St. Clement’s Church

Wilde had family ties in Philadelphia. His mother’s second cousin was Basil W. Maturin (1847-1915), an Anglican priest who served as rector of St. Clements Church from 1881-89. Both born in Ireland, Wilde and Maturin were concerned with the welfare of the poor. Maturin converted to Roman Catholicism in 1897, as did Wilde on his deathbed in 1900. On May 11, 1882, the day after his second Philadelphia lecture, Wilde visited Maturin at St. Clements.