A new installation at Richmond’s Black History Museum and Cultural Center showcases the history of Black Catholics in Virginia, part of a monthslong series highlighting current and former parishes, schools, and the people connected to them.
The exhibition opened officially this week, with a kickoff event hosted at the museum on Friday with Bishop Barry C. Knestout and Fr Tochi Iwuij of the diocese’s Office for Black Catholics, which co-sponsored the new offering.
“Through stories, artifacts, and reflections, this exhibition invites us all to celebrate a legacy that continues to inspire and strengthen our communities today,” reads a description from the museum.
“The exhibition serves as a reminder that their legacy continues to inspire current and future generations, fostering a stronger and a more inclusive Catholic community.”
The Black History Museum in Richmond will host an exhibit on the history Black Catholics from July 11 - Nov. 22. The exhibit will feature artifacts from historically Black parishes in our diocese that have now closed.
— Diocese of Richmond (@RichmondDiocese) July 7, 2025
The opening ceremony will be held on July 11 at 3 p.m. pic.twitter.com/Sj0f0p7rtm
The exhibit comes amid the 140th anniversary year for the former St. Joseph Catholic Church in downtown Richmond, a Black parish established in 1885. It was the brainchild of Bishop John J. Keane, who for years had celebrated services for African Americans in the basement of St. Peter’s Pro-Cathedral.
Staffed by the Josephites, St. Joseph's was the first parish in Virginia for Black Catholics and remained open, along with its school—Van de Vyver Elementary (originally St. Mary’s)—until they were closed in 1969 during integration.
The school, originally founded in 1910, served as a hub for the growth of the local Black Catholic community, with many students and their families converting as a result of their affiliation. The parish also established St. Joseph’s Cemetery for Colored Catholics in 1897, and produced the first African-American priest from the Richmond Diocese, the Benedictine monk Theophile Brown, who was ordained in 1956.
St. Joseph’s is among several such parishes and schools featured in the new exhibit at the museum, which will also host an associated speaker series throughout the rest of the year. The first, which featured testimonies from members of former Black parishes in Virginia, took place Saturday afternoon.
Further events on education and evangelization will take place this fall, followed by a closing ceremony and half-mile Eucharistic procession during Black Catholic History Month. The trek, taking place on November 22—the date St. Joseph’s was formally dedicated—will begin at the museum and travel to the St. Joseph Memorial Site, the former site of the church and school.
Tickets for the speaker series are available online, and more information will be released in the coming weeks.
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
