Basilica of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception (Norfolk)
Encyclopedia
- For the Basilica in Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix, ArizonaPhoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
see Saint Mary's BasilicaSaint Mary's BasilicaSaint Mary's Basilica, officially named The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, was founded in 1881 and staffed by the Franciscan Friars since 1895....
. - For the Basilica in Natchez, MississippiNatchez, MississippiNatchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
see St. Mary BasilicaSt. Mary BasilicaThe Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows is a Catholic basilica church in Natchez, Mississippi.The Diocese of Natchez was erected in 1837, and in 1842 construction began on a new cathedral. It was dedicated on December 25, 1843 and consecrated on September 19, 1886 and remained the cathedral of the...
. - For the Basilica in Galveston, TexasGalveston, TexasGalveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
see St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica, Galveston. - For the Basilica in Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
see Basilica of Saint MaryBasilica of Saint MaryThe Basilica of Saint Mary was the first basilica established in the United States of America, honored by Pope Pius XI in 1926. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Basilica of Saint Mary is the Co-Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.Recognized as one of the...
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The Minor Basilica of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception, located in downtown Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
is the oldest Roman Catholic parish community in the Diocese of Richmond
Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond is an ecclesiastical and episcopal see or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. Its current territory was created by Pope Paul VI and encompasses all of central and southern Virginia, Hampton Roads, and the eastern shore...
. It is known locally as "The Mother Church of Tidewater Virginia."
The community began in 1791 as Saint Patrick Church (two years before the establishment of the United States hierarchy and twenty-nine years before the creation of the Richmond Diocese) with French Catholics fleeing the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and some of the earliest Irish Catholic immigrants to the United States as its first members. St. Patrick's was the oldest parish in the Richmond Diocese.
The first church was built in 1842, but was destroyed by fire in 1856 only to be replaced by the present building in 1858. The church was rededicated under the title of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
in commemoration of the Marian dogma proclaimed in 1854 by Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
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Since it was in the South, the church was segregated
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
. Fr. Matthew O’Keefe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttjJ96jt1e8 permitted African-American Catholics to sit in a portion of the choir loft assigned for their use. Local Know Nothings threatened him unless he instituted segregated Masses, which he refused to do. Thugs tried to intimidate white parishioners until Fr. O’Keefe obtained police protection. Diocesan records show that local Catholic families believed the Know Nothings ignited the fire that destroyed St. Patrick’s in 1856. The Assumption, a painting donated by Their Majesties, King Louis Philippe and Queen Amélie of France, fell victim to the flames. The Josephite Fathers
Josephite Fathers
The Josephite Fathers and Brothers or, more properly, Saint Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart, Inc. are a society of Catholic priests and brothers, based in the United States. It was formed in 1871 by a group of priests from the English Foreign Mission Society of Saint Joseph, also known as...
arrived from Richmond in 1889 and by September of that year, Saint Joseph's Black Catholic parish was founded with the Josephites serving as clergy to serve the spiritual needs of the Black community. Seventy-two years later, 1961, St. Joseph's was clustered with St. Mary. After an extensive renovation and restoration program, the newly renovated and restored edifice was rededicated on November 1, 1989. Today, St. Mary's Catholic Church is ninety-nine percent African-American. The parish formerly supported St. Mary Academy, an inner-city school that provided a Christian education to hundreds of urban children, most of whom are non-Catholic but which is now closed.. The parish also operates a soup kitchen
Soup kitchen
A soup kitchen, a bread line, or a meal center is a place where food is offered to the hungry for free or at a reasonably low price. Frequently located in lower-income neighborhoods, they are often staffed by volunteer organizations, such as church groups or community groups...
and provides other outreach to Norfolk's poor and homeless. On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Church, December 8, 1991, Pope John Paul II proclaimed the Church of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception a minor basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
, the only one in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In his proclamation, the Pope said, "Your black cultural heritage enriches the church and makes her witness of universality more complete. In a real way the church needs you, just as you need the church, for you are a part of the church and the church is part of you."