Posted April 23, 2024

Join the American Catholic Historical Society for their lecture, “Let Love, not Hate Prevail” on May 7 at 7:00 p.m. at the Society House.

This presentation will focus on St. Joseph’s “College” and “Prep,” Old St. Joseph’s Church, St. Joseph’s Hospital, and the African American outreach efforts of Fathers Felix Barbelin, SJ, and Thomas Lilly, SJ. Ultimately the community was responsible for dedicating what has been called the “most important” Catholic monument of the Civil War – the statue of Father Corby at Gettysburg.

The speaker will be Leo Vaccaro, a proud graduate of St. Joseph’s Preparatory School, who earned his BA from Gettysburg College and MA from Villanova University. He is currently completing a book project celebrating the upcoming 175th anniversary of the founding of the Prep, which focuses on the Church of the Gesù.  Passionate about Civil War history, he has taught at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School since 2011 and is also an adjunct at Saint Joseph’s University.

This event is free and open to the public both in person and via livestream. For more information, please visit https://amchs.org/event/lecture-let-love-not-hate-prevail-st-josephs-philadelphia-during-the-civil-war/?event_date=2024-05-07.

The Society House is located at 263 South Fourth Street in Philadelphia.