A Bessemer Parish Born of Italian and Irish Immigrants
Saint Aloysius Catholic Church sits on Academy Drive just off I-20/59 in Bessemer, Alabama, where it now serves more than 400 registered families with Masses in English and Spanish. The parish was organized in the fall of 1886 by Italian and Irish immigrants who had come to work in Bessemer's rolling mills and the mining operations of the surrounding area, and it remains one of the older Catholic congregations in the Birmingham region.
From the Montezuma Hotel to a Frame Church on 5th Avenue
The first Mass was offered by Rev. Patrick A. O'Reilly in the old Montezuma Hotel. He later became pastor of the Cathedral of Saint Paul and founded Saint Vincent's Hospital and the East Lake Orphans Home. After fire destroyed the hotel, Associate Pastor John Daley began offering Mass twice each month in Leonard's Grist Mill on 5th Avenue North. On January 25, 1888, the Bessemer Land Company deeded the parish land along 5th Avenue North and 17th Street North, and Catholic men from the local rolling mill erected a frame church on the site.
Bishop Edward P. Allen appointed Rev. Joseph A. Wright as the first resident pastor in 1899. He brought the Sisters of Mercy to Bessemer to staff the parish school in late 1900. Fr. Malachi E. Kitrick replaced the frame school with a modern brick building in 1912, the first of its kind in North Alabama, and Fr. Michael Hourican added a brick church beside the school in 1924. Several renovations and improvements were made to both buildings over the years that followed.
Saint Aloysius produced one of Alabama's most notable bishops: Joseph A. Durick, a parishioner and seminarian, directed the parish's CCD summer religion classes here in 1935. In 1955 he was consecrated Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Mobile and later became Bishop of Nashville, the first American bishop of Slovak origin. Rev. Francis T. Coyle served the longest tenure of any priest at the parish, appointed in 1938 and remaining as Pastor Emeritus assisting his successors until shortly before his death in 1971.
The 1989 Fire and a New Home on Academy Drive
Rev. Desmond Regan and Associate Pastor Gerard Kitts, OSB, shepherded the parish through the late 1970s and 1980s, and Bishop Raymond Boland, the second bishop of the Diocese of Birmingham, appointed Rev. Louis Giardino as pastor in 1988. After fire destroyed the church on December 21, 1989, Mass was offered in the school's gym while parishioners raised funds for a new home. Property was purchased on Academy Drive just off I-20/59, and a new church was completed in time for Christmas services in 1992. The Sisters of Mercy had concluded their work at the parish school in 1981 after more than 80 years of service, and members honored them with a reception. St. Aloysius School itself continued to operate on the property from 1912 to 2018, educating hundreds of children over the span of a century.
Rev. Gerald Holloway came in as Pastor in 2019 while also continuing his long-running work as chaplain of the University of Alabama football team, a ministry he has performed since 2003. Fr. Reju Pynadath later served as Parish Administrator, and the parish is now led by Pastor Rev. Jose Chacko.
Mass in English and Spanish, Seven Days a Week
The parish schedules Mass every day of the week. Saturday evening Mass is offered at 4:30 PM in English. On Sunday, Mass is celebrated at 9:30 AM in English and at 12:00 PM in Spanish. Daily Mass is celebrated Monday at 6:30 PM and Tuesday through Friday at 12:00 noon, with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and the Holy Rosary preceding the noon Mass at 11:30 AM. Confessions are heard on Saturday afternoon beginning at 3:30 PM, or by appointment.
Ministerio Hispano
The Spanish-language ministry at Saint Aloysius is a community of families serving the parish through religious education, sacramental life and spiritual growth. Gabriel Lopez leads the ministry as Coordinador del Ministerio Hispano, with Gabriel Arellano assisting as sub-coordinator. Pastoral Associate Ginna Lopez also supports the ministry.
Baptismal talks are held the second Friday of each month at 5:00 PM. Parents and godparents attend together, and those from out of state are asked to bring proof of having attended talks in their home parish. Baptism dates are scheduled in advance with the priest. Catechism registration opens in July and classes begin in August, meeting Sunday mornings from 10:00 to 11:45 AM, with attendees joining the 12:00 PM Spanish Mass afterward. Children register for First Communion preparation in second grade and Confirmation preparation in eighth grade.
Sacraments
Saint Aloysius prepares parishioners for the sacraments of Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Matrimony and Anointing of the Sick, and offers Reconciliation weekly. The parish teaches that the Eucharist is the real presence of Jesus Christ, lovingly offered as spiritual nourishment with each celebration of the Mass, and that the Sacrament of Penance restores the grace of friendship with God after Baptism.
Couples planning marriage are asked to meet with the priest at least six months before the proposed date. Weddings are not scheduled before 6:30 PM or after 2:00 PM on Saturdays. The Anointing of the Sick is offered to anyone seriously ill or in danger of death and can be arranged by contacting the parish office.
Becoming Catholic
Adults interested in the Catholic faith are invited into the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA), the parish's process of formation and welcome into the Church. Phil Neely serves as the parish OCIA instructor. The Coming Home Network is also recommended as a resource for those exploring Catholicism.
Prayer Group, Bible Study and Youth Nights
Beyond Sunday Mass, the Spanish ministry gathers for a prayer group on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 PM, followed by Bible study from 8:00 to 9:00 PM. A youth group meets on Mondays from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM and from 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM, with Spanish-speaking office hours Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM.
Online giving is available through the parish's OSV giving page, and the parish maintains a YouTube channel for ongoing video. The church at 751 Academy Drive has been home to Saint Aloysius since Christmas 1992, a Bessemer parish born in an immigrant neighborhood more than 135 years ago and still shaped by those families today.