St. Joachim's was-driven through the next quarter of a century, through the Great Depression and the Big War, by a dynamic priest with the build of a jockey and the tenacity of a Crusader. The Rev. John B. Dever, a short, wiry man who managed tall feats in his third and final pastorate.‘
"He was a very religious and very outgoing man", said an older parishioner. "He was perhaps what you might call controversial. He rebuilt the school at a cost of a half million dollars (in 1927) and he was forever working to raise funds.
"And a mission minded priest if I ever saw one. I think he would have given his last dollar to a foreign mission and as a result he helped influence four boys from the parish who later went on to become mission priests."
Father Dever had been born at Stoughton, Mass., and received his priestly training at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.
He went on to become pastor at St. Kleran's Church in Heckscherville and Annunciation Church in Shenandoah. By the time hecame to St. Joachim's in 1925, he had gained a wide reputation as an educator. He built school structures in each of the three parishes he served as pastor, including St. Joachim’s new building.
The last of four brothers who were priests in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Father Dever was a member of the building committee of the Archdiocese and his expertise in school structures was tapped in that post.
An organizer and "roll up the sleeves" type, Father Dever showed his talents for getting the parish together and raising both hopes and money.
The Great Crash had settled in, but Father Dever was still spearheading a $25,000 campaign in 1930. A campaign contributors’ list from May of that year shows the parish divided into districts, with collectors on each block. By July, some $18,219 had been raised.
There remains in the church rectory a small, red "Jottings" book, only a few inches wide,which to this day gives us some hints at the administrative tasks facing the pastor in the times of trouble.
"Card Party, Feb. 27, 1930," reads the penned scrawl. A listing of receipts and expenses. 1500 tickets. 1000 stamped envelopes. $10 fordoor prizes. The tiny book skips mysteriouslyto 1935, as if the next four years were too painful to record. By 1936, the card parties were drawing a bit more money. The handwriting is now in pencil, and one can almostenvision the sighing priest, chewing the end of the pencil as he perused the figures in the book. .
Ever keen on the business side of the parish, Father Dever issued a reminder to the folks in a 1941 parish calendar:
"We can not urge too strongly the necessityof patronizing the advertising in St. Joachim's parish calendar and of returning the same generous support they are giving to us."
Toward the latter part of his pastorate, Father Dever was honored to witness the100th anniversary of the founding of the parish in 1944. One year in advance, he sent his parishioners a letter suggesting renovations in the church.
"Time has laid its hand rather heavily on our splendid old building," he said. "Years have spoiled its once beautiful frescoes, its walls are badly darkened with dust and age, its woodwork is badly soiled and its floors seriously cracked." These and other improvements were attended to by the thin, energetic priest before he finished his years as the Lord's servant. Father Dever died December 29, 1950, at'the age of 83.
Characteristicaly, he left the bulk of his estate of $2500 to the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America.
Text Source: (public domain) - ( LR-1078, Pulaski Hwy from Delaware Expressway ... D:v.3. - 1976 )
Three Collars in Front Row
Catholic Directory - 1913
Holy Name Society, St. Edward the Confessor's. September 28, 1913 - George A. Audsley, Architect
Holy Name Society, St. Edward's. September 28, 1913
Source: Catholic Historial Research Center of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
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