Before closing its doors in 2020, St. Gabriel’s Hall had a long history in Audubon serving at-risk Philadelphia youth since 1898. In that same year, 14 Tiffany glass windows were also installed.

Those windows depicting symbols of the Catholic faith would come to have special meaning to the children of St. Gabriel’s, writes Jay Sorgi for CatholicPhilly.

Dr. James Black, the Youth Services Division director of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Catholic Social Services, said, “I think it’s easy to say without exaggeration, literally tens of thousands of kids went through there, because you’re talking about 120 years…hundreds of kids every year.”

The beautiful artwork was installed at St. Gabriel’s to help inspire the children.

Dr. Black said, “Someone had the foresight to put something as important as the Holy Family in something as beautiful a form — to ensure that all the young people coming into that place knew it was special.”

He added, “There’s the Holy Family, and this is going to be your home for the next 9, 10, 12 months.”

The Tiffany glass has now been restored and is housed at the Catholic Historical Research Center in Northeast Philadelphia.

St. Gabriel’s Hall is in the process of being sold, but in the meantime Martha’s Choice Marketplace and Community Farm, a Catholic Social Services ministry, has repurposed some of the land as a farm to help families living with food insecurity.

Read more about the beautiful Tiffany glass windows and the mission of Saint Gabriel’s Hall in CatholicPhilly.

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