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Revision as of 23:06, 6 February 2020 by Pbritti (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Church in Virginia, United States| Saint Bede Catholic Church | |
|---|---|
| Location | Williamsburg, Virginia |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1932 |
| Founder(s) | Bishop Andrew Brennan |
| Dedication | St. Bede Our Lady of Walsingham |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Richmond |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Bishop Barry Knestout |
Saint Bede Catholic Church in Williamsburg, Virginia is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Richmond. The National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, located adjacent to the campus of the College of William and Mary, is a part of the parish.
History
The first Catholics in the Virginia Peninsula were two Dominican friars, accompanied by 37 Spanish and Portuguese troops and guided by a converted Algonquian, in August 1566. Ten Spanish Jesuits founded St. Mary's Mission, known more commonly as the Ajacán Mission, in 1570. On posited location for where they disembarked is present-day College Creek. The entire encampment of Spanish missionaries and Native American converts was massacred by Powhatans in 1571 with the exception of a single convert boy, who was rescued by Spanish forces from Florida the next year.
In 1932, the Catholic College Chapel was constructed to meet the needs of Catholic students and staff at the College of William and Mary, where previously no Catholic ministerial services were available. In 1939, the chapel was dedicated as St. Bede parish. On 8 September 1941, the first pastor of St. Bede Fr. Thomas Walsh dedicated the parish to Our Lady of Walsingham. The church was blessed in 1942.
The parish purchased a building originally constructed as a fraternity home adjacent to the original location of Saint Bede, 601 College Terrace, for use as housing by the USO. On 16 September 1947, the Sisters of Mercy opened Walsingham Academy, a private Catholic school, in this building. After the school's move, the building served as a rectory and is now a privately-owned home.
Parish
Ministries and services
There are over 60 ministries, social groups, and organizations that operate in or with the support of the Saint Bede parish, including:
- Knights of Columbus
- Legion of Mary
- Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts Troops 1932
- HOPE Pregnancy Resource Center
- Ancient Order of Hibernians
National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham
Fr. Walsh was appointed the first pastor of Saint Bede and the College Chapel in 1939. With the 1941 dedication of the Saint Bede parish to Our Lady of Walsingham, Fr. Walsh commissioned a statue depicting the apparition done in the same style of that present at the Slipper Chapel, itself based on that from the Walsingham Priory.
References
- ^ "Our Parish History". bedeva.org. Saint Bede Catholic Church. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- Erickson, Mark (8 May 2013). "A lost Spanish mission on the York River". dailypress.org. Daily Press. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- "The Virginia Martyrs". nationalwalsinghamshrine.org. National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- "Colonial Period: Ajacan, The Spanish Jesuit Mission". marinersmuseum.org. Mariners Museum. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ "History". nationalwalsinghamshrine.org. National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- "History". walsingham.org. Walsingham Academy. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- "Parish Life Groups and Apostolates". bedeva.org. Saint Bede Catholic Church. Retrieved 6 February 2020.