“From the Archives” Black Catholics at Saint Mary and the Founding of Saint Joseph Parish

Since its founding in 1795, Saint Mary parish has included black parishioners. Early on, many were house slaves of wealthy Marylanders who ensured their slaves were baptized and raised Catholic. Others were free persons who worked and lived in Alexandria. Old parish records contain numerous names of blacks who were baptized and married at Saint Mary; most of the records also list their owners if they were slaves.

Saint Mary reflected the segregationist conditions of “Jim Crow” laws enacted after the Civil War to restrict the rights of black Americans. Until a major renovation of the church in 1875, black parishioners sat in galleries along the side walls. These galleries were removed during the renovation. Subsequently, black parishioners sat in the north wing (adjacent to the sacristy and near the current confessionals) for Mass. Parish activities were separated by race, including Sunday school, May processions and organizations such as the Ladies’ Sodality. When black parishioners held a special service, such as a mission, they could sit in the center pews. First Communions and Confirmations were not separate. When black parishioners got married, Father Henry Cutler, Saint Mary’s pastor from 1891 to 1915, came to their homes to perform the ceremony so guests would not have to sit in the segregated pews. Josephite Father Charles Hannigan traveled from Richmond to celebrate Mass and teach catechism classes for black Catholics in Saint Mary’s Lyceum.

By 1913, Alexandria’s black Catholics were determined to have a church of their own. Thomas Blair, Saint Mary’s sexton and keeper of its cemetery for 30 years, was a leader in the local black Catholic community. He called a meeting in Saint Mary’s Lyceum to discuss a new church for black Catholics. Working with Father Hannigan, Blair and his committee appealed to Bishop Denis J. O’Connell of Richmond, asking to form a new congregation. The bishop approved their request in 1913.

Although they were among the poorest among Alexandria’s residents, the black Catholics worked tirelessly under Blair’s guidance to raise funds to purchase property at the corner of North Columbus and Wythe streets. They held bake sales, raffles, plays, picnics and suppers. Oyster roasts were very popular. Saint Mary parishioners were enthusiastic supporters of the project and many made donations. Mother Katherine Drexel, founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, donated $8,000, half of the projected cost to build the church. In 1915, Father Joseph J. Kelly, another Josephite, was assigned to the new congregation. (Saint Joseph’s Society of the Sacred Heart, the Josephites, continue to serve the parish today.) The new Saint Joseph Catholic Church was dedicated by Bishop O’Connell on May 14, 1916.

Thomas Blair, the “Father of Saint Joseph Church,” who had seen his dream become a reality, died just two weeks later at the age of 65. The Alexandria Gazette published a long tribute to him, evidence of the esteem people of Alexandria had for him. He is buried in Saint Mary’s Cemetery.

In 1967, Saint Joseph’s was re-designated from an ethnic parish for black Catholics to a parish with territorial boundaries.

— Kitty Guy, Parish Historian

Throughout 2020, the Basilica of Saint Mary will present “From the Archives.” It is a weekly feature online and in our bulletin spotlighting the history of the parish. All of our “From the Archives” features are located here.