Our Lady of Lourdes, Seaford

In 1905, when Saint Francis De Sales parish was built, Catholic families from the area began driving to Salisbury for Mass. But by 1937, more Catholic families had settled in Seaford and they travel by the carload to Salisbury. One Sunday they had an accident, which prompted them to appeal to the Bishop for a mission church in Seaford.

With approval of the Bishop, Salisbury's pastor and this small group of Catholics begin a mission church in a little, vacant grocery store on Pine Street in Seaford. It was named St. Mary's Mission. The altar was salvaged from an old counter left in the store, and other shelves were converted to kneeling benches. The first Mass was said on Mother's Day, May 8, 1938.

The arrival of DuPont Company to Seaford brought many Catholic families to Saint Mary's. Two Masses were held every Sunday by visiting priests from Saint John the Apostle, in Milford. During the early 1940s, it was not unusual to see people spilling out onto the sidewalks, peering through the windows, and kneeling in the street during Sunday Masses. In 1945, Saint Mary was established as a parish with its own resident pastor.

By 1947, with a growing congregation, the parish and Diocese made the decision to build a church in Seaford. On May 11, 1948 ground was broken for the new church, to be named Our Lady of Lourdes. The Most Reverend Edmond J. FitzMaurice, fourth Bishop of Wilmington, visited the construction on November 28, 1948 to lay the cornerstone. Our Lady of Lourdes church was dedicated on June 5, 1949. The rectory was added to the parish complex in 1952. Shortly after, a Grotto was built with a statue of Saint Bernadette kneeling before Our Lady of Lourdes. In 1951, a rectory was built to finally provide a home for its pastors.

With the influx of many agricultural migrant workers and families in the 1970s, the Diocese of Wilmington invited the Redemptorist Fathers come to Our Lady of Lourdes to minister to the growing Hispanic population. They have served the parish since 1970.

In May 1984, the parish broke ground for a Parish Hall. Work proceeded quickly and was dedicated on December 16, 1984. Beginning in 2009, a major renovation of the sanctuary was completed, and the church was rededicated on January 16, 2011. In 2014, the church basement was renovated to provide modernized classroom space and meeting rooms. The parish continues to flourish with over 900 registered families within its 600 square mile area.