1949 - St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church - Savannah, GA
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Lat34North
N 32° 04.128 W 081° 05.280
17S E 491694 N 3548065
St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church is the Mother Church of Black Catholics in Georgia. Located on the front wall of the church at 556 East Gordon Street, Savannah, GA.
Waymark Code: WME46P
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 04/01/2012
Views: 1
From the historic marker located at the church:
St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church
Mother Church of Black Catholics in Georgia
In May 1874 two Benedictine priests arrived in Savannah to work with the city´s African-American community, and constructed a church four blocks north of here. In 1889 a new building was constructed at this site. The Society of African Missions staffed the parish from 1907 to 1968. Staffed by Franciscan Sisters, St. Benedict´s day school operated from 1907 until its closure in 1969 due to integration. The school´s alumni include U. S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The sisters also staffed the orphanage established by Mother Matilda Beasley, the first African-American woman in Georgia to belong to a religious order. The current building was constructed in 1949.
Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and
2008.3 Sam´s Club and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. 25-30
There is a second dated stone near the historic marker dated, July 14, 1889. The waymarked dated stone is close to the church’s sign (western end of the building).
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