Tucked in between Cellblocks 1and 9 near the Center of Eastern State Penitentiary is a small cluster of rooms. Designed and built in the 1880's by Warden Michael Cassidy to be his office, the rooms were eventually used by the penitentiary's chaplains. The Catholic Chaplain's Office, with its religious and prison-themed murals, is the most evocative and distinctive part of this space.

The murals, signed "Paul Martin" to honor the artist's favorite saints, were painted by inmate Lester Smith in 1955. Smith was a self-taught artist and recent convert to Catholicism when he met Eastern State's Catholic Chaplain, Father Edwin Gallagher. Although Smith's beautiful murals have suffered significant decay, they still offer insight into the history of Catholicism at Eastern State Penitentiary and the role of religion in the rehabilitation of inmates. (Smith was never arrested after his release from Eastern State.)

It was also in these rooms that the first Catholic confirmation was held at Eastern State on June 7, 1902. Fifty-four hooded inmates were escorted into the makeshift chapel to receive communion from Archbishop Patrick J. Ryan. Rev. Michael J. Noel, S.J. and volunteers from the Catholic community were on hand to witness this historic event.

That first confirmation built on the faithful efforts of many in Philadelphia's Catholic community. Though Catholic priests had been assigned by the archdiocese to the penitentiary as early as the 1870s, these priests were restricted in their access to prisoners. In 1890, the nearby Church of the Gesu began to assign visiting priests to Eastern State. Visiting committees from the St. Vincent de Paul Society attended to Catholic inmates with such regularity that an auxiliary organization called the American Society for Visiting Catholic Prisoners (ASVCP) was officially organized in 1897.

The first Catholic mass was celebrated at Eastern State on April 12, 1914, Easter Sunday, with Rev. James I. Maguire, S.J. officiating. A storehouse was converted into a makeshift chapel to accommodate the 390 inmates who wished to celebrate mass and help mark this watershed moment in the history of Catholicism at Eastern State Penitentiary.

Restoring and opening the Catholic Chaplain's Office, with its inmate-painted murals has long been our goal. This intimate space with its fascinating history tell a compelling story of the spiritual life of a significant population throughout the prison's history - its Catholic inmates.

This restoration project will begin with an in-depth analysis of the deteriorated murals and a plan for their conservation treatment. Because the Catholic Chaplain's Office is a small separate building, we will determine the costs of restoring its roof, walls and windows to adequately protect the murals, as well as temperature control. Next we will plan for the interior finishes - also based on historical and material analysis. Finally, we will discuss how best to convey this significant space and its history to our visitors. With the completion of this study, we can begin planning for the full restoration project. We hope to have the wonderful building open by 2010!

Our Board of Directors has created a special Catholic Chaplain's Office Restoration Committee, headed by Jean Bender and Dominic Liberi, dedicated to raising the funds needed to preserve this unique site. We have raised the $30,000 to fund the conservation assessment study. To restore this sacred space — unique in the city of Philadelphia — will require an investment of over $300,000 in additional funds in the next year.

View complete list of funders.