It is not uncommon to see a statue of a parish’s patron saint on its grounds. However, near the entry of St. Paul Church, Richmond, one will see a statue of St. Joseph — the patron saint of a Black Richmond parish that the diocese closed in 1969 in an attempt to promote integration.
“When St. Joseph closed, a number of parishioners said, ‘The heck with the Catholic Church.’ Others did not, which in turn caused some (St. Paul) parishioners to leave and go elsewhere,” said Deacon John T. Tucker III, who serves at St. Paul. “This was hurtful but a neat scenario in that members of both races made a conscience decision to be Catholic and to say, ‘I am going to worship here at St. Paul’s.’”
According to Deacon Tucker, he and the late Deacon Charles Williams, a close friend who had been a member of St. Joseph but who left the Church in anger when it closed, had talked about it for a number of years.
“We thought it would be a proper tribute to the folks at St. Joseph that stuck with the Catholic Church and came over to St. Paul’s,” he said.
When Father Jim Begley was appointed pastor of St. Paul last year, the deacons approached him with the idea, which he embraced.
With support from the Diocese of Richmond’s Office for Black Catholics, which Deacon Williams directed, Deacon Tucker applied for and received a grant from the Daniel Rudd Fund of the National Black Catholic Congress. The grant and money raised through other efforts provided the nearly $5,500 needed to erect the statue, which was blessed and dedicated on Saturday, March 19.
Deacon Tucker, noting the statue was a “moment of reconciliation and a symbol of reconciliation,” said the impact of having the statue can be seen in terms of the past, present and future.
“Folks came 53 years ago. There was a mixed reaction to them coming, but they stuck with it, and they persevered in their faith,” he said. “The statue is recognition of and a tribute to their faith.”
Regarding the present, Deacon Tucker noted that the number of people who were St. Joseph parishioners was dwindling and that the dedication and blessing was an opportunity to bring them together and to personally recognize and honor them.
As for the future, he noted the plaque at the base of the statue, which reads: “St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, established in 1885, and located in Richmond’s Jackson Ward, was the first church built to serve the city’s Black Catholic community. Upon its closure in 1969, many St. Joseph’s parishioners became members of St. Paul’s. This statue is erected to honor their dedication to their faith and their perseverance and courage in the face of racial inequity.”
“That plaque will be there for a long time to come. It’s part of the history of the parish — a parish that is unique in that it is a mixed race community,” he said. “The presence of both races is prevalent.”