike. Priests came from St. Mary’s Manor in Langhorne.

In 1923, Father John G. Fitzgerald was assigned to Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish as its first resident Pastor. The boundaries included Hatboro, Trevose, and Feasterville as well as the present territory. The number of Catholic families totaled approximately fifty. After three months as the guest of the Bennett’s a Protestant family, living at Second Street Pike above Street Road, Father Fitzgerald moved into a spare room at the home of Andrew Knox, a Catholic, living on Second Street Pike.

In 1948, Fitzpatrick’s Hall was demolished to make room for the widening of Second Street Pike. Seven acres of land were then purchased on Second Street Pike which is the present location of the church buildings. There was an old farm house on the property and this was made a rectory. Within a year, a frame church on a cement block basement was constructed. A mission church was also constructed in Trevose under the title St. Mary of the Assumption. On Sundays, one Mass was celebrated in Trevose and one in Southampton.


In September 1954, Fr. Francis P. McNelis was appointed the second Pastor, and, under his direction, the parish facilities were expanded. A school with six classrooms was opened for 157 students. The Felician Sisters of St. Francis from Lodi, NJ lived in a property on Belmont Avenue remodeled as a convent. Later, a new brick building was constructed on Keystone Road.

In 1957, a large auditorium was constructed and used for Sunday Masses. On December 8, 1961, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Father McNelis celebrated Mass in the new church.

In June of 1981, Monsignor McNelis retired as Pastor Emeritus and continued to reside at OLGC until his death in January 1986. Upon Monsignor McNelis’ retirement, Father (now Monsignor) Bernard J. Trinity was appointed the third Pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish.

In June 2003, Monsignor Trinity retired as Pastor Emeritus and began his residence at St. Denis Church in Havertown, PA. Upon Monsignor Trinity’s retirement, Father Anthony J. D’Angelico was appointed the fourth Pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel.

During the pastorate of Father D’Angelico, the Trinity Center was opened. Later, Father D’Angelico was given the title of Monsignor.

#croakandcrow #spencercartier #catholicchurch 
The Holy Spirit guides us and the Holy Spirit guides people to us.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Shortly after celebrating his tenth anniversary as pastor, Monsignor D’Angelico succumbed to his battle with leukemia and died on August 22, 2013.

On November 8, 2013, Father Robert G. Suskey was appointed the fifth Pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel. Fr. Suskey was a parishioner of Our Lady of Good Counsel from 1965 until his ordination in 1990. He attended C.C.D. (now called PREP), received First Penance and Confirmation, and celebrated his First Mass in this parish. He served as parochial vicar at OLGC from July 2012 until his appointment as pastor.