Early in 1844, Rev. Dominick Forestal, who would become St. Joachim’s first pastor, was an assistant at St. Mary’s Church located on South 4th Street in Philadelphia. He was appointed to visit Frankford and to evaluate the situation. He found that the congregation was quite small, but large enough to warrant the building of a church. After informing the bishop with the state of affairs in Frankford, the bishop at the time was The Most Reverend Francis Patrick Kenrick, Father Forestal received the necessary authority to begin the task of building the church in Frankford. An even greater task now faced Father Forestal, and that was collecting the funds to do so. To his surprise many of the residents of Frankford stepped up and gave what they could. The building contract was awarded to Lewis Lakey, carpenter and Thomas E. Deal, mason. The estimated cost was $9,000.