Parish History

On July 2, 1916, Archbishop Edmond F. Prendergast authorized the establishment of Saint Andrew the Apostle Church as a separate parish apart from Saint Charles Borremeo. The new parish was to serve the growing population north of Marshall Road and initially included parts of Upper Darby, Haverford and Springfield Townships.

With construction of the parish’s first school and chapel completed, Bishop Michael J. Crane dedicated the facilities in 1922. The Sisters of St. Joseph were our first educators and have been with Saint Andrew School throughout our school's 86 year history.

The school enrollment had grown to 250 children by 1926 and plans were underway to construct a church. On December 2, 1928, Dennis Cardinal Dougherty dedicated the new church.

The parish population grew from 800 families in 1939 to 1900 families in 1947. It was at that time that portions of our parish were split with the establishment of Saint Bernadette, Saint Dorothy and Holy Cross parishes. Parish growth peaked in the 1950’s and 1960’s with the opening of the Upper School Building in 1964.  Saint Andrew the Apostle curently serves approximately 1,800 households, has a school enrollment of 270, and another 275 students registered for our C.C.D.-P.R.E.P program.

The growth of Saint Andrew Parish can be attributed to the dedicated leadership of our pastors:

Saint Andrew the Apostle Church stands firm in its mission and commitment to Catholic worship, education, and service to both parishioners and community. Through the generous collective sharing of our time, talents and treasure, the numerous ministries and organizations active in our community give witness to our responsibility, as disciples of Jesus Christ, to --

Foster Stewardship as a Way of Life