<p>As some of you may know, Bama’s Catholic community has grown over the last few years and it has outgrown its Church building. The university has agreed to lease a few more acres to the parish so it can build a larger building next to its present facility.</p>
<p>Nick and Terry Saban spoke at Mass to help raise funds for this new building.</p>
<p>[St</a>. Francis of Assisi University Parish<a href=“scroll%20down%20to%20the%20second%20video”>/url</a></p>
<p>Note Coach Saban’s comment about how Bama has become a hot school to go to across this country. </p>
<p>Here is the master plan: [url=<a href=“http://layingacornerstone.com/our_master_plan.html]St”>http://layingacornerstone.com/our_master_plan.html]St</a>. Francis of Assisi University Parish](<a href=“http://layingacornerstone.com/sabans.html]St”>http://layingacornerstone.com/sabans.html)</p>
<p>*Today, St. Francis parish is comprised of more than 400 adult households and more than 3,000 University of Alabama students. Led by a dedicated pastor, strong lay leaders and volunteers, these individuals participate in the spiritual, educational, social, and service ministries of our church. *</p>
<p>So far, $3.5 million have been raised, so I imagine that ground will be broken soon - since that is enough for Phase I. A total of $5M is needed for both phases. (Yes, the Sabans did pledge…LOL)</p>
<p>^^^Thanks for sharing this wonderful news. St. Francis was a vibrant community even when I was a student in the early '70’s. I remember Father Mulvoy being presence around the site as a reminder of the history of St. Francis. Nice to see that Coach Saban is involved more than in name only.</p>
<p>Cooool—thanks for sharing! :)</p>
<p>I should add that there is a larger Catholic parish off of McFarland Blvd…Holy Spirit…where many of T-town’s Catholics attend. It recently built a larger church as well. It also has a grade school and high school. </p>
<p>So, if the Mass Times at St. Francis don’t fit into someone’s schedule, there is another place to go. </p>
<p>An interesting side note: There is also another Catholic church, St. John the Baptist, in the Downtown area that has served T-town since before the Civil War…it is the OLDEST Catholic church in Alabama. That surprised me because I thought that there would have been an earlier one in Mobile.</p>
<p>Mom, per the Tuscaloosa KofC page, St John is the oldest Catholic church in Alabama OUTSIDE of Mobile.</p>
<p>[History</a> of Catholic Church in Tuscaloosa | Knights of Columbus of Tuscaloosa, AL](<a href=“http://www.kofctuscaloosa.org/about-us/history/history-of-the-catholic-church-in-tuscaloosa/]History”>http://www.kofctuscaloosa.org/about-us/history/history-of-the-catholic-church-in-tuscaloosa/)</p>
<p>that makes sense. I thought that Mobile would have had the oldest Catholic church because of its New Orleans’ influences and maybe the Jesuits. </p>
<p>Thanks!!!</p>
<p>I hope St. John Baptist is not one of those older churches that got “wreckovated” during the '60s and '70s!! Does it still have its beautiful old statues, altar, etc.?</p>
<p>Initially DS planned to attend Belmont Abbey College here in NC. (That plan seems a million years ago now!) Anyway, there’s a lovely old church on the Belmont Abbey College campus, but the interior was “wreckovated” during the '60s; the lovely Bavarian baroque reredos and statues were removed… so sad! You should see the ugly abstract thing they substituted for the old-fashioned Crucifix: It makes Jesus look like a winged insect. All I can say is: What were they thinking???</p>
<p>At least they still have the beautiful original stained glass. Someone must have convinced the Benedictine monks at the Abbey that it would be insane to remove anything that priceless!</p>
<p>Hope Alabama’s churches have escaped this fate!</p>
<p>We happily gave our support to the fundraiser when we received St. Francis’ solicitation. The parish is in a fortunate situation to be growing, and thus the clear need for more space. At this day and age when churches are closing and parishes are merging because of shrinking attendance and demographics that are getting older, it is refreshing to be able to lend a hand in a parish’s expansion. Our son regularly attends Sunday Mass at St. Francis and we are appreciative that his spiritual needs are met by the parish.</p>
<p>sophocles – that’s a great point! As a transplanted Yankee, I have found that Catholicism is flourishing down here in the South…while it’s moribund in many parts of the North. In the Charlotte, NC, diocese, parish closings aren’t the problem. Accommodating overflow is. It’s great to have a problem like that! Glad to hear that Tuscaloosa and Saint Francis are in the same boat.</p>
<p>This is from a few years ago. I think it’s even more relevant today:</p>
<p>[Bible-Belt</a> Catholics - TIME](<a href=“http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1025176,00.html]Bible-Belt”>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1025176,00.html)</p>