Holy Rosary Catholic Church will kick off its 60th Anniversary celebration with a musical concert on Saturday, drug September 28, pilule 2013 at 4:00 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public. It will feature Holy Rosary’s Mass Choir and Youth Choir, as well as choirs from St. Mary and St. Elizabeth Catholic Churches.
Other events include an Anniversary Mass at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 5, 2013 and a Celebration Mass on Sunday, October 6, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. All events will take place at the church, located at 3000 “R” Street in Richmond’s Churchill section.
The roots of the current parish of Holy Rosary go back to the late 1940’s. During that time, the Redemptorist Fathers, after having gathered at the home of George Pollard for prayer and worship, established what was then called the Church Hill Catholic Mission on North 27th Street. The Mission was an outgrowth of St. Augustine’s parish, which was located in the Fulton section of Richmond. The Redemptorists found great interest among the African American families to further develop the mission into a full parish. Continued progress motivated Bishop Peter Ireton, Ninth Bishop of Richmond, to formally establish Holy Rosary Parish in 1953.
Over the next few years, property purchased earlier at North 33rd Street, between “R” and “S” Streets, was developed. The first “church” on the property was built at 33rd and R Streets. It served as Church Office, worship center and Child Care Center. The child care center was run by the Missionary Sisters of Verona (now known as the Comboni Missionary Sisters). The parish grew and in 1962, the previous Church was built; in the 1970’s the Child Care Center was built and the Bishop Russell Center (formerly the Church) was renovated and became the Parish Hall. Most recently, Holy Rosary completed a 2.5 million dollar expansion, including a new Sanctuary and Chapel, new offices and renovated Parish Center and Commons, which were dedicated in 2004. More
information is available at the church’s website, www.hrccrichmond.org.
