St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church
St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church is a Catholic church in the Diocese of Birmingham located at 80 St Thomas Way off Alabama State Highway 119 in Montevallo.
The first church building was constructed in 1951 at the corner of Highland and Moody Streets near Alabama College, State College for Women under guidance of Reverend Joseph A. Durick, then the director of the North Alabama Mission Band. That building was dedicated on May 11, 1952 by Bishop Thomas J. Toolen. It served as a mission church until October 1956, when it became a parish with Reverend Thomas J. Blythe as resident pastor. Blythe also served as Catholic Campus Minister to the college.
St Thomas church grew, necessitating the purchase of a more than 20-acre site on Alabama State Highway 119 near the northern city limits. First Mass was celebrated in the first building of the current facility on August 17, 1991 and it was dedicated on October 13 that same year. The church continued to grow and two new buildings, a new worship facility and an education building, were dedicated on April 20, 2005.
As of 2009, the church had over 800 families registered, drawing from as far as Bibb and Chilton Counties.
Pastors
- Reverend Edward L. Foster (administrator)
- Reverend Oliver Adams (administrator)
- Reverend Thomas J. Blythe
- Reverend Michael J. White
- Reverend J. Peter Sheehan
- Reverend Joseph Underwood
- Reverend Joseph McDevitt
- Reverend John J. Owen (administrator)
- Reverend Philip N. O'Kennedy
- Reverend Raymond J. Remke
- Reverend Ray W. Keiser
- Reverend Raymond A. Dunmyer
- Reverend Brad Jantz, 2022
References
- Lody, Father Joseph, ed. (2009). History of the Diocese of Birmingham. Strasbourg, France: Éditions du Signe.