In 1929, the church building, which includes the parish house and rectory, and weighs 5,000 short tons (4,500 t), was lifted onto steel rollers and moved 40 feet (12 m) west to allow for the widening of 20th Street.

The land on which St. Clement's was built was furnished by William S. Wilson, a Presbyterian and an Englishman, who with his two brothers came to this country and made a fortune as a manufacturer.

He owned most of the land in the section of the city where St. Clement's now stands, and his interest was directed to the development of a residential area by building row houses on Arch, Race and Twentieth Streets.

In accordance with the architectural wisdom of the time, Notman maintained that the Gothic Revival style was best suited towards the liturgical worship of High Church congregations, while Romanesque Revival architecture was better suited for the conventional Low Church worship of mainstream Episcopal congregations.

The block between Arch and Race Streets had been, from about 1808 into the 1830s, the site of Sans Souci Garden, the largest for-profit botanical haven within the current-day confines of Center City.

During Batterson's time as rector, the parish adopted many of the liturgical practices associated with the Catholic Revival then taking place within the Church of England.

The anti-Catholic low church faction was led by several vestrymen who had the public support of the diocesan bishop, William Bacon Stevens.

[6][7] Despite having the support of the ordinary as well as that of the vast majority of the people and clergy of the diocese, the anti-Catholic faction was unable to use the judicial processes prescribed in the canons to remove Batterson from office as rector, and eventually the vestry, with the support of Bishop Stevens, voted to remove Batterson (and his curate) from office without the requisite canonical trial.

The manner in which Batterson was dismissed, circumventing the proper procedures after forcing the parish to endure more than a year of internal conflict, caused the anti-Catholic faction to lose significant support among parishioners.

maintain that the work of the Fathers and the entire St. Clement's community among the poor and needy in Philadelphia may have influenced the diocesan authorities to moderate their criticism of the "high church" parish.

His intent was to create a "crusade against Blasphemy, Impurity and Intemperance among working men themselves" and posed the question "Are we by our lives and teachings preaching the gospel to the poor?"

The jovial cleric from Yorkshire established the Iron Cross Parlor and Gymnasium in 1889, and he often took large groups of boys and men for outings at various parks and places out in the country.

Also, Field had come to St. Clement's and established his outreach to the workers of the city having already become known for his ministry to people of color, so the church already had a long tradition of tolerance and inclusion.

After a brief period of retrenchment and use of the hospital exclusively to treat epileptics, in 1899 the building was sold to the Community of The All Saints Sisters of the Poor, to be used as a mission house.

Today, as its parish neighborhood is revitalized and new, young singles, students and families settle nearby, St. Clement's continues as an inclusive community rooted in the Anglo-Catholic tradition.

St. Clement's therefore offers lavish worship and music with full Catholic ceremonial, including incense, bells, processions, chanting, and a professional choir.

Mass is celebrated daily using the English Missal and the King James Bible, enhanced on Sundays and major feasts with classical music.

The main façade is dominated by the bell tower and the assertive semi-circular apse, which features a blind arcade of simple columns and Romanesque arches.

[9] The interior of the church is dominated by the large carved oak reredos and triptych, installed in 1908, which stand above the high altar.

Located in the nave, the Shrine of Our Lady of Clemency climbs to a height of some 25 feet (7.6 m) and features a statue of the Blessed Virgin depicted as Queen of Heaven replete with crown and sceptre.

Saint Clement's uses the English Missal, an English-language translation of the Tridentine Mass as it existed prior to the 1955 liturgical reforms of Pope Pius XII.

Today, Low Mass is offered every day, using a liturgy based on the Anglican Missal and 1928 Book of Common Prayer.