Church

Therese Lee, 69, a mother of nine who helped save a parish church and school from being swallowed up by the fast lane of the Vine Street Expressway, died Tuesday of lung cancer at her home in the Chinatown section of Philadelphia. Mrs. Lee had been a resident of Chinatown for more than 40 years. Mrs. Lee and the neighborhood group she headed, Save Our Church, did not get everything they wanted when they vowed to lie down in front of bulldozers rather than allow encroachment on Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church and its elementary school.

Paul J. DiFilippo, 82, who helped build one of Franklinville's Roman Catholic churches, died Thursday at Elmer Community Hospital in Elmer. In 1948, Mr. DiFilippo and about 10 other Franklinville residents established the Church of Nativity. "There wasn't a church for miles at the time," said his wife, Katherine C. Erkert DiFilippo. "It was a small town back then, and all the men who could be members were members. " Mr. DiFilippo served as a trustee for 35 years. He was also a member of the Franklinville Volunteer Fire Company, where he worked to foster community safety for more than 40 years.

As a service began inside a church here yesterday, a lay minister was killed in the parking lot by her estranged husband, who then shot himself, authorities said. Shortly after Wadud Abdul-Haqq and Sylvia Abdul-Haqq began arguing about 8 a.m. at the Christ Temple A.M.E. Zion Ministry Center, the man pulled out a .357 revolver and shot his wife once in the head, officials said. Sylvia Abdul-Haqq, 51, fell backward into the open trunk of her husband's blue Dodge Dynasty. Wadud Abdul-Haqq, 53, then turned the gun on himself, fired one shot to his head, and also fell into the trunk.

Moses Colburn, retired Philadelphia Electric Co. supervisor of customer service who was a leader in his church, died Friday. He was 63 and lived in South Philadelphia. Colburn worked for PECO for 25 years and was a supervisor in the Customer Service Department when he retired in 1991. A family member said, "Moses loved his church and spoke of its great history with great pride and affection. He spoke knowlingly about the outstanding pipe organ and worked to help raise funds to restore and improve it. We will all remember him as a Christian brother, churchman, musician and friend.

Past the ranchers, Colonials and split-levels of an ordinary Cherry Hill neighborhood, the gate sits: a long, black iron stretch, tall under a brick arch. Two sergeants-at-arms stand in front, gold badges gleaming. They peer inside an approaching car, scan, and nod politely. A rare visitor can pass. So the visitor enters a different world - the insular, complicated, joyful realm of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith. Though the small church rarely crops up on scholars' radar screens, its long, sometimes strange history in the region lends mystery to what goes on inside.

Saying he was sexually abused for almost a year by a scoutmaster, a Wilmington man has filed suit against the Boy Scouts of America and the West Chester Latter-day Saints church that sponsored his troop. Melvin Novak, 28, said at a news conference Wednesday that his childhood "just fell apart" after he was abused by Vance Hein, a family friend, a prominent member of his Mormon congregation, and the scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 84. As a matter of policy, The Inquirer does not identify victims of sexual abuse.

A three-alarm fire severely damaged a warehouse at B St. and Indiana Ave. overnight in the city's Kensington section. Fire crews were dispatched shortly after 1 a.m. today for what was then an already heavy fire, according to scanner reports. It quickly became a three alarm fire in the one-story, 1,000 square-foot brick building which bore a sign: Hua Feng Beverage Company. At least part of the warehouse collapsed as firefighters battled the blaze. The fire was placed under control about 2 a.m. without reports of any injuries.

Bishop Benjamin F. Peterson Sr., a man of God who built a sidewalk ministry into the Greater Bible Way Temple in West Philadelphia, died Tuesday. He was 75 and lived in Overbrook Park. "Bishop Peterson began his ministry in 1957 by preaching on the street corners of South and West Philadelphia, spreading the word of God to all who would listen," recalled his daughter-in-law, Beverly Peterson. He eventually moved on to a small mission in South Philadelphia, then later converted a vacant movie theater on Spruce Street into a church.

For the celebration of his first Mass as archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Anthony J. Bevilacqua chose Archbishop Ryan High School in Northeast Philadelphia. About 1,600 high school students from throughout the archdiocese came to see Bevilacqua, who succeeded Cardinal John Krol a week ago. In his homily, Archbishop Bevilacqua talked about sex, drugs, suicide and the pursuit of power. He also praised the students in attendance, saying they were among the church's most valuable, treasured resources.

THE CASES of two historic buildings facing demolition went before the city's Board of License and Inspections Review Friday with different outcomes. The board upheld a stay blocking demolition of the Church of the Assumption, at 11th and Spring Garden streets, which has ties to two Catholic saints: John Neumann and Katharine Drexel. The board said it continued the stay because of a pending earlier appeal in Commonwealth Court. But residents near a former mansion at 40th and Pine streets lost a round Friday, when the board split in a 2-2 tie to stop the mansion's demolition.