About Holy Cross · Pembroke, Georgia
Holy Cross is a small Catholic mission church located at 90 West Bacon Street in Pembroke, Bryan County, Georgia, and is one of three mission communities of St. Christopher Catholic Church in nearby Claxton. It falls within the Diocese of Savannah, in the Statesboro Deanery, and was originally established and nurtured by the Glenmary Home Missioners before pastoral care was handed back to the local diocese. The mission celebrates Mass in English on Sunday and Thursday mornings, with confessions heard before Sunday Mass, and serves as the sacramental Catholic presence in Pembroke.
- Patron
- Holy Cross
- Rector
- Rev. Vicente Terrazas
- Diocese
- Diocese of Savannah
Why belong here
Holy Cross is the Catholic mission community in Pembroke and Bryan County, offering Sunday and weekday Mass in English, regular confessions, and a quiet rural worship setting. Because it is a small mission served from St. Christopher in Claxton, parishioners become part of a close-knit cluster of three missions (Holy Cross, St. Jude in Glennville, and Our Lady of Guadalupe in Sand Hill/Glenville) supported by a bilingual pastor and parochial vicar. It is a good fit for Catholics living in and around Pembroke who want a regular Mass schedule and a connection to the wider Diocese of Savannah without having to travel to a larger parish.
Mass times at Holy Cross
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:30–8:50 AM (at Holy Cross before Mass)
- By appointment with Fr. Vicente Terrazas through the Parish Office
Holy Cross Mission — Pembroke, Georgia
Holy Cross is the Catholic mission serving Pembroke and Bryan County in southeast Georgia. It is one of three mission communities supported by St. Christopher Catholic Church in Claxton, which acts as the parent parish providing clergy, administration, and sacramental coordination. The mission belongs to the Diocese of Savannah and sits within its Statesboro Deanery. Holy Cross is a small but consistent Catholic presence in a rural part of the Coastal Plain, and its regular Mass and confession schedule makes it a spiritual home for Catholics living between Savannah and the Georgia–South Carolina border.
- Mission of St. Christopher Catholic Church, Claxton
- Diocese of Savannah — Statesboro Deanery
- County: Bryan
History & Glenmary Heritage
Holy Cross was developed under the Glenmary Home Missioners, a society founded in 1939 by Father William Howard Bishop with the vision of placing a Catholic presence in every county of the United States. Glenmary established and nurtured parishes throughout rural Appalachia and the South; once a community became self-sustaining, pastoral care was returned to the local diocese. Holy Cross appears in Glenmary's stewardship reports under Bryan County and is now a former Glenmary-founded parish under diocesan care. In 1987 the mission was served by Father Thomas Kirkendoll, ordained that May in Cincinnati as the first Black Catholic priest member of Glenmary. It has since passed through several pastors serving St. Christopher and its missions.
- Founded under Glenmary Home Missioners (founded 1939 by Fr. William Howard Bishop)
- Listed as Bryan County mission in Glenmary reports
- 1987: Fr. Thomas Kirkendoll appointed to serve St. Christopher, Claxton and its missions Holy Cross (Pembroke) and St. Jude (Glennville)
- Pastoral care returned to the Diocese of Savannah
Clergy & Parish Staff
Holy Cross is served by the clergy team of St. Christopher Catholic Church, Claxton. The pastor and parochial vicar are supported by a deacon and a parish office manager, and the same team ministers to the sister missions of St. Jude (Glennville) and Our Lady of Guadalupe (Sand Hill/Glenville).
- Rev. Vicente Terrazas — Pastor (912-334-1063)
- Rev. Thomas Murphy — Parochial Vicar (912-739-3913)
- Rev. Mr. James Spacher — Deacon (912-657-7950)
- Cayetano Sanchez — Office Manager (912-739-3913)
Related Parishes in the Cluster
Holy Cross is one of three mission communities of St. Christopher Catholic Church in Claxton. Together they form a small pastoral cluster within the Statesboro Deanery, covering parts of Bryan, Tattnall, and Screven counties and the Sand Hill/Glenville area.
- St. Christopher (Claxton, GA) — parent parish, 400 South River Street, Claxton, GA 30417
- St. Jude (Glennville, GA) — sister mission
- Our Lady of Guadalupe (Sand Hill / Glenville, GA) — sister mission
- All three missions fall within the Statesboro Deanery of the Diocese of Savannah
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Thomas Kirkendoll1987–
Appointed associate pastor of St. Christopher, Claxton, with responsibility for its missions Holy Cross (Pembroke) and St. Jude (Glennville); ordained in Cincinnati as the first Black Catholic priest member of the Glenmary Home Missioners.
- Rev. John Johnsonc. 2014–2019
Pastor of St. Christopher Catholic Church in Claxton and its three mission parishes including Holy Cross in Pembroke; reassigned in 2019 to St. Matthew Catholic Church / Newman Center and later to St. Joseph, Macon in 2022.
- Rev. Vicente Terrazas
Current Pastor of St. Christopher, Claxton, and its missions including Holy Cross, Pembroke.