In Port Wentworth, a storied 80-year-old church endures as a home for a changing community
For the last 80 years, Our Lady of Lourdes Church has stood the test of time amidst a rapidly industrializing landscape. While the surrounding area rumbles and hums with cargo trucks, the tiny brick chapel swells with prayer and song.
Once a home for Cajun Catholic sugar refinery workers in the early 20th century, Lourdes now serves a new generation of worshippers. For the last two decades, the growing Spanish-speaking congregation filled the sanctuary. Every Sunday the doors burst wide, unable to hold the hundreds of members inside. The community at Lourdes reflects a cultural transformation taking place.
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The city of Port Wentworth is recognized as a hotspot for industrial and economic growth, a narrative that oftentimes belies the historic relics dotting the dynamic landscape. The story behind Our Lady of Lourdes explores a different kind of change driven by the people who form this community – how they got here, and why they stayed.
Lourdes was first built when a group of Cajun Catholics migrated hundreds of miles from Louisiana to Savannah. The search for a better life beckons people to move despite what hardships lie ahead. The same story emerges decades later and continues today.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Our Lady of Lourdes church is a home for Hispanic Savannah community
