“From the Archives” — 1868 Black Children’s Sunday School Exhibition

Alexandria’s Black Catholics were an integral part of Saint Mary parish from its beginning. Saint Mary did not neglect their spiritual needs, even in the years after the Civil War, when Virginia’s oppressive “Jim Crow” laws mandated racial segregation. Saint Mary parishioners taught Sunday School classes for Alexandria’s Black children, participated in events sponsored by Black Catholic groups and supported them monetarily. This January 31, 1868, article from the Alexandria Gazette describes one example:

“The colored children attending Sunday School under the direction of the pastor of Saint Mary’s Church, had an Exhibition at Saint Mary’s Hall last night, which passed off in a very creditable manner. The hall was handsomely decorated for the occasion—a handsome carpeted stage being created at one end, and the hall was more than half full, equally divided between black and white, due to inclement weather… About 50 children did very well both in their speaking and singing, assisted by music on the melodeon.

“The children’s names were called and children who were punctual in their attendance were honored. Then Father Kroes gave each child a gift—nicely bound gifts, colored lithographs, rosaries and crosses. The audience lamented that bad wintry weather kept many home; however, they collected a respectable sum to help the school.”