A Mission Born on the Banks of the Alabama River
In the spring of 1943, Resurrectionist Fathers and Brothers of the Congregation of the Resurrection opened a new mission in the African-American neighborhoods of North and Central Montgomery, Alabama. They came at the invitation of Passionist Father Harold Purcell, with whom they had been collaborating at the City of St. Jude. Within a few years the work had grown into an interconnected Catholic campus that today includes Resurrection Catholic Church, Resurrection Catholic School (pre-K through eighth grade), the Interfaith Community Outreach program for the elderly, and a long-running collegiate volunteer service program. The whole enterprise is carried out by Resurrection Catholic Missions of the South, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose tagline - "A Lifetime of Caring" - captures the breadth of the work.
The mission's first priorities were evangelization, social service, healthcare, and education for African-American families who had been largely underserved by Montgomery's institutions. The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth staffed the mission's original school and a residential facility for children with disabilities. By 1964, under the direction of Father Walter Mikosz, C.R., the mission had outgrown its first site and broke ground on a multi-million-dollar complex on Forbes Drive, a few miles from the original location. The new campus brought together a school, a church, a residential treatment center for children with profound disabilities, a convent, a rectory, and an administration and service center, all in one place.
Subsequent decades added new ministries to that campus. In 1978, Resurrection assumed management of Holy Spirit Catholic Missions, a separate Congregation of the Resurrection ministry that operated a twenty-bed nursing facility for indigent women. In 1991, St. John the Baptist Catholic School - originally founded by Saint Katherine Drexel and her Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament - was merged into the existing Resurrection school. The Brothers of the Sacred Heart led the consolidated school for several years until 2009, when the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet assumed leadership. In 1992, the Interfaith Community Outreach program was launched to keep low-income seniors living safely in their own homes, and the same year the mission began a drug and violence prevention program aimed at public housing youth. In 1995, a group of University of Dayton students arrived for an alternative spring break that became the Resurrection Collegiate Volunteer Program, now in its third decade of hosting students from campuses across the country.
Worship at Resurrection Catholic Church
Resurrection Catholic Church sits at the center of the Forbes Drive campus and is the spiritual heart of the broader mission. The parish has nearly three hundred registered households, and its worship life is described by the mission itself as a deliberate blending of African-American culture and spirituality with other Catholic spiritualities and traditions. The parish's highlights include vibrant and soulful choirs, liturgical dancers, and liturgical drummers. Music, movement, and rhythm are integral to Sunday worship, and the parish carries that same spirit into its educational, social, and outreach programs.
Sunday Mass is celebrated at 9:00 a.m. each week. Reconciliation is offered before Mass and by appointment. During the academic year, Mass is also celebrated on Thursday mornings as a school Mass; the parish office and the wider mission site reference Thursday morning Mass at 9:30 a.m. or 10:00 a.m., and the most recent mission schedule lists it at 10:00 a.m. Holy Day Masses are scheduled at 6:00 p.m. (the parish's Resurrection Catholic Church page also notes 7:00 p.m. on its second reference, and visitors should check the bulletin for the exact time). The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Anyone who cannot attend in person can watch Mass on YouTube through the parish's Resurrection Catholic Church channel, where weekly Sunday and Holy Day Masses are livestreamed and archived. A complete archive of recorded Masses stretches back to 2020, including full Holy Week services from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday. Daily Mass readings are made available through a link to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on the parish page.
The church's offerings extend beyond Sunday worship. A weekly Bible Study is held on Thursday evenings at 6:00 p.m. via Zoom, and recent sessions have included a study of the Gospel of Mark and a discussion of what Scripture and the Church teach about Hell. The parish also publishes a monthly devotional called Growing in Faith, with a Scripture meditation and reflections on the saint or feast of the month.
Mass Schedule and How to Join
- Sunday Mass: 9:00 a.m., with Reconciliation available beforehand.
- Thursday School Mass: during the academic year (parish bulletin lists 10:00 a.m.; parish page also references 9:30 a.m.).
- Holy Day Mass: 6:00 p.m. (parish page also references 7:00 p.m.).
- Reconciliation: before Sunday Mass and by appointment.
- Weekly Bible Study: Thursday at 6:00 p.m., held online via Zoom.
- Monthly S.A.L.T. Gathering: second Wednesday of each month at 10:00 a.m. in the Fr. Richard Administration Center.
Parishioners can update their contact information through ParishSoft, the church's family and giving database, and giving is available online through ParishSoft's Online Giving portal.
Resurrection Catholic School
Resurrection Catholic School (RCS) is one of the oldest continuously operating Catholic schools in the city. Founded in 1943 alongside the mission itself, the school merged in 1991 with St. John the Baptist Catholic School, bringing together two long-standing African-American Catholic educational traditions on the Forbes Drive campus. Today the school serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
The school is a member of the National Catholic Educational Association, is affiliated with the Archdiocese of Mobile, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The curriculum includes religion (with the teaching of the Catholic faith and traditions), Accelerated Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Spanish, Computer Science, Creative Writing, Accelerated Reading, Physical Education, Theater, and Music. Tutoring and after-school care are also offered. Limited tuition assistance is available to eligible families, and RCS uses a sliding-scale tuition plan in which the first registered child pays full tuition and subsequent registered children receive reduced rates; preschool is included in the plan.
The school is open to students of any race, creed, or national origin, and it participates in the Alabama Accountability Act (CHOOSE Act) scholarship program. Donations to support RCS can be directed to the school's dedicated fund. Each year the school community organizes a fall bazaar and other fundraisers, and parents can stay connected through the school's Parent-Teacher Organization.
Interfaith Community Outreach: Caring for North Montgomery's Elders
The mission's signature social service is Interfaith Community Outreach (ICO), a program that has, since 1992, helped more than one hundred low-income seniors each year remain in their own homes for as long as possible. The program is led by Mrs. Salena Moore, BSW, a licensed social worker and assisted-living administrator who worked for nearly forty years in Montgomery social services before her retirement; she is assisted by Mrs. Dorothy Barlow and a team of volunteers.
ICO staff and volunteers make home visits, deliver groceries and medications, provide transportation to doctor's appointments and to church services, and help seniors complete vital government forms. The program also delivers forty-two Meals on Wheels routes each day for area elderly residents. The food pantry, stocked with USDA-approved items, is open to the community Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and can be reached at 334-230-1961.
Demographic information published by the program offers a portrait of the seniors it serves: one hundred percent are considered low income; sixty percent have a monthly income under five hundred dollars; sixty percent live alone; and the majority contend with hypertension, arthritis, and diabetes. Other conditions represented among clients include gout, cancer, blindness, and nerve disorders. The average age of an outreach client is between the mid-seventies and the late eighties. During the Christmas season, the parish adopts an Angel Tree to purchase gifts for ICO's senior clients.
The Resurrection Collegiate Volunteer Program
Every spring for nearly thirty years, Resurrection Catholic Missions has hosted college students from across the country for a week of service, study, and prayer that has become one of the most distinctive programs on the campus. The Resurrection Collegiate Volunteer Program (RCVP) began in 1995 when a small group of University of Dayton students, led by Professor Timothy Spraggins, came to Montgomery for an alternative spring break. The students worked in all of the mission's programs and toured the historical sites of the modern Civil Rights Movement, whose key event was the Montgomery Bus Boycott led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Over the following decades the program grew to include students from Creighton University, DePaul University, Dominican University, Gonzaga University, Loyola University Maryland, Marquette University, St. Thomas University, the University of Portland, Quincy University, Resurrection University, the University of California Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, Wellesley College, Saint John's University, the University of Buffalo, Dalton State College, and Cal State Los Angeles. In 2010, students from the Newman Center at UCLA became the first public-university participants.
During their week, the collegians serve in the mission's ministries, attend prayer and reflection sessions, and gather for a dinner where local citizens who were active in the Civil Rights Movement share firsthand reflections. The program highlights the role of the Catholic community in the struggle for racial justice and helps students experience the rich heritage of the Catholic presence in African-American and southern cultures. The RCVP is a major program of Resurrection Catholic Missions and a defining feature of the Forbes Drive campus each spring.
Resurrection Health Ministry
Resurrection Health Ministry, approved by the Wellness Coalition that helped devise the policy, offers a year-round slate of programs to enhance the physical, spiritual, and mental health of the parish and surrounding community. The ministry is grounded in the parish's adopted Scripture: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Programs include live cooking demonstrations (such as the "Cook with Kaitlin" series featuring pan-seared chicken with couscous and cucumber), healthy recipes, and exercise classes that range from full-body workouts to chair exercises with Anne Reynolds designed for seniors and others with limited mobility. The ministry also shares videos and presentations from local physicians on topics such as childhood obesity, healthy lifestyles during the COVID-19 pandemic, and stress management. A partnership with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System has brought the six-week Diabetes Empowerment Education Program (DEEP) to the campus, with sessions that last about thirty minutes and are open to those with diabetes and their family members.
Parish Ministries and Organizations
The parish supports a wide range of ongoing ministries and lay organizations that together form the rhythm of parish life. The CCD/Sunday School program provides faith formation for children, and RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) welcomes new members into the Catholic Church. Instruction in Black Catholic History is offered as part of the parish's ongoing commitment to its heritage, and Vacation Bible School is held each summer. An Annual Children's Sabbath and a Parish Picnic round out the year.
Adult organizations include the Parish Council, the Knights and Ladies of St. Peter Claver (a historic Black Catholic fraternal and service organization), Our Lady's Sodality, and a Youth Group for the parish's younger members. Twice a year the parish hosts a multi-day Parish Mission and Revival, a tradition with deep roots in African-American Catholic spirituality. The parish also welcomes Faith In Action Alabama and other advocacy networks onto the campus.
Leadership: The Congregation of the Resurrection and Father Manuel Williams
Resurrection Catholic Church and the broader Resurrection Catholic Missions of the South, Inc. are led by a member of the Congregation of the Resurrection, the religious order founded to preach the mystery of Christ's Resurrection. The current Mission Director and Pastor is the Reverend Manuel B. Williams, C.R., CFRE, who has held both roles since July 1990.
Father Williams was born in Aliceville, Alabama, and raised in Montgomery. He is a 1971 alumnus of Resurrection Catholic School, a 1975 graduate of St. Jude Educational Institute High School, and a 1979 graduate of the University of Notre Dame. He earned a Master of Divinity at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis in 1987 and a Master of Theology at Xavier University of Louisiana in 2015. He professed first vows as a Resurrectionist on May 30, 1982, and was ordained to the priesthood on May 23, 1987. He also completed planned-giving studies at the College of William and Mary and is a Certified Fundraising Executive.
Before returning to Montgomery, Father Williams served as Director of Student Activities and religion instructor at Gordon Technical High School (now DePaul Academy) in Chicago, and he spent thirteen years on the Congregation of the Resurrection's Provincial Council. He is a former co-chair of the 2003 National Catholic Development Conference and served as chairman of the NCDC board in 2017 and 2018. He has served on the boards of Catholic Social Services, Montgomery Advocacy and Outreach, the United Way, the South Central Alabama Girl Scout Council, the State of Alabama Minority Health Advisory Council, the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus, and others, and he has been appointed to state commissions by Alabama's former Governor Don Siegelman. He is an adjunct instructor at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of New Orleans, and he preaches revivals and missions throughout the United States with a focus on African-American Catholic spirituality and history.
The pastoral staff at Resurrection Catholic Church includes Mrs. Michelle Coe, Chief Executive Assistant; Mr. W. Clifford Petty, Pastoral Musician; Mrs. Salena Moore, BSW, Director of Interfaith Community Outreach; and Sister Gilda Bell, SBS, Minister of Care. Mr. Leon Moore serves as Parish Council President.
Annual Benefit and Gala
Each November, Resurrection Catholic Missions holds an Annual Benefit and Gala that has become the mission's signature fundraising event. The gala features a specially prepared themed dinner, entertainment, and a silent auction, with proceeds supporting the church, school, and outreach programs. Honorees receive the Veritas et Caritas (Truth and Charity) Award in recognition of their service. Past honorees include Attorney LaBarron Boone; Audrey Wright, longtime administrator of Father Walter Memorial Child Care Center; State Treasurer Young J. Boozer; former Alabama Lieutenant Governor Jere Beasley; Percy J. Vaughn, founding dean of the College of Business at Alabama State University; Robert, Anne, and Stephanie Reynolds, honored for their work in Haiti and their support of Resurrection; and longtime parishioner and local entrepreneur Willie Williams.
The gala is one of several ways the mission raises the funds needed to sustain its work. Others include a Fred J. Briers, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund for students at Resurrection Catholic School, seasonal appeals (Lenten, Easter, Mother's Day/Father's Day, Summer, Rosary, All Souls, and Christmas), annual giving, gifts in honor or memory, planned-giving bequests, and corporate participation in the Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund, which provides a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit for donors who direct their personal state income tax to the Alabama Scholarship Fund. Donations can be made online, and the Fred J. Briers, Jr. Memorial Scholarship and the Jewell Cobb Pitts Memorial Fund are two of the named giving opportunities.
Visiting Resurrection
First-time visitors will find Resurrection Catholic Church on the Forbes Drive campus in north Montgomery, at 2815 Forbes Drive, Montgomery, Alabama 36110. The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the phone number is 334-263-4221. Sunday Mass begins at 9:00 a.m., and Reconciliation is available before Mass and by appointment. The parking lot serves both the church and the school complex.
Worship at Resurrection is rooted in the Roman Catholic liturgy but shaped by the parish's African-American Catholic heritage, with soulful choir music, liturgical dancers, and liturgical drummers as regular features. Visitors are welcome to participate in the S.A.L.T. monthly gathering on the second Wednesday of each month, the Thursday-evening Bible Study on Zoom, Vacation Bible School in the summer, and the many parish organizations that meet throughout the year. Those who cannot attend in person can watch Mass on the parish's YouTube channel, where Sunday and Holy Day Masses are livestreamed and archived.
For those interested in supporting the work of Resurrection Catholic Missions, donations may be made online to the general fund, to Resurrection Catholic School, or to one of several named funds. Volunteer opportunities exist with Interfaith Community Outreach, the food pantry, the Health Ministry, and the Resurrection Collegiate Volunteer Program. The parish office and its staff are available to help connect newcomers with the ministry that best fits their interests and gifts.