Saint Bede Catholic Church (Williamsburg, Virginia) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Saint Bede Catholic Church |
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New church of Saint Bede parish in 2020
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| 37°15′44″N 76°45′21″W / 37.262107°N 76.755738°W | |
| Location | Williamsburg, Virginia |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1932 |
| Founder(s) | Bishop Andrew Brennan |
| Dedication | St. Bede Our Lady of Walsingham |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | 2003 church: Tom Kerns, Sean Riley |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Richmond |
Saint Bede Catholic Church in Williamsburg, Virginia, is a Catholic church for a local community, called a parish. It belongs to the Diocese of Richmond. The National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham is also part of this parish. It is located right next to the College of William and Mary. Saint Bede was the first Catholic church ever built in Williamsburg.
Contents
History of Saint Bede Church
Early Catholics in the Area
The first known Catholics in the Virginia Peninsula were two Dominican priests. They arrived in August 1566 with 37 Spanish and Portuguese soldiers. They were guided by a Native American who had converted to Christianity.
Before this, in 1526, a Spanish colony called San Miguel de Gualdape was set up nearby. It was short-lived, but it had Catholic followers. Its exact location is not known today.
Later, in 1570, ten Spanish Jesuit missionaries started St. Mary's Mission. This mission is also known as the Ajacán Mission. One idea is that they landed near what is now College Creek. Sadly, in 1571, most of the Spanish missionaries and Native American converts were killed by members of the Powhatan people. Only one converted boy survived. Spanish forces from Florida rescued him the next year.
The Jamestown colony was the first successful English settlement in America. It was founded in 1607. At that time, the English Reformation had made Catholic practices against the law in England. Catholics were also not allowed to hold military or government jobs. However, archeological digs at Jamestown in 2013 found items that show some English settlers still practiced Catholicism in secret. One of these items was a silver reliquary (a container for holy relics) found in the coffin of Captain Gabriel Archer.
Saint Bede Parish Begins
In September 1923, a professor named Carlos Eduardo Castañeda came to the College of William and Mary. He was a Mexican immigrant and taught Spanish. He led a group called the Gibbons Club, started in December 1923. This club was named after an earlier Bishop of Richmond, James Gibbons.
Professor Castañeda and thirty students asked for a priest from Newport News to come to Williamsburg. They wanted to attend Sunday Mass, which is a special church service.
In 1929, a woman named Margaret Burns gave $25,000 to the Diocese of Richmond. This money was for "mission churches in Virginia." Part of this money was used to buy two pieces of land in Williamsburg. The College President, J. A. C. Chandler, helped with this purchase.
In 1932, a Catholic College Chapel was built on this land. It was built to serve the growing number of Catholic students and staff at the College. In October 1932, the chapel was dedicated to Benedictine monk St. Bede the Venerable.
In 1939, the chapel became an official parish. On February 1, 1942, Saint Bede's first pastor, Father Thomas Walsh, dedicated the parish to Our Lady of Walsingham. The church was blessed that same year.
The parish bought a building at 601 College Terrace. It was originally built as a fraternity house. This building was next to the first Saint Bede chapel. The church used it to house soldiers and their families during that time.
On September 16, 1947, the Sisters of Mercy opened Walsingham Academy in this building. It was a private Catholic school. After the school moved to a new location, the building became a rectory for priests. Today, it is a privately owned home.
In 2003, the parish opened a new, larger church. This new church is on Ironbound Road in Williamsburg, about 1.5 miles from the original chapel. The name "Saint Bede Catholic Church" moved to this new building. However, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham stayed at the old chapel and is still managed by the parish.
The Parish Church Today
The current Saint Bede parish church has a main church building and three wings. Two wings are above ground, and one is below the courtyard. These wings were added in 2016. They provide 37,000 square feet (3,400 m2) of space for community events and gatherings. The wings also hold the parish offices for finances and clergy.
The church has a large pipe organ that was finished in 2005. It was first called Opus 31. Later, it was renamed in honor of a former pastor of Saint Bede, Monsignor William H. Carr. The main organ is 32 feet (9.8 m) tall and has 183 keys. It has 54 ranks and 43 stops, including special trumpets.
In 2019, two beautiful mosaics were added to the church. They are on either side of the organ. These mosaics were made by an Italian studio called Ferrari & Bacci. They show the communion of saints, which means all the holy people in heaven. The church plans to add more art to the 32 other panels around the church. The mosaics are made of Venetian glass by an Italian company called Barsanti. They are based on paintings by Venezuelan-Italian artist Ramiro Sanchez. His art has also been shown at the nearby Muscarelle Museum of Art.
Ministries and Services
Saint Bede parish supports over 60 different groups, social clubs, and organizations. These groups help the community and offer different activities. Some of them include:
- Knights of Columbus: A Catholic service organization for men.
- Legion of Mary: A group for Catholic people who want to serve the church.
- Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts Troops 1932: Youth programs focused on character and skills.
- Hope Pregnancy Resource Center: A center that helps pregnant women and new mothers.
- Ancient Order of Hibernians: An Irish Catholic fraternal organization.
- Spanish- and English-language catechesis: Classes to teach about the Catholic faith.
- House of Mercy: A service that helps people who are homeless or struggling financially. It operates in a building next to the Shrine.
National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham
Father Walsh became the first pastor of Saint Bede and the College Chapel in 1939. On February 2, 1942, the Saint Bede parish was dedicated to Our Lady of Walsingham. Father Walsh asked for a statue to be made that looked like the one at the Slipper Chapel in England. This statue shows a special appearance of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
In 2016, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops officially recognized the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. It became the first national shrine in the Diocese of Richmond. A national shrine is a church or sacred place that has special importance for Catholics in a country.
The Williamsburg House of Mercy is a group that helps people in need. It is located on the Shrine's campus. It used to be called the Saint Bede Outreach Center. Its work started in the 1960s when Sister Berenice Eltz, a nun, left her teaching job. She wanted to help people in the community through social work. Some people called her "the Mother Teresa of Williamsburg" because of her service. From 2018 to 2020, the House of Mercy was updated to help more people with food and housing. The Catholic Student Center is also in the same building, on the bottom floor.
Since the new church on Ironbound Road opened, the Shrine has sometimes been called "Old Saint Bede" or "CCM Chapel." This is because the Catholic Campus Ministry for college students uses it. The Shrine building has been renovated several times to make it bigger and meet modern accessibility standards. In February 2020, the Shrine closed for more renovations. However, the House of Mercy building next door continued to hold Mass for the college and downtown community. The renovations were finished in the summer of 2020. The Shrine fully reopened when rules about the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted.
Every year on September 24, for the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham, people from Saint Bede and the nearby Episcopal Bruton Parish come together. They, along with their student groups, take part in a rosary procession. They carry the statue of Mary from Colonial Williamsburg to the Shrine. At the Shrine, they have ecumenical vespers, which are evening prayers that include people from different Christian churches.
Campus Ministry
In 1865, the College of William and Mary had only one Catholic student. By 1939, 114 Catholic students attended the College or lived nearby. As of 2019, about 225 students attend Sunday Mass at the Shrine. Around 25 students attend daily Masses at the Shrine or in the Wren chapel.
The Gibbons Club was started in 1923. Later, it was renamed the Newman Club after the parish was established. The Newman Club then became the Catholic Student Association (CSA). In 1977, the CSA and the Episcopal student group, Canterbury, signed an agreement. This agreement committed both groups to work together on projects that included different Christian churches.
In the 1990s, the student ministry focused on student leadership. It also got its first lay campus minister, meaning a minister who is not a priest. The student ministry was renamed again to its current title, Catholic Campus Ministry. This name matches other campus ministries in the Diocese of Richmond. The Catholic Student Center, which is next to the Shrine, is often called the "Catacombs" or "Cats" by students.
Images for kids
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New church of Saint Bede parish in 2020
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Statue of Our Lady of Walsingham on display in Saint Bede Catholic Church after being temporarily removed during renovations of the Shrine.
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601 College Terrace, a former parish property
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Banner for Saint Bede Church depicting Our Lady of Walsingham and coat of arms for the Diocese of Richmond
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The altar of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in September 2019, prior to the 2020 renovations.
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The Gibbons Club sponsored the construction of a portion of the brick wall that rings William & Mary's Old Campus in 1927.
