In 1879, Bishop John J. Keane began holding services for Black Catholics in the basement of St. Peter, Richmond, then the diocesan cathedral. Only 14 years previously, slavery had come to an end in the South, and African Americans still faced legal discrimination in the form of Jim Crow laws.
In 1885, the community that met at St. Peter had grown strong enough to support its own parish. Bishop Keane subsequently established a Catholic parish for African Americans in Jackson Ward: St. Joseph, Richmond.
“From its earliest days, the [parish] welcomed Black residents, providing them with a place to worship freely – a rarity in the post-Reconstruction South,” said Father Tochi Iwuji, pastor of Holy Rosary, Richmond, and director of the diocesan Office for Black Catholics.
But in 1969, the parish was closed, along with many other historically Black Catholic parishes, in an effort to integrate parishes in the diocese. Despite the closures and other challenges, said Father Iwuji, “The spirit and faith of Black Catholics have endured.”
Today, St. Joseph’s Memorial Park is home to the original bell that rang at the church, as well as a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a praying child. The peaceful nook in Jackson Ward was established in 1997 by Bishop Walter F. Sullivan, and in 2024, the diocesan Office of Real Estate completed a renovation of the property, cleaning the statues and the bell and renewing the grounds.
To mark the 140th anniversary of the parish, the Black History Museum in Richmond will host the Black Catholic Exhibition. Bishop Barry C. Knestout will join Father Iwuji for the opening ceremony at the museum July 11 at 3 p.m.
The exhibit will feature artifacts from the historically Black Catholic parishes in our diocese that were closed, including St. Joseph. The exhibit will close on Nov. 22; on that day, Father Iwuji will lead a Eucharistic procession from the museum to the park.
“St. Joseph is more than an historical landmark,” said Father Iwuji. “It is a living testament to the perseverance of Black Catholics and their unwavering faith.”