Kaleb Rasmussen, Fall 2024
When Alabama first formed as a state in 1819, most of the Catholics that inhabited the state lived in the lower portion of it, specifically Mobile. In 1830, the first Bishop of Mobile sent two priests to tour the northern parts of Alabama under the new diocese. As a result of their tour, a church was constructed in Moulton; however, it was short-lived, as it was abandoned merely a few years later (Tumminello, 3). It would be almost thirty-one years later that Huntsville would receive its first lasting Catholic church under the plans of Father Jeremiah Trecy.
Being sent by the bishop in 1860, Father Trecy surveyed the needs of the Catholics amongst Northern Alabama, which brought him to Huntsville. He discovered a multitude of Catholics that desired a church that would unite them, and it gave him a purpose to uphold. The first step was obtaining funds to build the church, which they received from mostly businessmen in the Huntsville area, with only a few known to be Catholic (Tumminello, 4). The first step was to buy land, which was bought from John A. Erwin for $2,000 in 1861 (Tuminello, 4). Construction for the church began practically immediately but was soon halted due to the Civil War. Father Trecy urged his congregation to aid the injured soldiers, which left little time and hands to build the church.
Father Trecy aided both sides of the war, traveling to multitudes of cities as well as being held prisoner on his travels to each. By the end of the war, construction of the church might as well have never started. The lives of the members of Father Trecy’s congregation had been forever changed by the war, with some who helped fund the initial construction never being recorded as members. Many lost family, money, and will as a result of the war, but some of the original members continued aiding the church’s goal until their deaths. Father Trecy recognized all of this and knew he would require more funds to continue building his church. (Tumminello, 16-17)
Father Trecy received thousands of dollars’ worth of funds from churches in the northern states as well as the citizens of Huntsville and Bishop Quinlan throughout the years (Tumminello, 17). Construction was at its peak in 1868, with the Federal Reserve Corps beginning reconstruction (Tuminello, 18). By 1873, the church was finishing installments on a roof, which was presumably when Father Trecy departed from Huntsville. Father Trecy served in several churches within the year surrounding the Mobile area before permanently residing at a church in Bayou La Batre. Father Trecy served there until his health failed in 1882, upon which he stayed at Alexian Brother’s Hospital in St. Louis Missouri until he died from hemiplegia (paralysis) on March 5, 1888. After his death, his body was transported to Huntsville so that he could be buried in Maple Hill Cemetery. (Tumminello, 18).
In 1876, T. L. Fossick was contracted with the goal of completing the construction of the church, which was aimed to be finished by that Christmas, but continued into the next year (Tumminello, 19-20). In 1877, the dedication ceremony was performed to celebrate and consecrate the building which they could now properly hold mass as the outside was complete (except the installment of a 460-pound bell outside the church in 1880), which only left the inside and improvements for the holy building (Tuminello, 21). Although the outside was complete, the inside lacked, as just a few years after the consecration the inside only contained three simple altars, colored windows, space for a choir, two confessionals, a communion rail, and pulpit (Tumminello, 43). The air conditioning evolved slowly, as it began with just windows being partially open for cool air into today’s air conditioning system. As time passed, the church needed repairs and as the construction of the building improved through the years, they also received donations that improved the church.
In 1892, one of the original members, Molly McGee, donated a specially carved altar. From 1894-1896, stained glass windows were installed in the church, as well as pews, a sanctuary lamp, and porch railing as donations. In 1902, an image of Our Lady was painted at the top of the apse in the sanctuary. In 1912, they had installed copper gutters to replace the old ones, and they lasted until 1977. The original confessionals were replaced by a built-in confessional which lasted until 1999. The church’s lighting switched from gas to electric by 1914, and by 1915 the Stations of the Cross plaques were replaced with statues. Between 1927 and 1930 a large pipe organ was installed in the choir loft. The windows were refurbished in 1938 and the entrance doors that are currently used were installed in 1946. The church was remodeled in 1958, but the only recorded changes was the pipe organ being replaced with an electric organ. During 1999, a major renovation occurred which closed the building for 6 months. In 2006, a new crucifix was installed to replace one that was broken in the 1999 renovation. In 2011, six gold-finished candlesticks were given to the church for its’ 15oth anniversary (Tuminello, 45-51).
Today, it is now surrounded by new buildings, trees, and roads. However, St. Mary’s Catholic church still stands as the first Catholic church in Huntsville and is still thriving with the Catholic community. Reverend Joy Thomas Nellissery has been the pastor there since 2020 and was ordained on December 29, 1988, at his home parish in Kerala, India (Staff). The pastor before him was Father Bill Kelly, who believed that the most important aspect of the church is not its history, but the ongoing work of the congregation in the service to its community and spreading and worshipping the love of God (Campbell, Sacred Spaces). St. Mary’s congregation still upholds what Father Trecy wanted to accomplish, which was to unite the Catholics in Huntsville by giving them a place to worship together and bring others to worship.
Bibliography
"St. Mary's Catholic Church", Southpaw Postcards UAH ASCDI.
"St. Mary’s Catholic Church 2024”, 9-29-24. Rasmussen, Kaleb.
Staff, St. Mary’s. “St. Mary of the Visitation.” SMVPARISH, www.smvparish.com/. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.
Campbell, Kay. “St. Mary’s Church of the Visitation Celebrates 150 Years of Prayer, Protection.” Al, 14 Oct. 2011, www.al.com/living-times/2011/10/st_marys_church_of_the_visitat.html.
Campbell, Kay. “Sacred Spaces: St. Mary of the Visitation Rose despite Civil War Delays.” Al, 26 July 2015, www.al.com/living/2015/07/sacred_spaces_st_marys_huntsvi.html.
Tumminello, Pat. A Mighty Fortress of Faith: A History of St. Mary of the Visitation Church 1861-2011. Specialty Publishing and Printing Co, 2012.
Acknowledgements
I want to thank the employees of Huntsville-Madison County Public Library, Professor Grimsley, and the UAH Special Collection Archives for aiding me in my research
