About Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Montgomery, Alabama:
Holy Spirit Parish was established by Bishop John L. May on June 10, 1977 with the appointment of Rev. Gordon Milsted as pastor. The first parish Mass was celebrated on June 19th at the library on the high school campus of the Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School. The 87 charter parish families continued to worship at that site while plans for permanent church grounds and structure were made. Father Milsted took up residence at the St. Bede rectory until December of the following year when a house located in the Brighton Estates neighborhood was purchased for that purpose
Ground breaking ceremonies for a new church building were held in March of 1980, and on the following November 16th the newly ordained Archbishop Oscar Hugh Lipscomb dedicated the church and was the main celebrant for the first Mass in the new church, a day which coincided with his installation as the first Archbishop of Mobile. The project was completed with seating for 300 in the church proper in addition to a small kitchen and large multi-purpose room. A small house purchased with the land was kept for meeting and classroom space and was designated as Thomas Hall, named in honor of Thomas Germanson, the chairman of the Building Committee.
On July 16, 2011, the parish broke ground on a project which involved both construction of the first phase of an education complex and significant site improvements to the property. On August 12, 2012, Archbishop Thomas John Rodi dedicated the new two-story, twenty-one classroom building. In addition to parish catechetical classes and religious education programs, the new building houses the Holy Spirit campus of the Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School and consists of classes ranging from K4 through 6th grade.
The 10,000 square-foot ceiling of the church has over 2600 acoustical tiles, hand-painted by over 100 volunteers. The re-wrapping process prevented the original intent of having names and prayers written on the backs of tiles as they face up to God, but many silent prayers helped shape the ceiling project. Each tile was spray-painted gold, then repackaged and delivered to a design site in the pastor’s house behind the church. Parishioners then sponge- painted crimson, violet, purple, and emerald liturgical colors onto the tiles, making each one unique and yet integral to an overall design by artist Susan Marie Pieri. Approximately 35% of the tiles had to be measured and hand-cut to fit the final grid. Each golden diamond pattern measures four feet by 2 feet, the same dimensions as each tablet containing the Ten Commandments.
Traveling to Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Montgomery, Alabama:
Address: 8570 Vaughn Rd, Montgomery, AL 36117
Phone: (334) 277-5631
Click here for the official website of Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Montgomery, Alabama