St. Benedict's Catholic Church, located at the corner of North Elm and Smith Streets, is Greensboro's first Catholic Church. The original congregation first held meetings around 1870. In 1898, the current church was built with funds provided by Saint Katherine Drexel, who funded the project under the stipulation that Saint Benedict would reserve pews for Greensboro's black Catholics. This aspect of integration was important to Drexel who worked so hard for rights for Native Americans and African Americans.
The above photo features St. Benedict's sanctuary, today. It has not always looked so elegant. In 2017, church members raised nearly a quarter of a million dollars and undertook the renovation of the sanctuary, doing much of the work themselves. It is such a close knit, yet welcoming congregation. Ask any member about the renovation and you will likely get a personal tour. And Saint Katherine Drexel would be pleased to know that there are parish families from all over the world: Togo, Philippines, Croatia, and Nigeria, to name a few places. Pastor James Duc Duong is from Vietnam. Read more about the grand transformation in the December issue of Greensboro's own O. Henry Magazine (here).
It's a beautiful sanctuary!
Posted by: William Kendall | Sunday, March 11, 2018 at 01:44 PM
An interesting history for sure, especially the part about integration. And with a few tweaks, this could easily be a Lutheran church. Now, a question: This is name for St. Benedict. What happens if the recent Pope Benedict is canonized? Would this church have to change its name to St. Benedict the First? :)
Posted by: Lowell | Sunday, March 11, 2018 at 02:22 PM
Thank you for the information! I have never been to Saint Benedict’s. I will definitely plan to attend a service there.
Posted by: Liliana J. | Sunday, March 11, 2018 at 05:40 PM