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THE HISTORY OF SAINT COLMAN
 
For generations, the landscape of the Main Line has been dominated by the gothic structure known as Saint Colman Church. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine the corner of Lancaster Avenue and Argyle Road without the old-world architecture of Saint Colman Church standing out against the new-world bustle that has sprung up around it. The parish and church building are the fruit of God’s grace and the sacrifice of countless dedicated and faithful people.
 
In 1906, members of neighboring parishes initiated a petition to found a church closer to home. On January 11th, 1907, Reverend James J. Carton, an Irish immigrant from County Tyrone, was appointed as pastor of the parish. Father Carton quickly moved to establish Saint Colman, which he named after the Irish saint from his boyhood parish. The first Mass in Saint Colman was celebrated September 1, 1907, but not in the current church. It was celebrated on the third floor of the Merion Title and Trust Company Building at the corner of Anderson and Lancaster Avenues. Forty people attended; as the congregation grew, Mass was moved to the Masonic Hall on Ardmore Avenue. In 1908, Father Carton purchased an area of land at 110 East Lancaster Avenue. On this site, he planned the construction of a combined church, school, and parish center. The building was dedicated by Bishop Edward F. Prendergast, an Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia.
 
On September 7, 1915, the Parish School opened its doors to students for the first time, enrolling 111 pupils. The School was staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph from Chestnut Hill. In 1923, the first class of students who attended eight years at Saint Colman School graduated, numbering 30 pupils.
 
On July 16, 1916, Father Carton, the first pastor of the Parish died of a heart attack. Reverend Francis Brady replaced him, but he left a little over a year later to become Pastor of Saint Anthony of Padua Church in Philadelphia.
 
The third pastor, Father Francis I. Purtell, was a former professor of Church History at Saint Charles Seminary. He decided that a new Church, modeled on the old architectural style of Europe, would be necessary. In 1923, he began to raise funds for this new structure, and made plans to build the church that stands today. The parish needed to raise $28,000 for the construction of the new church. This was a great deal of money in 1923. They began to publish a small newspaper called the Yard Mower to generate interest among the parishioners in the building drive. Father Purtell predicted that they would need to publish for over a year to raise the necessary funds. However, after just six issues had been printed, the parish had raised over $58,000! Construction of a new church began. It was built by Joseph Mandes, a famous builder on the Main Line who had also been involved in constructing buildings at Swarthmore College. Father Purtell would not see his dream realized. He passed away on December 18, 1923 of a heart attack.
 
Father Daniel L. McGinley replaced him as Pastor, and finished the plans to build the new Church. On January 24, 1926, the new Church was dedicated by Archbishop Edwin J. Byrne of Santa Fe. The Archbishop had been an assistant pastor at Saint Colman as a young priest.
 
On February 14, 1932, Reverend Eugene A. Kelly arrived as pastor. Father Kelly would serve as pastor for 27 years, the longest tenure for any pastor of the parish. He established a kindergarten, made major improvements to the church and rectory, and purchased new property to establish a Catholic “lending library,” all this while managing to eliminate the parish debt by 1945. Being pastor during the Golden Jubilee of the
parish in 1957, he refurbished all of the pews in the church, and had a new pipe organ installed. Father Kelly received the title of Monsignor in January of 1959. He died later that year of a stroke.
 
Father James Graham succeeded him as pastor of the parish in 1960. He was named a Monsignor in 1966. Monsignor Graham was in charge of making changes to the Church to comply with the Second Vatican Council. In 1969, the present rectory was constructed, which included meeting rooms and offices for the parish, while also making room for a parking lot for the Church.
 
The 1970’s would prove to be a great time of change for the parish. In 1976, the parish school was closed and was consolidated with Blessed John Neumann School to become the Ss. Colman-John Neumann School in Bryn Mawr. This was also the year of the Eucharistic Congress, in which the parish fully participated. Monsignor Graham retired in 1973. During the period of 1973 – 1984, Monsignor John Fee, Reverend William Pope, and Reverend Joseph Saint Clair served as pastors.
 
Monsignor Francis Statkus organized the first parish pastoral council, which undertook the raising of money for Catholic Life 2000, carpeting the church, and refinishing the pews. He was also responsible for making Saint Colman Church handicapped accessible by building the access ramp. In 1996, Monsignor Statkus retired and was succeeded by Bishop Robert Maginnis.
 
Bishop Maginnis encouraged the refurbishing of the church organ, which had been installed some fifty years prior by Monsignor Kelly. Bishop Maginnis combined his parish duties with his duties as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese. In 2004, Cardinal Rigali reorganized the archdiocese, and Bishop Maginnis was asked to devote himself entirely to the ministry of a Bishop. He was succeeded by Father James C. Sherlock, who was previously pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Overbrook for 19 years.
 
Father Sherlock carried out the organ reconstruction, the renewal of which was celebrated with a grand organ recital concert in May of 2006. He had air conditioning installed in the Church in June 2005, and led the parish in the celebration of the 100^th Anniversary of the parish. In June 2007, Saint Colman became the backdrop for the filming of the movie, “Our Lady of Victory,” based on the first championship season of the Mighty Macs basketball team of Immaculata College in 1972. In June 2017, Father Sherlock entered into retirement after over 53 years of service to the people of our Archdiocese. He has been succeeded by Reverend John J. Ames. Father Ames also serves as the Newman Chaplain for Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Swarthmore Colleges.
 
Over the years, Saint Colman parish has been a vibrant, faith-filled community. The parish cultivates a deep love of God through celebration of the sacraments and prayer. The love of God overflows into love of others and is manifested in works of charity and sacrifice, particularly for the needy. As the parish continues into its second century, it continues to form disciples of Jesus to become saints.