In 1822, Dennis Kelly donated land to Bishop Conwell for a parish church and cemetery. The church was built in 1825 and named for SAINT DENIS, a martyr and the first bishop of Paris, who was also Mr. Kelly’s patron saint.
Augustinians served the parish as a mission from Villanova until 1873 when a resident pastor was appointed. In 1858, the ground was broken for a new church dedicated in 1869. The present church was dedicated in 1948. The first parish school building was opened in 1864, and another building was constructed in 1924 when the Sisters of Mercy arrived to serve on the faculty. Augustinians served the parish until the 1990s when archdiocesan priests were appointed to the parish. Father Kevin J. Gallagher serves as our current pastor.
