CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Immaculate Conception Catholic Church celebrated its 175th anniversary on Dec. 8. A special Mass was celebrated by the visiting Bishop J. Mark Spalding.
Spalding was there to celebrate the Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the patroness of the church. The bishop also consecrated an altar that was newly built for the parish, which is led by the Rev. Jacob Dio, head pastor for about a year now.
“Though we sometimes struggle financially because we have constant turnover with military families and are often supporting more than people are willing to give, it is those families who have either grown up here and never left or those who were forced to come here and really found a home that have allowed us to sustain as a parish for these 175 years,” Associate Pastor the Rev. Javier Suarez said in prepared comments.
The church, which is part of the Diocese of Nashville, offers regular services in English and Spanish. They have a monthly service in Korean, and they most recently added Vietnamese services.
History of the church
The church was first established to serve Irish Catholic workers who were hired by the Nashville Bridge Company to build the first bridge to cross the Cumberland River. The workers were supposed to relocate to Clarksville. But when they found out there were no Catholic churches and no priests, they refused to stay unless these services were provided.
St. Mary’s Catholic Church held its first services for those workers in 1844.
Immaculate Conception Church changed its name from St. Mary’s in 1875.
The chapel
Mike Sullivan, mayor of Clarksville from 1875 to 1877, helped build the first sanctuary on Franklin Street, donating the first 50 cents for the construction.
The cornerstone of this building was laid in 1880, and the church exterior was completed in 1880; however, the interior was not completed until 1886. The delay was caused by the economic depression, and the Great Fire of 1878 that devastated Clarksville and was followed by years of rebuilding throughout town.
The church was built in Gothic style with a spire that reached 110 feet. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The final cost to build the original Immaculate Conception sanctuary was $15,000.
The main church
Eventually, Immaculate Conception outgrew the historic sanctuary. The church gymnasium was remodeled to become the main church, with the old sanctuary becoming a chapel.
Recently, they have renovated the floors and pews in the main church and are beginning to work on the sound system.
For more information about the church, you can click here.