About Us

Our History

In 1916-1917, the Savannah Sugar Refinery relocated to Port Wentworth, brining experienced personnel from Louisiana. As so many of these people were Catholic, a mission of Saint Patrick Parish was established using the Sugar Refinery Hotel Lobby for Mass, with Father Joseph D. Mitchell as Pastor. In 1939, the Sugar Refinery loaned the land for a permanent church. On January 1, 1940, the mission church was officially named Our Lady of Lourdes. It had almost 70 families. Bishop Gerald P. O’Hara laid the cornerstone on July 27, 1940, while Father Thomas I. Sheehan was Pastor. Construction took place with a substantial donation from the Catholic Church Extension Society and was accelerated after a hurricane heavily damaged Saint Patrick Church in August 1940. Bishop O’Hara dedicated the church on October 6, 1940. One of Father Sheehan’s first projects was to obtain, at no expense to the Parish, a school bus. He transported children to and from the Cathedral School, an affiliation that lasted for several decades. In 1958, a team of men from the parish built a grotto, in honor of the centennial of Our Lady’s appearance at Lourdes. During the ensuing years, the Sisters of Mercy and then the Franciscan Sisters helped with religious instruction. Saint Boniface, Springfield and Corpus Christi, Pooler, both began as mission churches of Our Lady of Lourdes.

One Faith, One Family: The Diocese of Savannah 1850-2000