About St. Patrick · Richmond, Virginia
St. Patrick Catholic Church is a historic parish on Church Hill, the highest of Richmond's seven hills, overlooking downtown and the James River. Founded in 1859 by Irish immigrant workers from the surrounding tobacco factories and consecrated by Bishop John McGill on November 11, 1860, just days after Abraham Lincoln's election, it is the second-oldest surviving Catholic church building in Richmond and a landmark of the city's historic East End. The parish is the baptismal church of Servant of God Frank Parater (1897–1920), a Richmond seminarian whose cause for canonization is open in the Diocese of Richmond. Today St. Patrick is part of the Richmond Catholic Cluster with the Pro-Cathedral of St. Peter and St. John, Highland Springs, and is known as the "little church with a big heart" for its welcoming diversity — historically rooted in Irish, Lebanese, Italian, Cuban, and Black Catholic communities.
- Established
- 1859
- Patron
- St. Patrick
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph Christian I. Indadaño, J.C.L. (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Richmond
Why belong here
St. Patrick is an intimate, historic parish where parishioners know one another by name and the entire cluster office is staffed by volunteers who pick up the phone during weekday mornings. The parish welcomes new and returning members from a wide range of backgrounds — historically Irish, Lebanese, Italian, Cuban, and Black Catholic families have all worshipped here — and today offers a bilingual (English/Spanish) ministry through its Hispanic Ministry. As the baptismal church of Servant of God Frank Parater and a stop on the Virginia Catholic heritage trail, it offers a deeply rooted devotional life with an active Catholic school (St. Patrick School), religious education, RCIA, youth ministry, choir, and the famous annual Irish Festival that funds both the parish and local charities. Visitors come up the steps on the hill for a smaller, more personal worship experience in a landmark setting.
Mass times at St. Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM
- By appointment
History of St. Patrick Catholic Church
St. Patrick was founded in 1859 by Irish immigrant families who worked in the tobacco factories of eastern Richmond and worshipped in homes, warehouses, and vacant buildings before a permanent church was built. The brick church at 25th Street between Broad and Grace — on the highest of Richmond's seven hills — was consecrated by Bishop John McGill on November 11, 1860, just days after Abraham Lincoln's election and on the eve of the Civil War. A parish school was established in 1866 and operated by the Daughters of Charity for more than a century, while successive waves of Lebanese, Italian, Cuban, and Black Catholic families made the parish one of the most diverse in the diocese.
- Founded 1859 by Irish-Catholic tobacco workers
- Consecrated November 11, 1860 by Bishop John McGill
- Parish school established 1866 (Daughters of Charity, 100+ years)
- Home parish of Servant of God Frank Parater (1897–1920)
- 165th anniversary celebrated November 9, 2025
Architecture and Sacred Art
SAH Archipedia describes St. Patrick's as 'the second oldest Catholic church building in Richmond and one of the oldest in Virginia,' with a buttressed, corbeled brick facade that is one of the most ornate examples of antebellum brickwork in the city. The original interior had wooden paneling and simple Gothic bosses; the 1885–1890 renovation added a choir loft, an apse, an Italian marble altar, and a French tracker organ. The Mass is celebrated amid stained-glass windows and Stations of the Cross.
- Style: Gothic Revival, reminiscent of A. W. N. Pugin
- Materials: buttressed, corbeled brick
- 1885–1890 alterations: choir loft, apse, Italian marble altar
- French tracker organ
- Stained-glass windows and Stations of the Cross
Clergy and Staff
St. Patrick is led by Administrator Rev. Joseph Christian I. Indadaño, J.C.L., with parochial vicar Rev. Nicholas E. Redmond. Both priests serve the entire Richmond Catholic Cluster (St. Patrick, St. John Highland Springs, St. Peter's Pro-Cathedral) and provide sacramental care at VCU Medical Center. Paulita Matheny is the cluster's Pastoral Associate, Director of Religious Education, and Hispanic Ministry Coordinator. Michelle Dawson coordinates weddings at St. Patrick; Virginia Tilley is Organist and Choirmaster for St. John and St. Patrick. Eddie Baird serves as custodian at St. Patrick.
- Rev. Joseph Christian I. Indadaño, J.C.L. — Administrator
- Rev. Nicholas E. Redmond — Parochial Vicar
- Paulita Matheny — Pastoral Associate, Director of Religious Education, Hispanic Ministry Coordinator
- Virginia Tilley — Organist and Choirmaster (St. John & St. Patrick)
- Michelle Dawson — Wedding Coordinator, St. Patrick
- Cheryl Rosser — Accountant/Bookkeeper (Cluster)
- Eddie Baird — Custodian (St. Patrick)
- Karen Lipscomb & Caroline Homan — Parish Office Volunteers
Parish Life and Ministries
The parish runs faith formation for children and youth, a bilingual Hispanic ministry, RCIA for adults, and a music ministry, and is well known for its annual Irish Festival which has helped finance the parish since 1985. Longtime parishioners and newcomers are recognized with the parish's new Celtic Cross award.
- Religious Education / Faith Formation
- Youth Ministry (cluster-level)
- Hispanic Ministry (English/Spanish)
- RCIA — adult initiation
- Music Ministry / Choir
- Irish Festival (since 1985)
- Celtic Cross Award (new parish recognition)
Servant of God Frank Parater
Francis Joseph (Frank) Parater was baptized at St. Patrick on October 10, 1897, served as an altar boy here at the daily Mass he walked to at the nearby Visitation Monastery, and graduated as valedictorian of the class of 1916 at what is now Benedictine College Preparatory. He attained the rank of Eagle Scout and was sent by Bishop Denis J. O'Connell to study for the diocesan priesthood at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Contracting rheumatic fever in January 1920, he died there on February 7, 1920, at 22. Before his death he sealed an 'Act of Oblation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,' proclaiming, 'I have nothing to leave or to give but my life and this I have consecrated to the Sacred Heart to be used as He wills … I shall be of more service to my diocese in Heaven than I could ever be on earth.' Bishop Walter F. Sullivan opened his cause for canonization on April 12, 2002; Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo closed the diocesan phase on February 7, 2005. Camp Parater, a diocesan summer camp, is named in his honor.
- Baptized at St. Patrick, October 10, 1897
- Eagle Scout; Benedictine College Preparatory valedictorian (1916)
- Seminarian at the Pontifical North American College, Rome
- Died of rheumatic fever, February 7, 1920 — age 22
- Cause opened by Bishop Sullivan, April 12, 2002
- Diocesan phase closed by Bishop DiLorenzo, February 7, 2005
Richmond Catholic Cluster
St. Patrick shares priests and sacramental ministry with the Pro-Cathedral of St. Peter (800 East Grace Street, Richmond) and St. John, Highland Springs (813 Nine Mile Road), and the cluster priests also provide sacramental care at VCU Medical Center. The cluster office, staffed by volunteers, handles communications across the three parishes.
- Pro-Cathedral of St. Peter — 800 East Grace Street, Richmond
- St. John — 813 Nine Mile Road, Highland Springs
- Sacramental care at VCU Medical Center
- Cluster office staffed by volunteers
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Christian I. Indadaño, J.C.L.Joined as Administrator in July 2025; current
Priest Administrator of St. Patrick and the Richmond Catholic Cluster; serves all three cluster parishes with Fr. Redmond and provides sacramental care at VCU Medical Center.
- Rev. Nicholas E. RedmondCurrent (joined as Parochial Vicar of the cluster)
Parochial Vicar of the Richmond Catholic Cluster (St. Patrick, St. John Highland Springs, St. Peter's Pro-Cathedral).