There are few Catholic churches in rural Georgia, and even fewer with a history as remarkable as this one. When it was founded in 1874, the chapel stood in an isolated setting far from the bustle of Savannah.

According to the Catholic history archives, “the roots of St. James go back to 1874. The Savannah Morning News reported the arrival of Benedictine monks who would erect a school on Skidaway Island for the education of colored members, and on the Isle of Hope a novitiate and chapel were established on land donated by Dr. Stephen Dupon.” Tragically, yellow fever claimed the lives of all but one of the monks within nine months.

A Savannah Morning News article from February 15, 1875, described the dedication of the new Catholic church at Isle of Hope. The Savannah, Skidaway and Seaboard Railroad brought visitors to the ceremony. A procession began at the priest’s residence and made its way to the chapel, described as “a neat and comfortable building” just a short distance from the tracks. Major Al Bonaud, a resident of the Isle, donated a fine bell for the chapel, which was rung during the dedication, its echoes carrying through the woods.

Jeremiah O’Connell’s Catholicity in the Carolinas and Georgia records that on May 13, 1874, two Benedictines — Rev. Gabriel Bergier from France and Rev. Raphael Wissel from Italy — arrived in Savannah to serve the spiritual needs of the African American community. Dr. Dupon’s donation of land and a small frame house allowed them to establish a novitiate and chapel. But within three weeks in the autumn of 1874, yellow fever claimed Father Bergier, a clerical novice named Gregory Enright, and a candidate, J. McDonald.

Following this tragedy, the congregation in Savannah was placed under the care of Rev. Father Eckert, and the Isle of Hope property was assigned to the Benedictines of St. Vincent’s in Pennsylvania.

This little chapel on the Isle of Hope stands as a quiet memorial to the courage and sacrifice of those Benedictine clergy, who came into the challenging climate of the coastal marshes after the Civil War to serve and educate a newly emancipated community.