Archbishop John Krol decreed the foundation of Saint Anselm Parish to fulfill the needs of the rapidly expanding Catholic population in the northeastern section of Philadelphia.  In June, 1962, Reverend Edmund W. Walsh was entrusted with the monumental task of making Saint Anselm Parish a reality.  Since Father Walsh’s pastorate, there have been four successors:  Reverend Stanislaus Kowal, Reverend Monsignor Raymond J. Teller, Reverend Monsignor James J. Shields, Reverend Thomas J. Dunleavy and Reverend William J. Chiriaco, our present Pastor.

By August, 1962, construction of the church, school, and convent was begun.  The new school opened in September, 1963, under the direction of Sister Winifred Marie, IHM, as founding principal.  The first Mass in the new church was celebrated on November 24, 1963.  The first class graduated in June, 1964.  To accommodate the increasing enrollment in the school, construction of twelve additional classrooms, a music room, library, and faculty room was begun in January, 1964. For a period of ten years, students in some grades were bussed to the nearby schools of Saint Dominic and the Providence School on the grounds of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Bensalem due to the large enrollment in the school.  Another school building of nine classrooms known as the annex was built in 1970.  At its highest enrollment, Saint Anselm School had two thousand two hundred students.  By 1979, due to declining enrollment, all Saint Anselm School students were located on the Saint Anselm School property.  In 1996, Our Lady of Victory Hall, a gymnasium, was built.  Beginning in September,  2006, all students are housed in the main building of the school.  The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and lay faculty staffed the school.  The sisters withdrew from ministry in the school in June, 2001.  The school is staffed by a dedicated lay administrator and  lay faculty committed to the mission of Catholic School education.

Mrs. Geraldine Murphy, the first lay principal, began her ministry in our school community in July, 2001.  Today there are 267 students enrolled from Prekindergarten to grade eight, and the faculty is comprised of sixteen dedicated, professional, Catholic educators.  Our present Pastor, Reverend William J. Chiriaco, consistently shows his dedication to our school community through his presence to us and his constant support of Catholic education.