A Brief History of Presentation BVM Church  

1890 - The Most Reverend Patrick John Ryan, Archbishop of Philadelphia, sent Reverend John H. Loughran to be our founding pastor of an unnamed parish in Cheltenham. Sunday Masses were said in the old Cheltenham Hall. Today, this is the site of Montgomery's Service station at the intersection of Central Avenue and Tookany Creek Parkway.

1891 - Land at the intersection of Myers Avenue (now Old Soldiers Road) and Woodland Avenue was acquired from David Fisher and his wife to build a Catholic Church with a seating capacity of six hundred.   The Catholic Standard reported “The cornerstone for the new church at Cheltenham was laid on Sunday, May 31”.   The parish was named Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Twenty-one baptisms were recorded in 1891.

1892 - House was purchased from a former Methodist minister. It became the Rectory.

1918 - Sister Rose Clare, S.S.J. and Sister Agnes Regina, S.S.J. began teaching Sunday School. The Sisters had about fifty children under instruction for catechetical classes.

1923 - Father James Gibbons was pastor when the Archdiocese officials decided to form a new parish, St. James.    He took the opportunity to become the founding pastor St. James in Elkins Park. Father John J. Moran became the second pastor of Presentation BVM parish.

1925 - During Father John J. Moran's pastorate, a home at 105 Old Soldiers Road was purchased to serve as a convent and the cornerstone for a parochial school that would accommodate 250 students was laid. Classes began with 79 students in September 1926.

1961 - When Monsignor John J Sefton was appointed our pastor, all Presentation's buildings were filled to capacity. The Sisters moved into a house beside the rectory and a new convent was built in 1961. A Chapel-School was then build, and the church was demolished. Monsignor Sefton was then transferred to St. Francis de Sales. Father James F. Connor was appointed pastor to finish the work begun by Monsignor Sefton. In 1962 the old rectory was torn down and rebuilt in 1963.

1967 - The new church to accommodate 1,100 people was completed. On December 24th, Father Connor offered the first Mass.

1968 - The chapel on the first floor of the Chapel-school was converted into four classrooms.

1990 - The parish family celebrated its One-Hundredth Anniversary on November 18, 1990.   A Mass of Thanksgiving was offered by Archbishop Anthony J. Bevilacqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia.

1991 - Father John J. Shelley was appointed our 16th pastor at an Installation Mass concelebrated with Reverend James E. Locke on June 22.

1994 - Father John R. McFadden was appointed our Parochial Vicar on June 20.

2000 - Father William S. Harrison was appointed our 17th pastor at an Installation Mass concelebrated with Rev. Msgr. John C. Marine on July 1.

2002 - Bishop Louis DeSimone presided at the dedication of The Helen Minalgo Adoration Chapel of Divine Mercy on May 26.