A historic Puerto Rican Catholic church known as a haven for Afro-Boricuas and migrants has been awarded a half-million-dollar grant to restore its historic chapel and rectory.
San Juan's 194-year-old Iglesia San Mateo de Cangrejos (“Church of St. Matthew of the Crabs”) was announced on Feb. 24 in the latest cohort of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, which awarded $8.5 million this month to 33 congregations as part of its Preserving Black Churches program.
“America’s 250th anniversary is an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the remarkable legacy of our nation’s historically Black churches.” said Brent Leggs, executive director of the Action Fund and strategic advisor to the CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
"They are essential civic institutions that have anchored democracy, community leadership, and collective care for generations. By investing in their preservation today, we are safeguarding not just historic buildings and architecture, but a living legacy of resilience and social progress for the future."
Today Preserving Black Churches (PBC), a cornerstone initiative of the National Trust's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, is proud to award $8.5M to 33 historically Black churches across the U.S.
— Saving Places (@SavingPlaces) February 24, 2026
View the full 2026 PBC portfolio: https://t.co/r9quGnTE50 pic.twitter.com/0LyTWUzr6g
Iglesia San Mateo de Cangrejos is the only Catholic church among grantees so far this year, and the only outside of the mainland United States. It was founded as a spiritual refuge for freed and escaped enslaved persons who settled the Santurce district—then known as San Mateo de Cangrejos—in 16th and 17th centuries, during the early Spanish colonial period.
The church was built in the neoclassical style in 1832 and later reconstructed and expanded in 1896 under State Architect Pedro Cobreros, two years before the United States' annexation of the island.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, Iglesia San Mateo de Cangrejos has maintained its status as a church welcoming to Black Puerto Ricans as well as Dominicans and other immigrants, making headlines over the past decade-plus for its reception of Haitian refugees.
“The Iglesia San Mateo de Cangrejos is a symbol of Afro-Puerto Rican identity and heritage,” the NTHP wrote of the parish in its announcement of the new grant.
“Built in 1832 by a community founded by free Black people, freedom-seekers and migrants from nearby Caribbean islands, this Catholic church has served as a safe haven and sacred site for generations.”
Fr Olin Pierre-Louis, a Haitian native ordained in Puerto Rico, was assigned to the parish in 2009 and was actively involved in supporting Haitian migrants from afar after the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed several hundred thousand and left many more homeless. Iglesia San Mateo de Cangrejos has since become a spiritual and literal shelter for Haitian immigrants who arrive in Puerto Rico, housing thousands in its parish hall over the years.
The church has faced its own challenges as well, suffering extensive damage in Hurricane Maria in 2017, including its parish house and chapel. The new grant from the NTHP will serve to fund repairs, easing the financial burden on a parish that itself receives aid from groups like the Catholic Extension Society. Fr Pierre-Louis was a finalist for the CES’ prestigious Lumen Christi Award in 2023.
Iglesia San Mateo de Cangrejos is the latest Puerto Rican church to receive funding from the NTHP, with the Cathedral Basilica of San Juan de Bautista receiving a grant from a different program, the National Fund for Sacred Places, last fall. The Preserving Black Churches program, funded by the Lilly Endowment, has now awarded $34 million to date to 170 churches across the United States.
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
