Philip R. McDevitt

Philip Richard McDevitt (July 12, 1858 – November 11, 1935) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg in Pennsylvania from 1916 until his death.

Biography

Early life

Philip McDevitt was born on July 12, 1858, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Richard and Mary Ann (née Dinneney) McDevitt. After graduating from La Salle College High School in Springfield Township, Pennsylvania, in 1877, he studied at La Salle College and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, both in Philadelphia. After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned McDevitt as a curate at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Port Richmond, Philadelphia. He spent many hours working with students at the parish school on their publications and preparation for spelling bees. He was appointed superintendent of Catholic schools in the archdiocese in 1899. He also served as chair of the Catholic Press Department within the National Catholic Welfare Conference in Washington, D.C, and president of the American Catholic Historical Association in Cleveland, Ohio.

Death and legacy McDevitt died on November 11, 1935, at age 77. He is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Harrisburg.

McDevitt was instrumental in the construction of the new campus for Harrisburg Catholic High School in Harrisburg in 1930. It was renamed as Bishop McDevitt High School in 1957.

Bishop McDevitt High School in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, was also named after him.