Historic St. Joseph Catholic Church, established in 1891, undergoes $2 million renovation.

Lily Townsend's roots run deep in St. Joseph Catholic Church, a downtown parish established in 1891 to serve Pensacola's Black and Creole populations.

Townsend, 90, met her husband Ron Townsend, former Pensacola City Council member, when both were elementary students at St. Joseph Catholic School, back when she was just a wee girl. Ron was a year older, but a year behind in school.

"She was smarter and younger,'' he told me eight years ago.

Lily Townsend pointed to an eight-decade-old black-and-white group photo of the school's students on the wall. Near the front of the photo, taken when she was just 6 years old, is little Lily.

"That's me,'' she said. "My family's history is in this church."

St. Joseph's history: Born in segregation, St. Joseph's now a beacon for all

She then pointed toward one of the nuns in the picture, a stern looking nun in a rigid, encompassing habit that was the standard in Catholic schools at the time.

"She was the rough one,'' Townsend said. "I was scared to death of her. But the rest of them were nice. Oh, I remember her."

Townsend remembers so much. After all, her children were born in the parish's maternity ward for Black mothers during a time of segregation.

"My parents went here,'' she said. "And my grandparents and great grandparents."

The history of St. Joseph Catholic Church is still building, adding to generations of legacy and influence, especially in Pensacola's Black Catholic community. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

The church recently underwent a $2 million renovation to recover from damage from previous storms, with fees paid largely with insurance money. The roof was rebuilt and reinforced, the ceiling replaced with whitewashed pine that brightens the church. The walls were stripped down and repaired and repainted in light creamy yellow, replacing the more basic beige. The old stained-glass windows were reinforced. Though history and old families abound in the church, there is a sense of newness as well.

Even the pastor priest is new. He's not a new person. He's 66 years old and ordained last May, arriving at his first parish priest assignment at St. Joseph's in July, a few months after the church renovation had begun.

The Rev. Patrick J. LaPointe sought ordination following the death of his wife Catherine in 2020. He had previously served as a permanent deacon in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

"I was married, I have four children,'' said LaPointe, who has been a priest for decades. "I worked in IT for years. Not the traditional route to priesthood."

Still, Lily Townsend and others said they are happy to have LaPointe as parish priest.

"He's a very nice guy and he's got a different perspective than most priests,'' she said. "That makes a difference ‒ perspective. He's been through the world. He can maybe understand married couples in situations, family situations. I think that's good to have."

Parish member Evaline Jones agreed.

"He's a wonderful man, especially considering his background,'' she said. "He has that experience. If I go to him as a young mother with problems involving a child, he's going to be able to relate in some ways."

Her husband, Thomas Jones, has been a parish member for 76 years. He's 83 years old.

"I started in first grade here,'' he said. "It was a strong-knit family, and still is."

Church members are proud of its history.

The first St. Joseph Catholic Church was a two-story frame building, but in 1894 the current Gothic revival style church structure was built. The parish elementary school was established early on, and in 1939, St. Joseph Catholic High School opened, the only Catholic High School for Black Catholics in Florida at the time.

After the end of school segregation, the high school closed in the 1970s while the elementary school closed in the early 1980s.

Today, St. Joseph parish has a multi-racial makeup, though about 60 to 70 percent of the parish members are Black.

"This church is an Afro-American church, but if you go to mass here you find that it's totally diverse,'' Lily Townsend said. "It's always been that way, really."

Though the schools and other features of the past have closed ‒ the maternity ward, an orphanage operated by the parish ‒ St. Joseph is still providing for the needs of parish members and the Pensacola community in other ways, including the medical clinic that provides thousands of uninsured, underinsured and those in poverty each year with free medical and dental services. The church also provides a food and clothing pantry, as well as other services.

Now, the old church has a bright new look in time for Easter.

LaPointe had to make a little joke about the roof repairs.

"When a priest takes over a parish, one of the first questions you ask is 'When was the last time the roof was replaced?' because that's normally going to be your expense,'' he said. "The answer I got was 'Right now.' ''

St. Joseph Catholic Church is located at 140 W. Government St.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: St. Joseph Catholic Church has served Pensacola since 1891