About Chapel of the Holy Cross · Albertville, Alabama
Chapel of the Holy Cross is a Roman Catholic mission church in Albertville, Alabama, situated in the Sand Mountain region of Marshall County. It operates as a mission of the Parish of St. William in neighboring Guntersville, within the Diocese of Birmingham. The chapel was established in the early 2000s during the pastorate of Father Tom Ackerman at St. William to serve the area's growing Hispanic Catholic community, and today it offers an unusually full schedule of Masses, daily Eucharistic Adoration, and regular confessions in both English and Spanish.
- Established
- Early 2000s (during Father Tom Ackerman's pastorate at St. William, which began July 1, 2001)
- Patron
- Holy Cross (the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is the chapel's patron feast)
- Rector
- Rev. Mark Spruill (pastor of St. William, Guntersville — the mission's mother parish)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Birmingham
Why belong here
Chapel of the Holy Cross is the principal Catholic worship site on Alabama's Sand Mountain for Spanish-speaking families — all Sunday Masses, plus the Tuesday–Friday evening Masses, are celebrated in Spanish, and the Sunday evening Mass is bilingual — making it a natural spiritual home for the area's Hispanic community as well as for English-speaking Catholics who appreciate the chapel's warm, multi-cultural liturgical life. The mission is unusually devotional for a small mission church, with daily Eucharistic Adoration (Tuesday through Friday) and two weekly confession blocks (Wednesday and Saturday afternoons), and it hosts the area's sacramental milestones (Confirmation, baptisms, weddings) for Marshall County Catholics who don't want to drive to Guntersville.
Mass times at Chapel of the Holy Cross
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
- Saturday: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Adoration times
- Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Thursday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Mass & Worship Schedule
Chapel of the Holy Cross offers one of the most expansive weekly Mass schedules of any mission chapel in the Diocese of Birmingham — 13 Masses in total each week. Tuesday through Friday feature both an 8:00 AM English Mass and a 6:00 PM Spanish Mass. The Saturday Vigil Mass is celebrated at 6:00 PM in Spanish. On Sundays, four Masses are offered: 7:00 AM in Spanish, 9:00 AM in Spanish, 12:30 PM in Spanish, and a 6:00 PM bilingual Mass (English & Spanish) that is the flagship celebration for the parish's growing Hispanic community on Sand Mountain.
- Tue–Fri: 8:00 AM (English), 6:00 PM (Spanish)
- Saturday Vigil: 6:00 PM (Spanish)
- Sunday: 7:00 AM, 9:00 AM, 12:30 PM (Spanish); 6:00 PM (Bilingual)
History & Founding
Chapel of the Holy Cross was created in the early 2000s as a mission of St. William Catholic Church in Guntersville, in response to the demographic transformation of Marshall County by Hispanic Catholic families drawn to the area's poultry and manufacturing jobs. The mission was established during the pastorate of Father Tom Ackerman (2001–2010), the successor of Father Thomas Kelly at St. William. The chapel sits on Whitesville Road in east Albertville and has served as the spiritual home for Spanish-speaking Catholics on Sand Mountain ever since.
- Established as a mission of St. William, Guntersville (Diocese of Birmingham)
- Founded under Father Tom Ackerman, who became pastor of St. William on July 1, 2001
- Created to serve the growing Hispanic Catholic community of Sand Mountain
Pastoral Leadership
Because Chapel of the Holy Cross is a mission of St. William, its chaplain is always the sitting pastor of St. William. Since 2001, three pastors have shepherded both communities in turn.
- Rev. Tom Ackerman (2001–2010) — founder of the chapel mission
- Rev. Timothy 'Tim' Pfander (2010–2019) — oversaw the building of the Foley Center at St. William and continued mission oversight
- Rev. Mark Spruill (2019–present) — led major renovations at St. William; current chaplain of the chapel mission
Sacraments & Faith Formation
The mission offers the full range of Catholic sacraments — Baptism, First Communion and Reconciliation, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and the Eucharist — typically in Spanish (with English support at the Sunday 6 PM bilingual Mass). A Confirmation in which more than 140 youth and adults were confirmed by Bishop Robert J. Baker (Emeritus) was celebrated at the chapel, concelebrated by Fathers Mark Spruill, Jorge Giraldo, and Sergio Urrego, underscoring the size of the mission's sacramental life.
- Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick
- Reconciliation: Wednesday and Saturday, 4:30–5:30 PM
- Diocesan Confirmation celebrated by Bishop Emeritus Robert J. Baker
Office Hours & Visiting
The mission office ('Horas de Oficina') is staffed Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and on weekends from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, for sacramental scheduling, registration, and pastoral inquiries. Visitors and newcomers are warmly welcomed at any Mass; the bilingual Sunday evening 6 PM Mass is the most natural point of first contact for newcomers.
- Tue–Fri: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
- Sat–Sun: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Sunday 6 PM bilingual Mass recommended for first-time visitors
Location, Address & Contact
The chapel is located at 1534 Whitesville Road, Albertville, AL 35950, on the east side of Albertville in Marshall County in northeast Alabama. The mailing address, phone, and parish-website are shared with the mother parish of St. William in Guntersville.
- Address: 1534 Whitesville Road, Albertville, AL 35950
- Phone: (256) 891-0550
- Website: http://www.chapelholycross.com
- Mother parish: St. William Catholic Church, Guntersville (https://www.stwilliamchurch.com)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Tom Ackerman2001–2010
Succeeded Father Thomas Kelly at St. William on July 1, 2001; established the Chapel of the Holy Cross mission in Albertville to serve the growing Hispanic Catholic community; assigned away from St. William in 2010.
- Rev. Timothy (Tim) Pfander2010–2019
Became pastor of St. William in 2010; oversaw the building of the parish hall in Guntersville (later dedicated as the Foley Center); continued to provide pastoral oversight of the Chapel of the Holy Cross mission.
- Rev. Mark Spruill2019–present
Succeeded Father Pfander as pastor of St. William in 2019; current chaplain of the Chapel of the Holy Cross mission; concelebrated the 2019 Confirmation at the chapel.