NORFOLK, Va. — A historic, century-old church in Downtown Norfolk is getting part of a multi-million dollar grant for preservation.
Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception is one of 35 historically Black churches across the country receiving a total of $4 million in grants.
The Basilica is a piece of history. Originally founded in 1791, the congregation of the historic church is known as the only African-American Basilica in the nation.
Father Jim Curran explained the original church was built in 1842 and after racist dissenters burnt it down in 1856, this building was erected in 1858 and has stood in Downtown Norfolk ever since.
“We had interracial masses. We were the only church in Virginia when we started," Curran said. “The Basilica has deeply rooted parishioners.”
The money is coming from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. The Basilica is receiving $150,000 over the course of two years.
The fund’s senior director of preservation, Tiffany Tolbert, said the money will help pastors at historical churches better tell their stories.
“These are very recognizable landmarks in a lot of our communities. These are places that have fostered activism, they’ve fostered economic development, they’ve also guided people spiritually," Tolbert said.
“They need support. They’re having challenges with declining membership, changes in neighborhoods where they sit, as well as just the condition of their building because of lack of resources,” she continued.
In a press release, the Action Fund noted that St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception is “one of the only basilicas in the United States with a predominately Black congregation.” It also said free Black and enslaved people built the church, itself.
The press release added the grant will help the congregation “…hire senior preservation staff… which will help the church remain an active presence during a time of neighborhood change and racial displacement within the broader community.”
Curran said the money will go a long way in preserving this sacred piece of Norfolk's history.
“This will allow us, this grant, very generous grant, will allow us to hire somebody on staff who will be in charge of the maintenance and who knows what to look for in historic buildings," he said. “When you think about a church, it’s where the most significant events of a person's life happen. They’re baptized here, all of the sacraments are here, they’re married, their loved ones are buried from a church. All of the significant moments of life occur in a church."