Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Catholic Church (Washington, D.C.)

Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian is a Roman Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Washington's northeast deanery that was established in 1966 as the conjoining of the predominately African-American St. Cyprian Catholic Church (established 1893) and the predominately Caucasian Holy Comforter (established 1904).[1][2]

Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Catholic Church
Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Catholic Church
38.889558°N 76.986046°W / 38.889558; -76.986046
Location1357 East Capitol Street, SE,
Washington, D.C.
CountryUnited States
DenominationRoman Catholic
Websitehcscchurch.org
Administration
ArchdioceseRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
Clergy
Pastor(s)Reverend Monsignor Charles Pope
Deacon(s)Deacon Ralph Cyrus, Jr.

Location

Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian is located at 1357 East Capitol Street, Southeast in Washington, DC, United States. It is near Lincoln Park and the Eastern Market and Stadium Armory metro stations.

History

Holy Comforter

Builders broke ground on Holy Comforter on July 31, 1937 at Fourteenth and East Capitol Street. The plans anticipated a budget of $200,000 and construction timeline of ten months.[3] Archbishop Michael J. Curley of Baltimore and Washington dedicated the Holy Comforter on December 3, 1939 at an event attended by 1,200.[4] Cardinal Gibbon presided over a second dedication of the completed building on March 18, 1906.[5] The architect, B. Stanley Simmons, reportedly found inspiration from the Spanish Mission style design in an old mission house in San Diego, California.[5]

St. Cyprian

In 1890, a group of African-American Catholics living on Capitol Hill convinced the Archdiocese of Baltimore to build St. Cyprian after being discriminated against by St. Peter's church which had segregated them from the rest of the congregation in the basement. St. Cyprian church was originally built at 13th and C streets SE in 1893, named for St. Thaddeus Cyprian, an African bishop and martyr.[6]

Merger

In 1966, with little regard for St. Cyprian's wishes, Patrick O'Boyle, Washington, DC's cardinal at the time, merged St. Cyprian church and Holy Comforter church. According to Rev. Robert M. Kearns, the merger had made the members of the church feel "raped or emasculated. There was nothing left," because "they weren't consulted properly."[6] St. Cyprian was given two weeks to vacate the church and it was torn down to build houses and a small park. In the 1950s in Washington, DC, a great number of affluent white people moved from the District to the suburbs, causing the congregation of Holy Comforter to diminish and causing St. Cyprian's congregation to flourish. After the merger, Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian's congregation was 95% former St. Cyprian members. Despite the conflict the merger created, the Catholic Church began to allow masses in languages other than Latin. The Latin chants were quickly replaced with "the hearty rhythms and hand clapping of a gospel choir making the church more akin to its Baptist and Methodist brethren," allowing the congregation to express their African-American heritage.[6]

Parish Priests
  • Reverend Monsignor Charles Pope (current)
  • Reverend Robert M. Kearns (1979-1983)[7]
  • John Ricard (1975–1979)
  • Rev. Monseigneur Charles R. O'Hara (Holy Comforter: 1936-1939-)[3][4]
  • Rev. Joseph McGuire (Holy Comforter: 1904)[2]
  • Fr. James Mathews (St. Cyprian: 1893)[1]

Modern Day

Due to decreasing church attendance in the United States, rapidly changing demographics in Washington, DC, and an aging congregation, church attendance and membership have been steadily decreasing since the 1960s. Despite its aging and decreasing congregation, the church's spirit and community remains strong, celebrating its historic roots from St. Cyprian.[6] The church's gospel choir, started during the 1960s, at the 11am services maintains a pivotal role in the church's community and spirit.[8][9]

Parish life

Holy Name Society

The Holy Name Society is a group of laymen dedicated to the praise and respect of the most Holy Name of God.[10]

Ladies of Charity

The Ladies of Charity was organized in May 1932 and provides services to the community "who are in need of food and clothing, especially shoes for the children."[11]

Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian School (PS-8)

On September 16, 1892 a group of Oblate Sisters of Providence, an order of black nuns,[6] met with Miss Mary Atkins who had promised to donate land to establish a school on the corner of 8th and C Streets. The school doors opened on October 2, 1892 under the patronage of St. Ann.[1]

References
  1. Holy Comforter, St. Cyprian Parish (1996). A History of Holy Comforter Saint Cyprian Parish (PDF). Taylor Publishing Company. pp. 5, 10, 28, 44.
  2. A History of Holy Comforter Saint Cyprian Parish (PDF). Taylor Publishing Company. 1996. p. 43.
  3. "Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, August 01, 1938, Image 21". 1938-08-01. pp. B–1. ISSN 2331-9968. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  4. "Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, December 04, 1939, Image 2". 1939-12-04. pp. A–2. ISSN 2331-9968. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  5. "Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, March 18, 1906, Image 21". 1906-03-18. p. 5. ISSN 2331-9968. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  6. Shapiro, Stephanie (October 13, 1983). "St. Cyprian". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  7. "Alumni Association of The Pontifical North American College - Alumni Association of The Pontifical North American College". www.pnacalumni.org. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  8. Holy Comforter St. Cyprian Roman Catholic Church Good Friday, Choral Stations of the Cross, 2017 Pt1, retrieved 2020-05-12
  9. Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Adult Choir visits Baltimore County parish, retrieved 2020-05-12
  10. "Holy Name Society |". hcscchurch.org. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
  11. "Ladies of Charity |". hcscchurch.org. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.