About St. Benedict the Moor · Columbus, Georgia
St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church is an African American parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah, located at 2935 9th Street in Columbus, Georgia. Founded in 1956 as a mission of the Salvatorian Fathers (Society of the Divine Savior) and canonically established as a parish in April 1959, it has served the local community for nearly seventy years under three successive religious orders. The parish lives by the motto 'Where Everyone is Somebody and Jesus is Lord!' and is currently pastored by Father John Paul Arowosoge, MSP, a priest of the Missionary Society of St. Paul of Nigeria.
- Established
- 1956
- Patron
- St. Benedict the Moor
- Rector
- Father John Paul Arowosoge, MSP
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah
Why belong here
St. Benedict the Moor is a small but deeply rooted African American Catholic parish where every member is welcomed as family. Parishioners gather around Sunday Mass, faith formation, Bible Study, the choir, and a long-running Thursday food outreach that feeds neighbors in need. With its warm A-frame sanctuary, active Catholic Council of Women, youth programs, and Eucharistic ministry — under the parish motto 'Where Everyone is Anybody and Jesus is Lord!' — it is a place to pray, serve, and belong.
Mass times at St. Benedict the Moor
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 9:30 AM
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday (special Eucharistic Adoration scheduled — see bulletin)
Parish History
St. Benedict the Moor traces its roots to the late 1930s, when the National Black Congress urged Rome to grow Black Catholic communities across the South. The Society of the Divine Savior (Salvatorians) responded by sending priests to Phenix City, Alabama to staff Mother Mary Mission, and then expanding across the Chattahoochee into Columbus, Georgia. The first 'home parish Mass' was celebrated by Fr. Gregory Putzer, SDS on February 22, 1956 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cox on the corner of Rigdon Road and Baldwin Street. The congregation was largely made up of converts baptized at Mother Mary Mission by the Salvatorians and the Vincentian Sisters of Charity.
Canonical Establishment and Early Buildings
In May 1958, the first parish buildings — two classrooms, a kitchen, a small worship space and rectory — were constructed. St. Benedict the Moor was canonically established as a parish in April 1959, with Fr. Ignatius Behr, SDS becoming its first resident pastor. By January 1961 property was purchased for a larger church; ground was broken on June 4, 1961.
- April 1959 — canonical parish status
- May 1958 — first parish hall and rectory built
- June 4, 1961 — groundbreaking for new church
- October 22, 1961 — present A-frame church dedicated by Bishop Thomas J. McDonough, DD of Savannah
- 1969 — new rectory built under Fr. Thomas Leannah, SDS
The Community Hall and Outreach Legacy
Under Fr. Mark Sterbenz, SDS, the parish collaborated with the Catholic Extension Society of Chicago, the Diocese of Savannah, the Black and Native American Commission, the Sisters of Mercy, Holy Family Church, the Knights of Columbus Bishop Gross Assembly, and many individuals to build the St. Benedict the Moor Community Hall in 1983. The hall now houses parish offices, a kitchen, and the parish's long-running Outreach Program that has fed the surrounding neighborhood every week for more than three decades.
- Donors included the Sisters of Mercy, Holy Family Church, John Amos, Leroy Burnham, Vincent McCauley, and the Knights of Columbus Bishop Gross Assembly
- Outreach Program runs on Thursdays, resuming after the COVID-19 pause
A Parish Shaped by Three Religious Orders
St. Benedict the Moor has been served by three successive religious institutes. The Salvatorians (Society of the Divine Savior) founded and staffed the parish for 64 years, from the Mother Mary Mission era in 1941 until 2005. In 2005, with the Salvatorians facing diminishing membership, Bishop J. Kevin Boland invited the Missionary Society of St. Paul of Nigeria (MSP) — formed in 1977 by the Nigerian Bishops Conference — to take over pastoral care. Since 2018, the Franciscan Friars Conventual have also shared in ministry, and the parish is currently pastored by Father John Paul Arowosoge, MSP.
Parish Ministries and Faith Life
Faith formation, music, and service are at the heart of parish life at St. Benedict the Moor. Adult Catechesis offers parishioners a forum to deepen their Catholic identity and become 'missionary disciples of the Gospel.' Bible Study meets in the Parish Hall, and the choir practices weekly. The parish also runs a popular Tai Chi for Health class, and Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Eucharist are commissioned each year.
- Adult Catechesis / Faith Formation
- Bible Study (Tuesdays 5:15 PM in the Parish Hall)
- Parish Choir (Tuesday practice 6:00 PM)
- Eucharistic Ministers
- Catholic Council of Women (CCW)
- Parish Council and Finance Committee
- Tai Chi for Health (Wednesdays 10:00 AM)
- Youth Club / youth ministry discussions
- Basketball Team (founded by Fr. Paul Brick)
Outreach and Charity
St. Benedict the Moor has long been a neighbor to those in need. Every Thursday, parishioners prepare and distribute food to neighbors through the parish's Outreach Program, housed in the Community Hall and supported by donors including the Sisters of Mercy and the Catholic Extension Society. The parish also participates in the CCW Baby Bottle Boomerang, a Mother's Day to Father's Day charitable drive benefiting pro-life causes.
- Thursday food outreach (resumed after a COVID-era pause)
- Community Hall kitchen and offices house the program
- CCW Baby Bottle Boomerang (Mother's Day through Father's Day)
Vocations from St. Benedict the Moor
From good Catholic-Christian families come the seeds of vocations — and St. Benedict has given both a daughter and a son to consecrated life. On August 15, 1968, Sister Julian Griffin, VSC, made her Perpetual Profession of Vows at the parish. She is remembered in stained glass in the church foyer near the staircase to the choir loft. On June 7, 1997, Fr. Bruce Greening, SDS was ordained to the priesthood in the parish he grew up in, and later returned as pastor from 1985 to 1989.
- Sister Julian Griffin, VSC — Perpetual Profession, August 15, 1968
- Fr. Bruce Greening, SDS — Ordination, June 7, 1997
Practical Information
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office at the address and contact details below. The parish is in the Columbus Deanery of the Diocese of Savannah, located in Muscogee County.
- Address: 2935 9th Street, Columbus, GA 31906
- Phone: 706-323-8300
- Fax: 706-324-2641
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://stbenedictthemoorcolumbus.org/
- Deanery: Columbus
- County: Muscogee
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Augustine Lucca, SDS1959
First pastor at canonical establishment (Salvatorian).
- Fr. Ignatius Behr, SDS1959–1968
First resident pastor; oversaw building of the present A-frame church (1961).
- Fr. Andrew Shimek, SDS1968–1969
Salvatorian pastor.
- Fr. Thomas Leannah, SDS1969–1972
Salvatorian; oversaw construction of the new rectory in 1969.
- Fr. Mark Sterbenz, SDS1972–1985
Salvatorian; led the building of the St. Benedict the Moor Community Hall in 1983 with Catholic Extension Society and other donors.
- Fr. Bruce Greening, SDS1985–1989
Native son of the parish, ordained a Salvatorian priest in 1997; gifted preacher during his pastorate.
- Fr. Neal Durham, SDS1987–1990
Salvatorian pastor.
- Fr. Paul Brick, SDS1990–2005
Longest-tenured pastor (15 years); started the parish Basketball Team and led Strategic Planning; last Salvatorian pastor.
- Fr. Donatus Mgbeajuo, MSP2005–2013
First priest of the Missionary Society of St. Paul of Nigeria assigned to the parish.
- Fr. Charles Atuah, MSP2013–2018
MSP pastor; served under the parish motto 'Where Everyone is Somebody and Jesus is Lord!'.
- Fr. Noel Danielewicz, OFM Conv.2018–
Franciscan Friars Conventual pastor (per parish history page).
- Fr. John Paul Arowosoge, MSPpresent
Current pastor; Missionary Society of St. Paul of Nigeria; formerly a lecturer and formator at the National Missionary Seminary of St. Paul in Nigeria.