Church of the Holy Family - Columbus, Georgia - This Old Church on Waymarking.com

The following information is derived from a historic marker at the main entrance of the church:

"This is the mother church of Roman Catholicism in this area, serving as the only Catholic Church in Columbus from 1880 to 1958. The first Catholic church, the Church of Sts. Philip and James, was built in 1835 on what is now Chapel Street on one of the original lots designated for churches when Columbus was founded in 1828. Early missionary efforts from Sts. Philip and James reached Decatur and Terminus (now Atlanta), Macon, Eufaula, and Apalachicola, Fla. Missionaries visited these stations by rail, riverboat, and oxcart or even by foot, quarterly or twice yearly. First resident pastor was Rev. James Graham. The parish relocated to this site when the new church was dedicated May 12, 1880, and the name changed to The Church of The Holy Family. The Gothic-Byzantine structure was designed by architect Daniel Matthew Foley who was born in Dublin, Ireland. This church was built on property given by the Sisters of Mercy. The parish education building is located on the site where their convent and the school, St. Joseph’s Academy, stood from 1870 to 1964. This is the only downtown church with a grave located on its grounds. Rev. Michael Cullinan, a pastor of Sts. Philip and James, was buried here just east of the church’s main entrance."

This is one several historic churches located within three blocks of each other in downtown Columbus. This building was dated by the Centenary Commemoration Plague mounted on the northeast corner of the sanctuary, the information contained on the historic marker and the dates on the only burial site on the property. The Rev. Cullinan’s memorial stone mounted in the wall of the church reads:

“Rev. M. Cullinan, Pastor
Died Feb. 28th 1877
In the 59th Year of His Age
His remains Were Transferred To This Church May 12th, 1881
R.I.P.”

Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 05/12/1880 Age of Church building determined by?: Cornerstone or plaque If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Roman Catholic If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Sunday Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: 11:00 AM Street address of Church: 300 Block of 12th Street Columbus, Ga. USA 31902 If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: Not listed Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: Not listed Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   12/30/2009 Lat34North visited it