St. Benedict, Ridgely

The cost of Saint Benedict Church was $2,750 plus an additional $10 for the rods to support the walls. Bishop Curtis himself paid $2,265. The remaining amount was collected from the parishioners.

Three years later, on July 15, 1896, the church was solemnly dedicated to the honor of St. Benedict by Bishop Curtis. Before the church was built in Ridgely, Mass was celebrated uptown in McShane's Hall. Previously, parishioners attended either Saint Elizabeth's in Denton or St. Joseph's in Cordova. The parish's first pastors were Benedictine priests who also provided pastoral care for the nuns at the Monastery of Saint Gertrude in Ridgely until 1914. When the parish was established, Saint Elizabeth in Denton was entrusted to their care as a mission church.

St. Benedict church was incorporated on January 15, 1919. In that same year, the parish was given property on Route 313 in Greensboro in order to create Holy Cross Cemetery.

St. Benedict Church was renovated in 1925 having included a bell tower and vestibule in the front and reorienting the entrance on Central Avenue. At that time, a rectory was built in Ridgely. Exterior improvements of siding and handicap accessible ramps are modern additions to both structures. A couple years ago Bishop W. Francis Malooly, D.D. dedicated the new gothic style altar within the newly renovated sanctuary.