About St. Benedict · Greensboro, North Carolina
St. Benedict Catholic Church is a Roman-Latin rite parish of the Diocese of Charlotte located at 109 West Smith Street in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina. It is the oldest Catholic church in Greensboro, considered the Catholic 'mother church' of the city, and one of the oldest churches in the Diocese of Charlotte. Its roots go back to the first Catholic Mass celebrated in Greensboro in the 1870s; the parish was canonically erected in 1898 with the current Gothic church built on land between North Elm and Smith Streets, in part thanks to a $1,500 donation from St. Katharine Drexel that came with a stipulation that pews be reserved for African-American parishioners. Today the parish serves about 270 registered families of diverse national origins, offers daily noon Mass for downtown workers, and is known for its 1892 World's Fair stained-glass rose windows and a 2017 sanctuary restoration that returned the interior to its 1898 appearance.
- Established
- 1877
- Patron
- St. Benedict of Nursia
- Rector
- Rev. James (Duc H.) Duong
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte
Why belong here
St. Benedict is the historic Catholic mother church of Greensboro and an unusually diverse downtown parish of about 270 families drawn from countries including Nigeria, Togo, Croatia, and Vietnam. It offers the rare gift of a weekday noon Mass for Catholics who work downtown, a perpetual devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal that the parish credits with fostering many vocations, and a recently restored 1898 Gothic sanctuary — complete with 1892 Munich World's Fair rose windows — that is intentionally beautiful and traditional. Visitors are welcomed into a community shaped by 120+ years of prayer, a long record of producing priests and religious, and a deep commitment to integration and outreach through ministries like Room at the Inn.
Mass times at St. Benedict
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 11:45 AM – 12:10 PM (before 12:15 PM Mass)
- Tuesday 11:45 AM – before Mass
- Wednesday 11:45 AM – before Mass
- Friday 11:45 AM – before Mass
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM (before 5:00 PM Vigil Mass)
Adoration times
- Friday after 9:00 AM Mass until 10:00 AM
- First Fridays until 10:30 AM
History of St. Benedict Catholic Church
St. Benedict's story is the story of Catholicism in Greensboro. The first Catholic Mass in the city was celebrated in the homes of a handful of Catholic families in the 1870s, served by traveling Benedictine priests from Belmont Abbey. Seven families pooled their resources to build a frame church, and in 1877 Bishop James Gibbons of Richmond laid the cornerstone of what was first called St. Agnes (sometimes St. Anne's). The mission was cared for by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey until a resident Benedictine pastor was assigned in 1888.
- First Mass in Greensboro: 1870s
- Cornerstone laid 1877 by Bishop (later Cardinal) James Gibbons
- Original church sold to City of Greensboro 1899; became first public high school (now Grimsley Senior High)
- Current church built 1898 on North Elm and Smith streets
- St. Katharine Drexel donated $1,500 with a stipulation of integrated pews
- Pioneering Spirit history book published 2018 by Annie Ferguson and Kimberly Mara Oliver
The 2017 Sanctuary Restoration
Under Pastor Father James Duong, the parish undertook a $200,000 restoration beginning June 5, 2017 and completed in time for the vigil Mass on September 16, 2017. The work returned the sanctuary to its 1898 high-altar configuration, reversing the simpler 1960s reordering. Bishop Peter Jugis dedicated the new altar on September 22, 2017. Because much of the labor was donated by the pastor, parishioners and local contractors — including a full parish carpentry crew and lighting designer Bob Hunt of Illuminating Technologies — the parish saved an estimated $100,000 versus contracted bids. The team relied on photographs taken by an unknown parishioner in the 1930s to recreate the original interior.
- Project budget: $200,000 (parish savings and donations)
- Project manager: Tom Garcia (20-year parishioner)
- Altar design with High Point's Church Interiors; millwork in Nebraska
- Marble-tile sanctuary floor installed
- LED pendant and ceiling lighting by Bob Hunt (Illuminating Technologies)
- Refurbished 1921 Pietà retrieved from the basement
- Hand-painted stenciling in blue and burgundy by artist Gwen Ware
Architecture and Stained Glass
The current church is a Gothic Revival cruciform building completed in 1898, with two transepts each lit by an upper rose window. Those two rose windows were made in Munich and brought to the United States for the Catholic Exhibit at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, before being given to the parish. Following the 2017 restoration the interior was deliberately re-dressed to mirror that 1898 exterior, with stenciled ornament echoing the colors of the glass, a high altar, sanctuary chairs and a carved wooden lectern and cantor stand bearing liturgical symbols such as the crown of thorns.
- Style: Gothic Revival
- Built: 1898
- Materials: brick exterior, marble-tile sanctuary floor, carved wood furnishings
- Two Munich rose windows from the 1893 World's Fair
- 1921 Pietà (refurbished 2017)
- Carved hexagonal wooden lectern and matching cantor stand
- Stained-glass windows featured in Pioneering Spirit (2018)
Parish Ministries and Devotions
St. Benedict is known for a long-standing perpetual devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal — a tradition credited by the parish with fostering numerous vocations — and for ministries reaching beyond its downtown walls. Former pastor Father Conrad Kimbrough helped found Room at the Inn, Greensboro's licensed Catholic maternity home. The parish community includes members from Nigeria, Togo, Croatia, Vietnam and elsewhere, and parishioners played a hands-on role in the 2017 sanctuary restoration.
- Perpetual Miraculous Medal devotion
- Daily noon Mass for downtown workers
- Room at the Inn maternity home (parish initiative)
- Faith formation and RCIA
- St. Vincent de Paul (historical parish presence)
- Knights of Columbus (historical parish presence)
- Liturgical and music ministry
- Children and youth faith formation
Visit, Location and Visiting Information
St. Benedict sits in the heart of downtown Greensboro at 109 West Smith Street, on the southwest corner of North Elm and Smith streets. After the 2017 restoration the parish installed a timer that keeps the exterior and interior lighting on from sunset to 10:00 PM, so the Gothic facade and rose windows are visible to passersby even when the church is not open for services.
- Address: 109 West Smith Street, Greensboro, NC 27401
- Phone: (336) 272-0303
- Website: stbenedictgreensboro.net
- Diocese: Diocese of Charlotte
- Building lights: sunset to 10:00 PM nightly
- On-site parking; accessible to GTA downtown routes
Notable Facts and Cultural Significance
St. Benedict is more than a parish church — it is a Greensboro landmark. The original 1877 building became the city's first public high school. Its present building houses 1893 World's Fair rose windows from Munich and a 1921 Pietà, and its current sanctuary restoration is widely cited as a model of parishioner-funded preservation. The parish's pioneering stand for integrated seating, made possible by St. Katharine Drexel's donation, predates the civil-rights era by more than half a century.
- Mother church of Greensboro Catholicism
- One of the oldest parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte
- Houses 1893 Munich World's Fair rose windows
- Donation from St. Katharine Drexel enforced integrated pews pre-civil-rights era
- Original 1877 church became city's first public high school
- Documented in 2018 book Pioneering Spirit
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Charles Mohr, O.S.B.1880s–early 1900s
Benedictine pastor; later founder and first abbot of St. Leo Abbey in Florida. Mentioned as a 'beloved founder of St. Leo's Abbey' who earlier served Greensboro as a mission center more than half a century before 1937.
- Rev. Vincent G. Taylor, O.S.B.c. 1902–1925
Fifth pastor; served more than twenty years. Later elected Abbot-Ordinary of Belmont Abbey in 1925, succeeding Bishop-Abbot Leo Haid. Instrumental in bringing the Sisters of Charity to Greensboro, which led to St. Leo's Hospital (1906). Married the Showfety family at St. Benedict in the 1930s.
- Rev. Lawrence McHale, O.S.B.1925–1926 (approx.)
Benedictine pastor succeeding Father Taylor; referenced as 'another recent pastor' in 1937 diocesan coverage.
- Rev. Eugene Egan, O.S.B.1926 (approx.)
Benedictine pastor named among 'other recent pastors' at Greensboro in 1937 coverage.
- Rev. Charles Castner, O.S.B.1936–1937 (approx.)
Former Cathedral rector at Belmont who was appointed pastor of St. Benedict in 1936. Native of Baltimore; professed 1918; ordained 1923.
- Rev. Robert Ferris
Retired former pastor; concelebrated the 2017 altar-dedication Mass with Monsignor Showfety.
- Rev. Conrad Kimbrough
Former pastor; later founded Room at the Inn, a licensed Catholic maternity home in Greensboro, started by St. Benedict parishioners.
- Msgr. Joseph Showfety1993–2002
Native son of the parish (baptized 1927); first chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte (1972–1979); opened parish life center in 2000; repaired steeples, brick and finances.
- Rev. James (Duc H.) Duong2004–present
Current pastor; native of Vietnam; led the $200,000 2017 sanctuary restoration that returned the church interior to its 1898 appearance.