History
Following the death of Father Patrick Kenney, there was a rapid succession of pastors between 1840-1850:
| Pastors between 1840-1850 | |
|---|---|
| Revs. Patrick Donohue | 1840 (months) |
| Bernard McCabe | 1840-42 |
| Patrick Sheridan | 1842-44 |
| Henry Fitzsimmons | 1844-45 |
| James Forbes | 1845-46 |
| Michael Malone | 1847-48 |
| John Loughran | 1849-50 |
| John Morris | 1950-51 |
After a succession of 8 pastors in 11 years, Father John Prendergast came to St. Agnes Parish in 1851 and served here until his death in 1871. Father John, as he was affectionately called, supervised the construction of the second church which was built on the site of the first building. Prior to Father Prendergast’s stewardship, our parish was known as Christ’s Church. In 1852 the church was renamed in honor of St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr. The title of St. Agnes Church in West Chester appeared in print in the issue of the Catholic Standard for October 7, 1852. During Father Prendergast’s tenure our country became bitterly divided by the Civil War and the Pastor of St. Agnes supported measures to keep the United States a unified nation. The saintly, Bishop Neumann was the bishop of Philadelphia at this time and John Neumann visited our parish five times to administer the sacrament of Confirmation: 1853, 1854, 1855, 1858 and 1859. Neumann died in 1860. Father Prendergast died on April 4, 1871 and is buried in St. Agnes Cemetery. His grave marker is visible from Route 100. Father Prendergast was the first resident pastor of St. Agnes Parish. During his 20 years as pastor he saw much growth.
The pastorate of Father John Prendergast is followed by 7 pastors in 15 years.
| 1871-1885 | |
|---|---|
| Rev. John Wall | 1871-72 |
| Father Wall built the first school which was opened in the fall of 1872. He died after one year and is buried near Father Prendergast. | |
| Rev. John Cox | 1872 |
| Rev. James Fitzsimmons | 1872-74 |
| Rev. Patrick Donegan | 1874-77 |
| Rev. Thomas Power | 1877 |
| Rev. Hugh Garvey | 1878-80 |
| Rev. Daniel McDermott | 1880-85 |
