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St. Benedict the Moor parish in Milwaukee's old 6th ward had humble beginnings.
Captain Lincoln Vallet opened a storefront mission in 1908 to minister to
African American Catholics. Over time, the mission grew to encompass an elementary
school and later a high school with both day students and boarders, as well
as a church, which was built in the mid 1920's.
St. Benedict is the patron saint of African Americans. His name "the
Moor" comes from the Italian "il moro" (the black). The child
of African slaves, St. Benedict was born in Messina, Italy in 1526. As a Franciscan
hermit and lay brother, he devoted his life to helping the poor. Pope Pius
VIII canonized St. Benedict in 1807.
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