''Sweet Daddy'' Grace Parade - Norfolk 7/6/1952

Charles Manuel ''Sweet Daddy'' Grace was born Charles Manuel Degrace in Portugal in 1881 and emigrated to the United States in 1906. He made his living as a railroad cook until he was called to the ministry, organizing the House of Prayer For All People in Massachusetts around 1920. He first came to Norfolk in 1926. By 1930, a building for his Norfolk congregation had been constructed on East 17th Street, and a parade was held annually in July to celebrate the founding of the first Norfolk church.

Bishop Grace was a frequent visitor here, and maintained a penthouse at Grace Village Apartments, an 11-unit building painted red, pink and white, which he built on Princess Anne Road in 1952. By the time of his death in 1960 there were three Houses of Prayer in Norfolk - on Church Street, Bowden's Ferry Road and Freemason Street - and more than 300 churches with an estimated 3 million followers in 67 cities nationwide.

The Freemason Street church, where the congregation worshiped from 1955 to 1960, was built in 1828 as Christ Episcopal Church. After the Christ Church congregation built a new church, Christ & St. Luke's, at Stockley Gardens in 1910, the building was sold to Norfolk's Greek Orthodox congregation, who occupied it until the present Greek Orthodox Church was built on Granby Street.

Bishop Grace purchased the building in 1955 and his congregation painted the building red, white and blue. It remained a downtown landmark until it was torn down in 1972. After his death, Grace was succeeded by Bishop Walter McCullough of Washington, DC.

- Peggy Haile

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