1876年,现在的圣. 乔的预备学校是在费尔蒙特公园的百年博览会附近的一个开放的国家, 哪个国家庆祝了该国独立100周年. 为了百年博览会, 吉拉德大街上的旧木桥被一座新的钢桥所取代, 从而导致了吉拉德地区的发展. 大约在这个时候, the Jesuits of the Maryland Province were making plans for another parish in a part of the city more conducive to operating a college. The 吉拉尔 Area seemed like a natural place because it was a blossoming suburb with 吉拉尔 College, 东部州立监狱, 一个医院, 还有一个水库. Fr. Barbelin found an undeveloped block between 17th and 18th Streets and bounded on north and south by Thompson and Stiles Streets. 因为它的地下水位很高,没有人在那里建造过. 而店主想要一个虚高的60美元的价格,他最终以45美元和解,000, 交易于11月20日完成, 1866.
1868年,就在现有的威林斯巷学院的学生人数减少到60人的时候. 伯查德·维利格,S.J. 在费城北部定居,开始建立教区, 在吉拉德大道附近有一所初中和一所大学.
The original building housed a chapel and classrooms in the basement and a Jesuit residence on the back. The basement was completed in 1873 and grade school classes as well as Greek and Latin constituted what was called the Preparatory department of St. 约瑟的大学. 起初,这个教区被称为新圣. 约瑟夫的,但这很令人困惑,所以名字改成了圣家族教堂.
This complex was no sooner completed in 1879 than work began on what would later be called the Church of the Gesu. Fr. Villiger’s wisdom was not always apparent as the Gesu Church was a massive undertaking for a new parish, 因为买地和那30美元而负债累累,斯泰尔斯街的那幢楼. 资金短缺以及设计和施工问题延缓了它的完工. 弗朗西斯·德雷塞尔,圣. 凯瑟琳·德雷克塞尔, 1885年去世,留给圣约瑟夫学院72美元,000, 解决了“学院”的一个问题. 1888年10月8日. Villiger celebrated his 50th anniversary in the Society of Jesus in the midst of pomp and scaffolds in the new Gesu Church. 这座宏伟的新教堂不像今天这样能俯视吉拉德大街. St. 马修斯圣公会教堂占据了18街和吉拉德街的拐角处. 教堂最初的内部被漆成白色, 大概是出于成本的原因, 光与味.