About Our Lady, Queen of the Universe · Birmingham, Alabama
Our Lady, Queen of the Universe is a historic Roman Catholic parish in the Smithfield neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama, belonging to the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama. The congregation was organized in the early 1940s as a mission of the Diocese of Mobile, and its current sanctuary was built and dedicated in 1955–56. The parish is one of the predominantly African-American Catholic parishes served by the diocese's Office of Black Catholic Ministry and is today administered jointly with Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Collegeville.
- Established
- 1941
- Patron
- Our Lady, Queen of the Universe
- Rector
- Very Rev. Richard Donohoe, S.T.D.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama
Why belong here
Our Lady, Queen of the Universe offers Birmingham Catholics a small, historic parish rooted in the city's African-American Catholic community and the storied Smithfield neighborhood. Visitors will find a tight-knit congregation served by an experienced priest (Fr. Richard Donohoe) and a permanent deacon (Deacon Rufus Biggs, Sr.), active participation in the Diocese of Birmingham's Office of Black Catholic Ministry and Consortium of African American Parishes, and a worship site of real civil-rights-era significance — the same 1955 sanctuary that was the target of a dynamite bombing in 1965. It is a welcoming place for anyone seeking an authentically local, historically grounded Catholic community in north-central Alabama.
Mass times at Our Lady, Queen of the Universe
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment (call (205) 328-7729)
History of Our Lady, Queen of the Universe
The parish grew out of the Diocese of Mobile's mission to Birmingham's Black Catholic community in the Smithfield area. Archbishop Thomas J. Toolen purchased the lot in 1941, and Father Edward Foster organized the small founding group, which first worshipped at the Davenport-Harris Funeral Home, then at the Bethlehem House of the Smithfield Court Housing Project, and later at the chapel of the Poole Funeral Home.
Building the 1955 Sanctuary
By the mid-1950s the mission was large enough to build its own church. Architect Wilmot Douglas drew the plans for a 300-seat sanctuary, and Joseph Kurtts served as builder. The first Mass was celebrated inside on November 6, 1955, and Archbishop Toolen officially decorated the new church on January 22, 1956.
- Architect: Wilmot Douglas
- Builder: Joseph Kurtts
- Capacity: 300 seats
- First Mass: November 6, 1955
- Dedication (officially decorated): January 22, 1956
Mission to Parish (1981)
For decades Our Lady Queen of the Universe was administered as a mission sharing a priest with Sacred Heart of Jesus in Collegeville. It was raised to the status of an independent parish in 1981.
Civil-Rights-Era Bombing of 1965
On the evening of Sunday, March 21, 1965, a satchel of approximately 50 sticks of dynamite was discovered in the church driveway during Mass. The 142nd Ordnance Detachment (Explosives Disposal) from Fort McClellan disarmed the device while the priest continued celebrating the liturgy. Mayor Albert Boutwell and President Lyndon B. Johnson both commended the Army team; Johnson's letter was released on April 3, 1965. The episode is part of Birmingham's broader 'Bombingham' history and is commemorated on the Birmingham Civil Rights Trail.
- Date: March 21, 1965
- Device: ~50 sticks of dynamite in the church driveway
- Disarmed by: U.S. Army 142nd Ordnance Detachment, Fort McClellan
- Commended by: Mayor Albert Boutwell; President Lyndon B. Johnson (letter April 3, 1965)
- Recognized on: Birmingham Civil Rights Trail
Smithfield and Dynamite Hill
Our Lady, Queen of the Universe sits in the Smithfield neighborhood, the same area of north Birmingham known as 'Dynamite Hill,' where more than 50 racially motivated bombings of homes occurred between 1947 and 1967, including attacks on civil-rights attorney Arthur Shores. The parish's 1965 bombing is one of the most prominent church-targeted attacks in that history.
Parish Leadership and Clergy
Our Lady, Queen of the Universe has been twinned with Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Collegeville for decades and is currently led by Father Richard Donohoe, S.T.D., with Deacon Rufus Biggs, Sr. assisting.
Current Pastor — Fr. Richard Donohoe, S.T.D.
Father Donohoe was appointed pastor of Our Lady, Queen of the Universe and Sacred Heart of Jesus in May 2008 and continues to serve in that role. He also serves as Vicar of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Birmingham. He holds a doctorate in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University (defended 2014) and celebrated his 40th anniversary of ordination in June 2024.
Deacon Rufus Biggs, Sr.
Deacon Biggs serves alongside Father Donohoe at Our Lady, Queen of the Universe and Sacred Heart of Jesus. He was ordained to the permanent diaconate by Bishop Robert J. Baker alongside 23 other men at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham. A 20-year U.S. Air Force veteran, he taught Junior and Senior ROTC in three states for nearly 20 more years before entering permanent diaconate ministry. He was first received into full communion with the Catholic Church on Holy Saturday 1996, when Father Vernon Huguley was pastor.
Parish Identity and African-American Catholic Life
Our Lady, Queen of the Universe is one of the historically Black Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Birmingham and a member of the diocese's Consortium of African American Parishes, which works closely with the diocesan Office of Black Catholic Ministry (OBM). The parish community participates in OBM programs such as the annual Martin Luther King Jr. prayer breakfast at the Cathedral of St. Paul and the Kujenga youth leadership retreat, and supports vocations, pro-life activities and the cause for the canonization of Servant of God Augustus Tolton, the first recognized African-American Catholic priest.
- Listed by the USCCB as a parish with a strong Black Catholic presence
- Active with the Knights of Peter Claver
- Partners with the diocesan Office of Black Catholic Ministry
- Member, Consortium of African American Parishes
Sacraments and Faith Formation
The parish prepares parishioners for Baptism, First Holy Communion, Confirmation and Matrimony, and welcomes adults into full communion through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). The parish's 1996 Easter Vigil, when five members of the Biggs family were received under Father Vernon Huguley, is a recent example of the parish's catechumenal life.
- Baptism (by appointment)
- First Holy Communion
- Confirmation
- Matrimony (by appointment)
- Anointing of the Sick / pastoral care
- RCIA / Christian Initiation of Adults
Visiting and Contact
The parish address is 961 Center Street North, Birmingham, AL 35204, in the Smithfield neighborhood (ZIP 35204). The parish phone is (205) 328-7729. The parish's main public digital presence is its Facebook page, 'Our Lady Queen of the Universe Catholic Church-Birmingham, Alabama.'
- Address: 961 Center St. N., Birmingham, AL 35204
- Phone: (205) 328-7729
- Diocese: Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama
- Current bishop: Most Rev. Steven J. Raica (since 2020)
- Official social: Facebook (Our Lady Queen of the Universe Catholic Church-Birmingham, Alabama)
Visiting and Civil-Rights Heritage
The parish is recognized on the Birmingham Civil Rights Trail as the site of the March 21, 1965 dynamite attempt. Visitors interested in this chapter of the city's history may stop by the exterior of the 1955 sanctuary and consult the inBirmingham Civil Rights Itinerary or the Encyclopedia of Alabama for fuller context.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Edward Fosterc. 1941–1950s
Mission priest of the Diocese of Mobile who organized the Black Catholic congregation that became Our Lady Queen of the Universe; celebrated early Masses at Davenport-Harris Funeral Home, Bethlehem House (Smithfield Court Housing Project) and Poole Funeral Home chapel.
- Father Louis Giardino1986
Administrator of the parish (then still a mission sharing clergy with Sacred Heart of Jesus).
- Monsignor Michael Sexton1988
Administrator.
- Father Wayne Harper1988–1990
Pastor; resigned in 1990.
- Sister Maria Dina Puddu, M.C.c. 1988–1990s
Religious administrator of Sacred Heart of Jesus appointed by Bishop Raymond Boland; worked alongside the Queen administrators.
- Mrs. Elizabeth Bell1990
Lay administrator of Our Lady Queen of the Universe.
- Father Max Offor1991
Pastor of Queen.
- Mr. Cleophas Vann1993
Lay administrator of Queen.
- Father Vernon Huguley1993–2008
Ordained in the Diocese of Birmingham in 1993; pastor of Our Lady, Queen of the Universe and Sacred Heart of Jesus for fifteen years; later pastor of St. Peter the Apostle, Hoover; Vicar for Black Catholics for the Diocese of Birmingham and consultant to the USCCB on African-American Catholics.
- Very Rev. Richard Donohoe, S.T.D.May 2008–present
Current pastor of Our Lady, Queen of the Universe and Sacred Heart of Jesus; Vicar of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Birmingham; earned doctorate in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University.