A Parish Born from a Mission on Church Hill
Holy Rosary Catholic Church stands on R Street in the Church Hill neighborhood of Richmond as the oldest existing African-American Catholic parish in the city. Its roots reach back to the late 1940s, when Redemptorist Fathers gathered with African-American families for prayer and worship in the home of George Pollard and established what was then called the Church Hill Catholic Mission on North 27th Street. The mission grew out of St. Augustine's parish in the Fulton area, and Bishop Peter Ireton, the ninth Bishop of Richmond, formally established Holy Rosary as a parish in 1953.
In its early years the community worshiped at a modest building on the current property at 33rd and R Streets, which doubled as office, worship center, and child care center staffed by the Missionary Sisters of Verona, today known as the Comboni Missionary Sisters. A larger church followed in the early 1960s, and a child care center was added in the 1970s. The former church was then renovated into the Bishop Russell Center, the parish hall. A $2.5 million expansion - including a new Sanctuary and Chapel, new offices, and a renovated Parish Center and Commons - brought the current worship space into use, and Holy Rosary describes itself as one of the most recent parishes in the country with a new building, completed in 2004.
Sunday Mass and the Rhythm of Worship
Sunday Mass is offered at 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM. Confessions are heard each Sunday from 7:15 to 7:40 AM and again from 10:00 to 10:30 AM, before each Mass, and by appointment. Wednesday brings a 9:00 AM Daily Mass followed by Eucharistic Adoration that continues until noon. First Friday Mass is celebrated at 5:30 PM, and First Saturday Mass at 8:00 AM.
On the fourth Sunday of each month, the Legion of Mary leads a Holy Hour immediately after the 8:00 AM Mass. Mass Choir rehearsal gathers the music ministry on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 PM. The parish shares a clear Roman Catholic identity and describes its worship experience as enthusiastic and music-filled, nurturing, gratifying, and a cause for celebration.
Christian Formation for Every Age
Religious Education classes meet on the first, second, and third Sundays of the month, with sacramental preparation coordinated by Sister Tsega, the Director of Christian Formation. The Christian Formation ministry also includes Young Adult Ministry, Youth Ministry, Adult Formation, OCIA (the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), the Baptism Team, First Eucharist and First Penance preparation, Confirmation, and Marriage preparation.
Adults have multiple ways to study Scripture together. An Adult Bible Study meets on Thursday mornings at 10:00 AM, with the Zoom link available from coordinator Joanna Haliday. A second group gathers Sunday mornings at 9:30 AM in the Parish Hall, and a third meets Sunday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 PM via Zoom, coordinated by Mario Dance. Vacation Bible School is offered for children and youth during the summer.
Music at the Heart of Worship
Music is central to life at Holy Rosary. Joseph Robinson serves as Music Director, and Kristina Patterson directs the Children's and Youth Choir. Together with the Mass Choir, cantors, instrumentalists, and the parish's liturgical choirs, music shapes the weekend liturgies and special celebrations. Children participate through the Children's Liturgy of the Word program, and lectors, greeters, ushers, altar servers, and Eucharistic Ministers round out the worship ministry that animates Sunday Mass.
Ministries Rooted in Service and Social Justice
The parish lives out its mission through a wide network of ministries organized under Christian Formation, Worship, Parish Community Life, and Social Justice. The Ladies' Sodality and the Knights of Columbus Council 6457 are anchors of parish community life, alongside the Legion of Mary, a Scholarship Committee, a Pastoral Care Ministry, and a Prayer Shawl and Knitting Ministry. The Parish Pastoral Council, led in part by Co-Chair Jane Henderson, supports the pastor in discerning the spiritual direction of the parish, while the Finance Council, chaired by Carroll Antoine, oversees the parish budget and financial operations as required by Canon Law.
The Social Justice Ministry reaches well beyond the parish grounds. It includes an AIDS Ministry, Liberation Veterans Services, ministry to families of inmates, collaboration with Habitat for Humanity, partnership with CARITAS, a Health ministry, the Annual Angel Tree gift program, work with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and participation in RISC (Richmonders Involved to Strengthen our Communities). A Funeral Ministry extends the parish's care to grieving families.
The Bishop's Cup and Parish Life
Each October, Holy Rosary hosts the Bishop's Cup Invitational Golf Tournament at The Brookwoods Golf Club in Quinton, Virginia, with proceeds supporting parish programs. The event draws teams from across the diocese competing for the Bishop's Cup Trophy, along with longest-drive, closest-to-the-pin, and prize-drawing contests.
Inside the church campus, the Parish Hall serves as a gathering place for church and community events. It features an open floor suitable for dining or dancing, a full-service kitchen with warming and serving counters, a sound system, and wheelchair accessible entrances. The hall is available for rental, with reservations handled through the church office.
A Welcoming Parish on R Street
Holy Rosary Catholic Church is pastored by Rev. Tochi Iwuji, supported by Deacons Francis Nelson and Melvin Dowdy. The parish office is open Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM and can be reached at 804-222-1105 or office@hrccrichmond.org. Services are livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook so that members can take part from home. Newcomers are warmly invited to register through a form available from the parish office, and a yearly Religious Education registration form is offered for families preparing children for the sacraments.
For more than seventy years, Holy Rosary has gathered African-American Catholics in Richmond around Word, Worship, Community, and Service. Its history, its many ministries, and the steady rhythm of its weekly Masses and Eucharistic Adoration continue to shape a parish that sees itself as both a living expression of Roman Catholic faith and a continuing witness to African-American Catholic life in Virginia.