Black Arts and Culture

An Astonishing Tale of Two (Catholic) Churches

Terrance Afer-Anderson reflects on the historic legacies of Norfolk’s St. Joseph’s and St. Mary’s Catholic Churches—pillars of African-American resilience—and his award-winning films that preserve their powerful stories.
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By Terrance Afer-Anderson
Editorial Columnist
New Journal and Guide

Many years ago, way back in 1951, I was baptized at the old African-American St. Joseph’s Catholic church, Norfolk, Virginia. Found in 1893, it served for 68 years as a prominent African-American institution in the city, until its 1961 demolition.

Today, I attend Norfolk’s St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Its own roots date back to its founding, in 1791, originally as St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. On December 8, 1991, in celebration of the Catholic Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and during the church’s 200th anniversary, Pope John Paul II, proclaimed St. Mary’s as a minor basilica. The Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception has the blessed distinction as the only African-American basilica in the U.S.

With the recent passing of Pope Francis and all of the attention created with the election of his successor Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, there has been much joyous, renewed interest in the American history of Catholicism. In the spirit of being perfectly frank, that history of course has been, shall we say, “colorful.” As most religions in the Americas, the Catholic Church did not escape practice of the wretched institution of slavery.

However, as in most faiths, there are blessed exceptions to the rule. Despite wretched indictments against those who sought equity among diverse peoples, both St. Patrick’s and St. Joseph’s emerged as stalwarts of resistance to such rabid inequities. They both paid dearly.

Because of its inclusion of Black Catholics, St. Patrick’s original home was burned to the ground in 1856 by a group known as the Know Nothings. It was rebuilt in 1858 as St. Mary’s. In 1926, Father Vincent Warren, pastor of St. Joseph’s was abducted by the Ku Klux Klan.

Personally speaking, these stories of course have touched me deeply. So much so that I was blessed to have found the occasion to bring my penchant for storytelling to bear.

I wrote, produced and directed two award-winning films “The Angels in The Details” and “The Phoenix & The Ashes,” chronicling the stunning history of these two churches and local African-American Catholicism as well. They are being offered for sale as DVDs by my men’s group at St. Mary’s, the Knights of Peter Claver, Council 279.

As a sidebar, note that Peter Claver was an exceptional Spanish Jesuit priest who not only boarded slave ships to care for the captured and bound human cargo, but defied convention by choosing to live for a spell with slaves in Colombia, Cartagena. He is believed to have served some 300,000 slaves.

He was later canonized as a saint, having performed the miracles of healing slaves with the mere touch of his cloak and often being engulfed in a wondrous, supernatural glow, while enrapt in his precious servitude. A film about him beckons!

Meanwhile, you can find out more about “The Angels in The Details” and “The Phoenix & The Ashes” at this link: https://youtu.be/2-mdrU93SyY?feature=sharedymdrU93SyY?feature=shared

Terrance Afer-Anderson is a writer, actor, director and producer. He is also President/CEO, TerraVizion Entertainment Network.