The Diocese of Charleston has announced plans for a new African-American Heritage Center at St. Patrick Catholic Church in the Radcliffeborough neighborhood, part of a “long overdue” renovation effort.
Changes will include accessibility upgrades, a transformation of the former parish hall into a new sanctuary, and a refurbishing of various amenities. A previous 2015 renovation redeveloped the former St. Patrick Catholic School, which closed in 1964, into a parish hall and church office.
“My primary vision for this parish is to grow a vibrant, welcoming and loving parish that we will be proud to call ‘domus,’ or our home,” Fr JohnBosco Ikemeh told The Catholic Miscellany in November.
Parishioners of St. Patrick Church will soon helm a new African American Heritage Center and enjoy Mass in an improved house of worship.
— Diocese of Charleston (@DioceseChas) November 14, 2024
Read more about the stunning renovation in this edition of The Catholic Miscellany: https://t.co/5xhZ4FOIOx. pic.twitter.com/KdfFyqGHNh
Ikemeh says he hopes the work on the historic Romanesque Church will be done within three years, which would mark the 140th anniversary of its dedication. It is the third-oldest Catholic church in the city, originally founded under the race-conscious Bishop John England in 1838 in a former building.
The parish originally served a mostly Irish immigrant congregation, though on somewhat integrated terms even during slavery, with separate galleries for Black and White churchgoers.
St. Patrick’s became a predominantly Black congregation in the late 1960s during White flight, and received the diocese’s first Black pastor in 1978, the Spiritan priest Egbert Figaro.
It is today the only remaining Black Catholic parish in the city of Charleston, having received into its numbers the congregants of several closed African-American parishes over the years. The most recent was Our Lady of Mercy, which was shuttered in 2014.
St. Patrick’s is known for its gospel choir, which operates under the direction of recording artist Charlton Singleton of the Grammy Award-winning Gullah music ensemble Ranky Tanky. The parish is one of few nationwide to host jazz Masses, combining Catholic liturgy with the indigenous African-American art form.
Fr Ikemeh says the planned cultural heritage center at the church will promote knowledge of Black history, music, worship, and dance, which are to be “advanced and celebrated.”
“A place where the young and old will come to celebrate life,” he told the Miscellany. “It is our [hope] that bringing the youths to the center will bring them to the church,”
Should all renovation plans be approved, the church’s older members will benefit from a revamped elevator system, as well as improved access to the area for receiving Communion. The upgrades will reportedly be funded in part by the diocese, with the rest coming from fundraising.
Interested parties can donate to St. Patrick’s online or contact the parish office for more information.
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
