OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE, SELMA IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, ORRVILLE By Claudia Sims The Catholic Week Fr. Peyton Plessala was installed as pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Selma and Immaculate Conception Mission in Orrville on July 14. The history behind the church now known as Our Lady Queen of Peace has a rich, deep history rooted in Gothic architecture and the repurposing of war ruins. Dating back to the 1850s, Selma has nurtured the development and growth of their Catholic population, building up what now is a diverse and welcoming environment, teeming with life. During the Civil War, Selma was a hotbed for tradesmen. The Confederate Military and Naval Works brought in Irish laborers who in turn, were in need of a place to worship. At the start, Mass was said in a private home for small congregations, but by 1865, most of Selma had been left in ruins. In 1869 the construction of a new, permanent church began under the German architect A. Von Fichert, who utilized the stones from the old Confederate Arsenal to construct the Gothic church. On June 19, 1870, the church was dedicated as the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. By 1880, Jesuit priests took over the parish as well as its various missions, but in 1931 it was returned to the diocese with Father C. Kennedy being the first diocesan pastor from 1931-33. Also in Selma, was a second Catholic parish—St. Elizabeth—that was founded in 1937 by the Society of St. Edmund to serve the African-American population of the city. The first church was built in 1939 with Fr. Francis Casey, S.S.E. as the original pastor. By 1971, in the desire for unity, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Elizabeth merged to form what is now known as Our Lady Queen of Peace. Since the merger, the Edmundites have staffed Our Lady Queen of Peace, until now with the installation of Fr. Plessala.
Originally a mission station tended monthly by Jesuit missionaries from Selma, Mass was celebrated in either the Hollman or McHugh’s family home if you were a Catholic living in Orrville around 1919. In 1962, ground was broken for a new church located on Highway 22 with land donated by Joseph McHugh. Fr. Thomas Lorigan designed the 190-seat church which was constructed with brown brick and masonry. The doorway, designed to make the congregants feel welcomed as they approach, is an alcove with gradually receding brickwork. The first Mass was celebrated on Christmas Eve, 1962. On Feb. 24, 1963, Archbishop Thomas J. Toolen dedicated Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. In 1971, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church became an independent Mission with Fr. David Kosky as its founding pastor. — Information courtesy of “A History of the Archdiocese of Mobile” by Charles E. Nolan
ST. THERESA PARISH WEST MOUNT VERNON By Benjamin Dunwell For The Catholic Week Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi installed Rev. Victor P. Ingalls as pastor of St. Theresa Catholic Church on Sunday, July 7, beginning a new chapter for the parish. Fr. Ingalls follows Fr. John Coghlan who recently retired as pastor of St. Theresa Parish while still remaining as pastor for two other parishes. Fr. Ingalls, the Archdiocese’s executive director for Multicultural Ministry, enters St. Theresa especially qualified to serve its parishioners. St. Theresa Catholic Church, located in West Mt. Vernon, located in the quiet country of north Mobile County. Its demographics make it one of the most unique parishes in the archdiocese. St. Theresa Parish provides a spiritual home for Catholics within the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indian Tribe, which has a 300 acre reservation located along the banks of the Mobile and Tombigbee rivers. The MOWA tribe is the first officially recognized tribe in the State of Alabama, gaining that status in 1979. The MOWA tribe endows St. Theresa Parish with a vibrant community life marked by large, interconnected families. In the otherwise tranquil woods of West Mt. Vernon, St. Theresa Parish stands as a hub of activity, boasting events such as active CCD classes and Sunday bingo nights. The parish now looks ahead with Fr. Ingalls as pastor to a future brimming with possibility. Fr. Ingalls, who is also pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish, Prince of Peace Parish, Our Mother of Mercy Parish and St. Peter the Apostle Parish, is eager to serve the needs of St. Theresa Parish and the members of the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians who call it home. The parish originally began as a mission of St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Chastang. A church was built in 1982 and replaced with its current house of worship in December of 2016.