About Saint Paul · Portsmouth, Virginia
Saint Paul Catholic Church is the oldest Catholic congregation in Portsmouth, Virginia, founded in 1804 by French and Irish immigrants and now located in a celebrated 1905 Gothic Revival landmark in Olde Towne. It is one of four churches that make up the Cluster Parishes of Portsmouth and Chesapeake, sharing pastoral staff, faith formation programs, and a cluster office with the Church of the Resurrection, the Church of the Holy Angels, and Saint Mary in Chesapeake. The parish is pastored by Very Rev. Anthony Morris, V.F., with Parochial Vicar Rev. Herminio Felipe, and is part of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond.
- Established
- 1804
- Patron
- Saint Paul the Apostle
- Rector
- Very Rev. Anthony Morris, V.F.
- Diocese
- Catholic Diocese of Richmond
Why belong here
Saint Paul offers the rare experience of worshipping in a beautifully preserved 1905 Gothic Revival landmark — complete with Munich stained glass, hand-carved Stations of the Cross, and a marble-and-onyx altar — that is also the oldest Catholic congregation in Portsmouth. As one of four Cluster Parishes, it shares a robust formation program for children, youth, and adults (including OCIA, weekly adult formation on Wednesday nights, and a youth ministry for grades 6–12), a dedicated pastoral musician, and active outreach such as the Cluster Assistance Ministry and Prison Ministry at Portsmouth City Jail. Whether you are drawn by history, liturgy, formation, or service, the parish welcomes you into a deeply rooted Olde Towne Catholic community.
Mass times at Saint Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
History of St. Paul's Catholic Church
Saint Paul's is the oldest Catholic congregation in Portsmouth, founded in 1804 and built by French and Irish immigrants between 1811 and 1815. As the parish grew, larger churches replaced the original: new structures in 1831 and 1851, a fourth building after the 1859 fire (completed 1868, itself lost to fire in 1897), and finally the present Gothic Revival church designed in 1897 and dedicated in 1905. The parish was added to the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 2002, and a Virginia historical marker was erected at the site in 2003.
- 1804 — congregation founded
- 1811–1815 — first church built by French and Irish immigrants
- 1831 and 1851 — second and third churches built to accommodate growth
- 1859 — fire destroys third building; fourth church begun, completed 1868
- 1897 — fourth church burns
- 1897 — architect John Kevan Peebles designs the present Gothic Revival church
- 1898–1905 — construction (seven years)
- 1901 — bell installed in tower
- 1905 — church dedicated
- 1913 — contributing rectory built
- 1928 — eleven murals commissioned above main altar
- 2002 — listed on Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places
- 2003 — Virginia historical marker erected
- June 2013 — 19th-century parish cemetery renamed All Saints Catholic Cemetery by decree of Bishop DiLorenzo
Architecture & Building
The present St. Paul's is a compact Gothic Revival cruciform-plan church — the fifth on the same High Street site — built with load-bearing masonry walls clad in quarry-faced granite and topped by a steel-beam roof covered in slate shingles. Its exterior features Gothic double arches, buttressing, a flying buttress on the western face (the only one in Olde Towne), and a large stained-glass window above the central entrance. The interior retains the original quartered-oak pews, original carvings of the Stations of the Cross, twenty-eight stained glass windows from Munich, Germany, a main altar of Italian marble and Mexican onyx, and eleven murals added in 1928. The bell installed in 1901 still hangs in the bell tower, and the 1913 rectory stands alongside the church as a contributing structure.
- Architect: John Kevan Peebles (1876–1934)
- Style: Gothic Revival, cruciform plan
- Construction: 1898–1905 (begun 1897 design)
- Materials: quarry-faced granite, steel-beam roof, slate shingles
- Bell installed 1901
- Rectory built 1913
- NRHP #02000619; VLR #124-5063-0008
Cluster Parishes of Portsmouth and Chesapeake
Saint Paul is one of four Catholic parishes that share clergy, staff, formation programs, and a central cluster office. Together they form the Cluster Parishes of Portsmouth and Chesapeake. The cluster model allows the parishes to coordinate faith formation, sacramental preparation, music, and outreach across the wider Hampton Roads region.
- St. Paul Catholic Church — 522 High Street, Portsmouth, VA 23704
- Church of the Resurrection — Portsmouth
- Church of the Holy Angels — Portsmouth
- Saint Mary Catholic Church — Chesapeake
- Cluster office: 3501 Cedar Lane, Portsmouth, VA 23703
- Cluster phone: 757-484-7335
Clergy & Staff
The parish is served by a pastor and parochial vicar who are shared across the cluster, supported by a team of lay staff responsible for business, formation, music, weddings, youth, and facilities.
- Very Rev. Anthony Morris, V.F. — Pastor ([email protected])
- Rev. Herminio Felipe ('Fr. Jun') — Parochial Vicar ([email protected])
- Faye Gardner-White — Business Manager ([email protected])
- Katherine Kardok — Director of Adult Formation ([email protected])
- Theresa Carpenter — Wedding Coordinator & Office Staff; also Children's Formation Coordinator ([email protected] / [email protected])
- Roberto Pagtalunan — Youth Minister ([email protected])
- Nick Nespoli — Pastoral Musician for St. Paul & Resurrection ([email protected])
- Melissa Warren — Administrative Assistant / Accounting Clerk
- Joe Facenda — Custodian, St. Paul and Resurrection
- Jeff Warren — Maintenance Coordinator, Cluster
- Laura Rainey and Traci Greene — Cluster Assistance Ministry ([email protected])
Faith Formation
Faith formation at St. Paul's is coordinated across the four cluster parishes, giving parishioners access to programs for every age and stage. Children's Faith Formation is offered for grades K–5 on Sunday mornings; St. Paul's hosts its class from 10:00–11:00 AM. The OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) process begins each September and culminates at the Easter Vigil; adult classes meet Thursday evenings at the Church of the Resurrection. Adult formation continues year-round on Wednesday evenings with 6 PM Mass followed by formation classes from 7:00–8:00 PM. The parish also provides free access to Formed.org digital Catholic content for all parishioners.
- Children's Faith Formation (K–5) at St. Paul — Sundays 10:00–11:00 AM
- OCIA — Thursdays 6:30–8:00 PM at Church of the Resurrection (begins Sept 18, 2025)
- OCIA Adapted for Children (ages 7–17) — Thursdays 6:00–7:00 PM
- Adult Formation — Wednesdays 7:00–8:00 PM at Church of the Resurrection (with 6 PM Mass)
- Formed.org free digital platform (parish code: Cluster Parishes 3501 Portsmouth VA, zip 23703)
Youth Ministry
The Cluster Youth Ministry serves youth in Grades 6–12, meeting at Caroluzza Hall at the Church of the Resurrection on Sunday evenings from 5:30–7:30 PM for dinner, fellowship, and age-appropriate faith formation (split into Grades 6–8 and 9–12 groups). The program also coordinates regional and diocesan youth events, Work Camp, and Confirmation preparation.
- Grades 6–12 — Sundays 5:30–7:30 PM at Church of the Resurrection
- Regional youth events, Diocesan Youth Conference, Work Camp
- Confirmation preparation coordinated through the cluster
- Contact: Roberto Pagtalunan, 757-484-7335 ext. 111
Music & Liturgy
Music at St. Paul's is led by Pastoral Musician Nick Nespoli, who also serves the Church of the Resurrection. The parish's historic sanctuary — with its original quartered-oak pews, German stained glass, and Italian-marble-and-Mexican-onyx altar — provides a fitting setting for the sung liturgy.
- Pastoral Musician: Nick Nespoli ([email protected])
- Original quartered-oak pews retained in the sanctuary
- Twenty-eight Munich stained-glass windows
- Altar of Italian marble and Mexican onyx with 1928 murals
Sacraments
Sacramental preparation is offered through the Cluster Parishes for Baptism (including the OCIA process for adults and children 7+), First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage. Couples preparing for marriage work with Wedding Coordinator Theresa Carpenter.
- Baptism — for adults and children 7+ through OCIA
- First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion — for children in the parish formation program
- Confirmation — for youth, prepared through the Cluster Youth Ministry
- Marriage — Wedding Coordinator Theresa Carpenter
Outreach & Charity
St. Paul's parishioners are active in local outreach through the Cluster Assistance Ministry and a long-standing Prison Ministry at the Portsmouth City Jail, as listed in the Diocese of Richmond's directory for the parish. Catechist and volunteer opportunities also extend the parish's charitable reach into faith formation for children and adults.
- Cluster Assistance Ministry — Laura Rainey and Traci Greene ([email protected])
- Prison Ministry at Portsmouth City Jail
- Catechist, aide, and Confirmation-sponsor volunteer opportunities
Visiting & Pastoral Council
The St. Paul's Docent Guild welcomes visitors with open-house and special group tours of the historic 1905 church. Pastoral planning across the cluster is guided by the Cluster Pastoral Council, with three St. Paul representatives currently serving.
- Tours: St. Paul's Docent Guild, 757-483-6201
- Open House Tours and Special Group Tours available
- St. Paul Cluster Pastoral Council reps: Shea Wilde, George Martin, Delores Oliver
All Saints Catholic Cemetery
A burial ground for early parishioners and clergy of St. Paul's was located on the original church site during the 19th century. In June 2013, by decree of Bishop DiLorenzo, St. Paul's Cemetery — also known as Portsmouth Catholic Cemetery — was renamed All Saints Catholic Cemetery and continues in operation at a separate Portsmouth location.
- Renamed All Saints Catholic Cemetery in June 2013 by decree of Bishop DiLorenzo
- Location: 2701 Elm Avenue, Portsmouth, VA 23704