On July 20, 1703, Bishop Jean-Baptiste de la Croix de Chevrieres de Saint-Vallier of Quebec established at Mobile the first permanent parish along the Gulf Coast.
Vicariate Apostolic of Alabama and the Floridas established on August 29, 1825. I have attached Pope Leo XII's Coat of Arms because a Vicariate Apostolic is a territorial area under Canon Law, thus it lacks a Diocese and a Bishop.
1825-1859
On Jan. 2, 1827, the trustees leased this property, the site of the present Cathedral, for twenty-one years for the bishop to build a church.
The Diocese of Mobile was created out of the Vicariate Apostolic of Alabama and the Floridas on May 15, 1829. The Diocese was under the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Spring Hill College was founded by Bishop Michael Portier in May 1830. The first President of Spring Hill College was Michael Mathias Loras. Spring Hill College was founded as the School for Boys while Visitation Academy (Monastery) was founded by Bishop Portier for the girls.
Bishop Portier established Visitation Academy and Monastery in 1833 as a School for Girls while Spring Hill College was founded as the School for Boys. Mother Madeleine Augustine D'Arreger of Fribourg, Switzerland was the first Mother-Superior of the Order of Visitation in Mobile, AL.
St. Peter Parish in Montgomery, AL founded in 1834. They had no resident pastor until 1848, a year after Montgomery, Alabama began the state capital.
Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. When the completed cathedral was blessed in 1850.
Founded by Bishop Portier as an orphanage for the care of orphans from the yellow fever epidemic of 1837 in Mobile, AL.
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In 1980 St. Vincent de Paul was combined with St. Peter Claver Church and renamed Prince of Peace Catholic Church.
Founded in 1847 in Bayou La Batre, Alabama
Hospital founded by Bishop Portier. There have been four separate locations for Providence Hospital.
Founded in 1858 in the City of Mobile. Ran by the Jesuits from 1858 to 2010/11.
1859-1883
Bishop Quinlan established Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church in 1862 in the City of Selma, Alabama. The Mission was all ready in Selma during the Civil War. The Mission was the only building belonging to the Catholic Church that was damaged during the Civil War.
One of the two parishes constructed during the Civil War era in the Diocese of Mobile.
Closed in 1972.
Original church built in 1867 on land deeded by Jacob & Mary Magee on August 25, 1864. Present edifice and rectory built in 1874. Famous railroad engineer, Casey Jones, baptised here on November 11, 1886.
(In 1967, two sisters, Bernadette Greenwood Oldemoppen and Genevive Greenwood Spafford, wrote a history of St. Mary's Parish to mark the occasion of the parish's 100th anniversary. This synopsis is taken from that history.) In 1867, just after the Civil War, Mobile was in the process of reconstruction. In March of that year, Bishop John Quinlan, second bishop of Mobile, recognized the need for a parish in the "outlying western section of Mobile." He appointed the Rev. David O'Meara to establish the parish. During the organizational period of the parish, the infirmary of the Old Catholic Boys' Home on Lafayette Street was used as a chapel. The original church, donated on the corner of Lafayette Street and Spring Hill Shell Road, was a white frame building, dedicated November 29, 1868. A parish school was begun in 1871, staffed by volunteer lay teachers until the Sisters of Mercy were brought from Ireland. The hall at the rear of the sacristy was converted into two classrooms. Seven pupils enrolled in the first class: five Zimlichs and two Keegans. The school continued to grow so that by 1910 the brick school and convent were built across from the present rectory. The cost was $20,000. Rev. O'Meara was succeeded as pastor by the famous "poet-priest," Rev. Abram Ryan (1877-1882.) One of Rev. Ryan's poems written during these years was a tribute to St. Mary's. The Rev. Michael Filan served 14 years at St. Mary's and was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Eaton. Rev. Eaton oversaw many changes and tremendous growth during his tenure at St. Mary's. By 1913, such growth had taken place in west Mobile that a mission church was built in Chrichton - St. Catherine of Siena - dedicated February 1, 1914. In 1920, another portion of St. Mary's became a parish - St. Joan of Arc. Construction of the present church was begun in 1926 with Mr. John J. Cary as supervising architect. The old church was moved across Old Shell Road and used as a parish hall. The present St. Mary's Church was dedicated on February 5, 1928. Monsignor Eaton died September 21, 1929, and was succeeded by the Rev. Msgr. John R. O'Donoghue, V.G., P.A., who paid off the construction debt in 1945. Ground was broken for the present school building on May 4, 1948 to include 14 classrooms and a gymnasium. The cost was $250,000. The building was opened and dedicated in 1949. Msgr. O'Donoghue died July 1, 1962 on vacation in his native Ireland. He was succeeded by the Rev. Msgr. Thomas Cullen, P.A. who renovated the sanctuary after Vatican Council II. Following Msgr. Cullen as pastors were Rev. Msgr. Daniel Harnett (1972-1982), Rev. John Aherne, V.G. (1982-1993) and Rev. Msgr. Kenneth J. Klepac (1993-1997.) Rev. Msgr. Klepac began the development program at St. Mary Parish and hired the Archdiocese of Mobile's first parish director of development. The program was established to unite the chuch and school as a parish and to involve people in the mission and vision of the parish's future. The current pastor is Rev.Msgr.Peter J. Cunningham who came on board in 1999. The current Associate Pastor is Rev. Antony Kadavil. In 2000, St. Mary Parish launched the "Celebrating the Past....Building the Future" Campaign raising $1.4 million. Proceeds allowed for renovations including: St. Mary's historic church organ and choir loft, a completely upgraded electrical sytem in the church and improved lighting, an a new church roof. St. Mary Catholic School gained a new state of the art science lab, a completely renovated kitchen to include all new equipment, and a new administrative suite and reception area to better serve the families of the school. The shining glory of the capital campaign was the restoration of the bottom of second floor of the Sisters of Mercy Builidng. Built in 1909, this building originally served as the first school builidng for St. Mary Catholic School under the administration of the Sisters of Mercy. The building was in great disrepair as the use dwindled over the years after the new school was built in 1949. The campaign allowed for the bottom floor to become the new preschool presently serving three and four year old students. The second floor was renovated to include three glorious reception rooms and administrative offices for the parish. The building renovations were blessed by Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb on November 16, 2003. As the parish continued to grow, St.Mary Catholic School was beginning to burst at the seams. The school was growing by leaps and bounds and was moving from one class per grade to two classes per grade. The parish realized that they were facing a pivotal point in history. If additional space could not be provided for classrooms, the school would have to turn parish families away. Through the great leadership of the parish council, school board, and development advisory board, St. Mary Parish decided to renovate the top floor of the Sisters of Mercy Building to provide a new home for St. Mary's Middle School. The renovations were completed in 2006 and brought the school back full circle to its glory days as a school. Currently, St. Mary Catholic School has an enrollment of 485 students from three year old preschool through eighth grade.
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1884-1884 Jan to Oct -- Resigned
1885-1896
1897-1926
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In 1905 the Baldwin County Colonization Company donated five acres of land to Bishop Allen of the Mobile Diocese for a Catholic church and rectory. In 1907, Bishop Allen asked Abbot Bernard Menges of St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, AL to supply a German-speaking priest for the colonists in Elberta, most of whom were German-speaking, Austrian Hungarians. Fr. Gammelbert Brunner, O.S.B. was subsequently sent to establish the parish. Prior to that Jesuit priests from Springhill College held Saturday services for Catholics of the Elberta area in a building near the first post office. Fr. Adam Heibel was sent to Elberta in 1909, and in 1911 was responsible for building the first church, St. Bartholomew. The present church, which replaced the old one, was built under the pastorate of Fr. Gabriel Germann, O.S.B. (1952-1974) in 1969. During the tenure of Fr. Mark Mages, O.S.B. (1977-1979) a new rectory was dedicated. The church and rectory were paid for and a mortgage burning held.
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1927-1969 Named Archbishop ad personam on May 27, 1954. The Diocese was also renamed the Diocese of Mobile-Birmingham.
The history of the Catholic Church in Troy, which dates from around 1875, is closely tied to the history of the missions in Central and South Alabama. Although no Catholic parish existed in a fifty mile radius, these Catholic men and women of Troy, both those reared in the faith and converts, maintained a deep love of and devotion to their faith. Between 1875 and 1905, Mass was probably celebrated in Troy on an annual or semi-annual basis only, and not until the 1940's did Troy have Mass celebrated on a weekly basis. Despite the absence of a Catholic community, resident pastor, and regular services, the Catholics in Troy remained loyal to the church and provided the necessary base upon which a parish could later be established. In 1875, Troy was first listed in church records as a station, to be visited whenever possible by a priest from Montgomery. At this time Montgomery had but one Catholic church, and the priest assigned to that church probably visited Troy once or twice a year. This situation continued until 1905 when Troy received regular visits from the pastor of that church four times a year. The priest's main responsibility was to discover who the Catholics and former Catholics were and to maintain some form of contact with them. The year 1915 brought important changes to the Catholics in Troy. Martin Connor, a long-time Troy resident and one of the small number of dedicated Catholics in Troy, left a bequest to the Diocese of Mobile for the construction of a church in Troy. (He also left money for the construction of St. Andrew Church, Montgomery, and for the education of seminarians.) The cornerstone for this brick church in Troy was laid on Thanksgiving Day, 1915, by Bishop Edward P. Allen, and the ceremonies attracted priests from around the diocese as well as approximately one hundred people from Montgomery. Indeed, the ceremonies attracted so many people, the local newspaper noted that an extra coach had to be added to the train from Montgomery. The church, which would seat 175 people comfortably, was the probable reason that Troy received mission status in 1915 even though there were only ten adults in the congregation. From 1915 to 1928, Troy was included in the Montgomery Missions, which covered the rural areas extending from Montgomery outward 40 miles north to Clanton, 140 miles southeast to Graceville, Florida, and 90 south to Andalusia. The one missionary priest usually assigned to the missions was responsible for visiting established missions in nine towns, finding and ministering to Catholics in seventeen other towns, and visiting, whenever possible, two prisons and one soldiers' home. Because of Troy's central location, available church, and the large number of Catholics (in comparison to other mission towns), Mass was celebrated in the church on a monthly basis. The various missionaries who served the area during this time had demanding jobs. Their chief form of transportation was the train, and they had to be traveling constantly, finding room and board where possible, and trying to minister to the needs of Catholics and former Catholics scattered throughout an 8,000 square mile area. In their journals the missioners recorded aspects about their work, and in addition to praising the many dedicated Catholics throughout the area who always greeted the priests warmly, the priests often tell of having to sleep within a cell block at a prison and wake prisoners for morning Mass. Saying Mass in a railroad station while waiting for the next train to arrive, arriving in a town and hoping that some kind soul would offer his assistance were other events that the missioners described. During the period from 1928 to 1940, Troy experienced both a growth in the number of Catholics and a change in the parish's status. In October of 1928, Father Joseph A. Royer assumed the duties as the parish's first resident pastor and missionary for Greenville, Opp, and Andalusia. At this time the Catholic population of Troy had grown to about twenty-five people; Mass was now celebrated in town on two Sundays of every month. In 1932, however, St. Martin parish reverted to its mission status. Father Herman C. Cazalas, who lived in Montgomery, served as the missionary priest for Troy and seven other missions. Even though Troy did not have a resident pastor, Mass was still celebrated in town twice monthly. Troy maintained its mission status until 1944, but during that time the frequency of Sunday services increased, and since 1943 Mass has been offered in Troy on a weekly basis. Because of the steady growth of St. Martin Parish, a new church and parish complex was needed. Many priests, parishioners, and Diocesan leaders had for some time studied ways to meet the needs of the growing Catholic population in Troy, and in 1976 Father Thomas Leonard purchased the property on which the new church stands and laid the groundwork for the future construction. Father Robert Fulton, who came to Troy in June of 1977, assumed the difficult task of supervising the planning and construction of the new church. Before ground could be broken for the building in October 1978, much work had to be done by Father Fulton, Sam Wilson, a parishioner who designed the building, and Nelson Jones, chairman of the Building Committee. Since the ground- breaking ceremony, these three, as well as many other parishioners, worked tirelessly to help the parish realize its goal of having a beautiful church, parish hall, and rectory which has served the people of Troy for many years. Many reminders of the old church on Walnut Street are present in the new one. On the outside of the new building, the bell which for many years announced the beginning of services on Walnut Street is prominently displayed. Inside the church, one can see the crucifix, the statues honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Blessed Mother, and the Stations of the Cross which are from the old church. In the entry way, the old cornerstone from the first St. Martin Church faces the cornerstone of the new St. Martin Church, emblems which emphasize the continuity of the parish, its heritage and future growth. That growth necessitated in 2000 another building project, one that almost doubled the size of the parish hall, added seven classrooms, storage capacity, and a garage. Thus, St. Martin Parish continues to grow, not only in size, but in service to God and community because the love of and devotion to their faith that marked those first members of the Catholic Church in Troy still characterizes the members of St. Martin Parish.
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The question is often asked: “What is The City of St. Jude?” In order to answer that, you must first meet its founder, Father Harold Purcell. Father Harold was a man of many achievements—the heralded editor of Sign magazine, a highly sought-after public speaker, a confidant to many wealthy people. But in the narration of his life, author Sister Mary Ruth Coffman describes the day where Father Harold realized that these achievements, though he was grateful for them, were not enough. “Finally, the day dawned when he could no longer deny a new summons, when he had to yield to an inner voice that urged him to pursue a totally new dream, no matter what it cost. Even a person as determined as Father Harold might have refused that summons had he guessed that it would demand the sacrifice of almost everything he loved and would separate him from his home as surely as if he had sailed for China. He did not guess all of the consequences; but he knew that, once again, he had an intuitive sense deep within himself that there was something specific that God wanted him to do. Perhaps he heard a personal message in God’s words to Moses: “Build me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them.” The words echoed like a mantra: … “Build me a city…” He had to respond.” …And The City of St. Jude is that response. It is a city within a city—a remnant of real people helping real people. An honoring of the call recorded in the book of Isaiah: “Make justice your aim; redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow . . .After that you shall be called City of Justice, faithful city.”(Isaiah 1:16, 26)
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