About Our Lady of the Assumption · Sylvania, Georgia
Our Lady of the Assumption is a Catholic parish in Sylvania, Georgia, the seat of Screven County, serving Catholics across Screven, Jenkins, Effingham, and Burke Counties. It belongs to the Diocese of Savannah and, since 2005, has been led by Rev. Louis Lussier, MI, a Camillian priest and former medical doctor. The parish is bilingual, offering Sunday Mass in both English and Spanish, and is well known locally for the St. Camillus Health Clinic, a free mobile medical clinic that has served the uninsured of Screven County since 2008. Its official website is a Google Sites page hosted at sites.google.com/site/ourladyoftheassumptionchurch/.
- Established
- 1957
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Assumption (the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Louis Lussier, MI (Order of St. Camillus / Camillians)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Assumption is a small but bilingual Catholic community that takes seriously both the Eucharist and corporal works of mercy. Parishioners worship together in English and Spanish, gather around a pastor who is also a physician, and run one of the area's only free clinics for the uninsured. If you are looking for a parish where the faith is lived out in everyday service to neighbors in need — and where every Mass in any language still feels like family — you will feel at home here.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Assumption
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 – 4:40 PM
- Also by appointment
Welcome to Our Lady of the Assumption
The parish's homepage describes itself as a Catholic community of the Diocese of Savannah under Bishop Rev. Stephen D. Parkes, served pastorally by Rev. Louis Lussier, MI. The site invites visitors to return often to keep up with parish life and to join the community regularly for liturgy and other activities as a Christian family. The parish's mailing address and full Mass and confession schedule are posted on the home page.
Parish History
Catholic life in Screven County goes back to the years after the Civil War, when Slavic and German Catholic settlers kept the faith alive with occasional visits from traveling priests. Mass was eventually celebrated in family homes, then in 1911 in the new St. Joseph Church at Bay Branch. The Glenmary Home Missioners arrived in the area in 1945, and in August 1957 Bishop Thomas J. McDonough established Our Lady of the Assumption as a new parish serving Screven, Jenkins, Effingham, and Burke Counties plus the Bay Branch mission. The current church building was dedicated on June 7, 1959.
- 1870s – Slavic and German Catholic families settle in Screven County
- 1908 – Father Joseph Mitchell initiates building of a Catholic church at Bay Branch
- 1911 – St. Joseph Catholic Church, Bay Branch, is dedicated
- 1945 – Glenmary Home Missioners begin ministry in the region
- August 1957 – Bishop McDonough establishes Our Lady of the Assumption parish
- June 7, 1959 – Dedication of the Our Lady of the Assumption church
- 2003 – Glenmarys officially hand the parish back to the Diocese of Savannah
- August 2005 – Rev. Louis Lussier, MI appointed pastor
Mass & Liturgy
The parish offers a full weekly liturgical schedule, including a Saturday Vigil Mass and weekday morning Masses. The Sunday 11:00 AM Mass is celebrated in Spanish, making the parish a worship home for both English- and Spanish-speaking Catholics in and around Screven County.
- Saturday Vigil: 5:00 PM (English)
- Sunday: 9:00 AM (English) and 11:00 AM (Spanish)
- Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 8:30 AM
- Confessions: Saturday 4:00–4:40 PM, also by appointment
St. Camillus Health Clinic
The St. Camillus Health Clinic is the parish's signature outreach. It was conceived by Father Louis Lussier after his arrival as pastor and brought to life with a small group of twelve volunteers who prayed, planned, and worked together to create a free clinic for the uninsured. Less than 18 months after that first meeting, the clinic saw its first patients in June 2008. The clinic operates out of a fully outfitted, climate-controlled mobile trailer parked at the parish and is staffed entirely by volunteers — licensed doctors, nurses, dentists, and nutritionists — all covered under Georgia's Good Samaritan Act. There is no charge for any service, and prospective patients call ahead to check eligibility and schedule an appointment.
- Non-critical primary health care
- Blood pressure checks
- Diabetes management and nutrition coaching
- Hypertension management and follow-up care
- Dental referrals
- Referrals to acute care facilities and specialists
- Referrals to social services for medication assistance and diabetic supplies
- Nutrition counseling for weight control
- Patient education
- Spiritual support
- Appointment line: (912) 425-7124 — Charles Kimbrough, Clinic Coordinator
- Clinic phone: (912) 687-3525
- Sponsored in part by the United Way
St. Joseph Mission, Bay Branch
Our Lady of the Assumption also cares for the historic St. Joseph Mission at Bay Branch, the small rural church built under Father Joseph Mitchell and dedicated in 1911. Once the only Catholic church between Augusta and Savannah, it has retained its original look, with an active cemetery behind it. Mass there is now celebrated only on special occasions, and the Diocese of Savannah has listed it among its sacred jubilee pilgrimage sites.
Diocese of Savannah & Deanery
Our Lady of the Assumption is part of the Statesboro Deanery of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah. The diocese itself was erected on July 19, 1850, by Pope Pius IX and today stretches across the southern two-thirds of Georgia. The current diocesan bishop, referenced on the parish website, is Rev. Stephen D. Parkes.
- Deanery: Statesboro
- County: Screven
- Diocese: Savannah
- Bishop: Rev. Stephen D. Parkes
Visit, Contact & Directions
The parish warmly welcomes visitors at its home on Ridgecrest Drive in Sylvania. The parish office can be reached by phone during parish hours, and confessions are available not only at the scheduled Saturday time but by appointment for those unable to make the regular slot.
- Address: 121 Ridgecrest Drive, Sylvania, GA 30467
- Parish phone: (912) 564-2312
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: sites.google.com/site/ourladyoftheassumptionchurch/
- Confessions by appointment in addition to Saturday 4:00–4:40 PM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Nagele (Glenmary Home Missioners)1957 (founding pastor)
First pastor when Bishop McDonough established the parish in August 1957.
- Rev. John Barry1957 (first assistant)
Named first assistant pastor alongside Fr. Nagele.
- Rev. Charlie Hughes, Glenmaryinterim 1998; administrator 2003–August 2005
Senior Glenmary member who served as interim pastor in 1998 and again as administrator after the Glenmarys handed the parish back to the diocese in 2003.
- Rev. Louis Lussier, MIAugust 2005–present
Camillian priest and former physician appointed by Bishop Kevin Boland; founded the St. Camillus Health Clinic (opened 2008).