| St. Patrick Catholic Church History |
In the late 1880’s Nashville Diocese Bishop Joseph Rademacher decided there was a need
for a parish on Nashville’s south side. It would be the fourth parish in Nashville to serve
a total of 8,000 Catholics. In those times, many Catholic parishes served ethnic groups
who tended to live together in close-knit communities (it was not until 1924 that
geographic boundaries were set for parishes). In the 1880’s Nashville’s south side was
predominantly Irish. For this reason, Bishop Rademacher felt the new parish should be
called St. Patrick in honor of the patron saint of Ireland.
Original parish records show that 440 individuals, families and companies pledged
$12,045 towards construction of the new parish buildings – the church, rectory and
school. Of this pledge amount, $10,135 was collected almost immediately allowing the
building to commence. The pledges were in amounts of as little .50 cents or $1.00. A
few wealthy individuals pledged $100 and several companies donated amounts between
$200 to the highest pledge of $500. Although the reason for the donation is unknown,
Boston’s John L. Sullivan, then the reigning heavyweight boxing champion of the world,
gave $25 towards construction of the new church.
The cornerstone was laid on July 13, 1890 and construction completed in less than seven
months. The church was dedicated with a Mass on February 8, 1891. Despite the
amounts pledged towards construction parish debt remained at $10,500 which, at the
time, was considered a substantial sum. In an effort to reduce this parish debt, St.
Patrick’s utilized something that was a common practice for the time – pew rent. Church
records show that in 1894 St. Patrick noted $902 in pew rent.
The church architectural design is known as Second Empire Style. It remains one of the
few buildings in the Nashville area reflecting this style. The original Vanderbilt University
gym (now the Fine Arts Building located at 23rd Street and West End) is the only other
surviving building of this style. As would have been necessary for the times, the church
was lit by gaslight and heated by coal stoves. The floor of the church was built with a
slight downward slope to allow better viewing of the altar – a design feature found in
only two other churches in Tennessee of this era incorporated this feature.
A school comprised of Grades 1 through 8 was part of the parish from its outset. This
grade school was located on the upper floors of the church. The school was staffed by
the Sisters of Mercy of St. Bernard’s Convent. Due to the physical space available, the
grade school was never large in number of students. The school closed in 1954 as
several adjoining parishes opened newer more modern facilities.
Any history of St. Patrick must include comment about its first pastor. Reverend Timothy
Abbott was ordained in 1879 and assigned to mission and pastor duties in Jackson, TN.
Reverend Abbott was tasked to open St. Patrick parish in 1889 and remained its pastor
until his death in 1932. This 43 year leadership and dedication to St. Patrick church,
school and the surrounding community is indeed remarkable.
Time took its toll on the church buildings over the years. Maintenance efforts were
undertaken in the 1930’s and in 1948 but by the 1970’s there was were concerns whether
the physical structure could continue in use. Fortunately, through the use of volunteers,
professionals, donated and purchased items a full restoration of the church was
accomplished in 1978 under the vision of Reverend Frank Richards. The interior walls of
the church were sanded, patched and repainted. The floors were sanded and varnished.
The pews which had been painted white were stripped of their paint and returned to their
natural finish. The stained glass windows adorning the church were cleaned and
protected from weather. Rotted windows were replaced. The baptismal font which had
been donated in 1911 was moved to the rear of the church. One church facet – the
wrought iron fence at the front of the church grounds – was not made part of the
restoration efforts and remains as it was at the time the church first opened.
One unique aspect of the parish is its connection to the “Irish Travelers.” This is a group
of Irish immigrants of the mid-1800’s who have not assimilated into the American
population as other ethnic groups have done over the years. Instead, this group remains
clannish who live an itinerant lifestyle. Over the years, various families comprising the
Irish Travelers would appear in the Nashville area to hold a common funeral for those
who had died since the last gathering. Weddings and baptisms were performed as the
gathering was equated to a family reunion. Times have changed and the Irish Travelers
no longer roam the countryside by wagon but they will return at times to St. Patrick and
renew their connection to the parish. The Irish Travelers have shown their appreciation
for St. Patrick by donation of the Infant of Prague statue found in the Narthex and the
statue of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
St. Patrick’s Parish has enjoyed good times and survived bad times. It has been through
depressions, wars, population shifts, cultural changes and the transition of the
surrounding community. It has survived declines in its congregation and the surrounding
neighborhood. Throughout this all, St. Patrick Church has remained a constant – a place
of faith and worship for the Catholic community.
We thank all those connected to the St. Patrick community and its rich history for their
contributions over these past 115 plus years. It has well earned its listing in the National
Register of Historic Places. Although the pastors, nuns, students and parishioners may
have changed, they have kept alive throughout all these years the Catholic faith its spirit
as manifested at St. Patrick Parish. We honor our past and look forward to our future.
for a parish on Nashville’s south side. It would be the fourth parish in Nashville to serve
a total of 8,000 Catholics. In those times, many Catholic parishes served ethnic groups
who tended to live together in close-knit communities (it was not until 1924 that
geographic boundaries were set for parishes). In the 1880’s Nashville’s south side was
predominantly Irish. For this reason, Bishop Rademacher felt the new parish should be
called St. Patrick in honor of the patron saint of Ireland.
Original parish records show that 440 individuals, families and companies pledged
$12,045 towards construction of the new parish buildings – the church, rectory and
school. Of this pledge amount, $10,135 was collected almost immediately allowing the
building to commence. The pledges were in amounts of as little .50 cents or $1.00. A
few wealthy individuals pledged $100 and several companies donated amounts between
$200 to the highest pledge of $500. Although the reason for the donation is unknown,
Boston’s John L. Sullivan, then the reigning heavyweight boxing champion of the world,
gave $25 towards construction of the new church.
The cornerstone was laid on July 13, 1890 and construction completed in less than seven
months. The church was dedicated with a Mass on February 8, 1891. Despite the
amounts pledged towards construction parish debt remained at $10,500 which, at the
time, was considered a substantial sum. In an effort to reduce this parish debt, St.
Patrick’s utilized something that was a common practice for the time – pew rent. Church
records show that in 1894 St. Patrick noted $902 in pew rent.
The church architectural design is known as Second Empire Style. It remains one of the
few buildings in the Nashville area reflecting this style. The original Vanderbilt University
gym (now the Fine Arts Building located at 23rd Street and West End) is the only other
surviving building of this style. As would have been necessary for the times, the church
was lit by gaslight and heated by coal stoves. The floor of the church was built with a
slight downward slope to allow better viewing of the altar – a design feature found in
only two other churches in Tennessee of this era incorporated this feature.
A school comprised of Grades 1 through 8 was part of the parish from its outset. This
grade school was located on the upper floors of the church. The school was staffed by
the Sisters of Mercy of St. Bernard’s Convent. Due to the physical space available, the
grade school was never large in number of students. The school closed in 1954 as
several adjoining parishes opened newer more modern facilities.
Any history of St. Patrick must include comment about its first pastor. Reverend Timothy
Abbott was ordained in 1879 and assigned to mission and pastor duties in Jackson, TN.
Reverend Abbott was tasked to open St. Patrick parish in 1889 and remained its pastor
until his death in 1932. This 43 year leadership and dedication to St. Patrick church,
school and the surrounding community is indeed remarkable.
Time took its toll on the church buildings over the years. Maintenance efforts were
undertaken in the 1930’s and in 1948 but by the 1970’s there was were concerns whether
the physical structure could continue in use. Fortunately, through the use of volunteers,
professionals, donated and purchased items a full restoration of the church was
accomplished in 1978 under the vision of Reverend Frank Richards. The interior walls of
the church were sanded, patched and repainted. The floors were sanded and varnished.
The pews which had been painted white were stripped of their paint and returned to their
natural finish. The stained glass windows adorning the church were cleaned and
protected from weather. Rotted windows were replaced. The baptismal font which had
been donated in 1911 was moved to the rear of the church. One church facet – the
wrought iron fence at the front of the church grounds – was not made part of the
restoration efforts and remains as it was at the time the church first opened.
One unique aspect of the parish is its connection to the “Irish Travelers.” This is a group
of Irish immigrants of the mid-1800’s who have not assimilated into the American
population as other ethnic groups have done over the years. Instead, this group remains
clannish who live an itinerant lifestyle. Over the years, various families comprising the
Irish Travelers would appear in the Nashville area to hold a common funeral for those
who had died since the last gathering. Weddings and baptisms were performed as the
gathering was equated to a family reunion. Times have changed and the Irish Travelers
no longer roam the countryside by wagon but they will return at times to St. Patrick and
renew their connection to the parish. The Irish Travelers have shown their appreciation
for St. Patrick by donation of the Infant of Prague statue found in the Narthex and the
statue of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
St. Patrick’s Parish has enjoyed good times and survived bad times. It has been through
depressions, wars, population shifts, cultural changes and the transition of the
surrounding community. It has survived declines in its congregation and the surrounding
neighborhood. Throughout this all, St. Patrick Church has remained a constant – a place
of faith and worship for the Catholic community.
We thank all those connected to the St. Patrick community and its rich history for their
contributions over these past 115 plus years. It has well earned its listing in the National
Register of Historic Places. Although the pastors, nuns, students and parishioners may
have changed, they have kept alive throughout all these years the Catholic faith its spirit
as manifested at St. Patrick Parish. We honor our past and look forward to our future.
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| St. Patrick Catholic Church 1219 Second Avenue South Nashville, TN 37210 |