About Our Mother of Mercy · Mobile, Alabama
Our Mother of Mercy is a Roman Catholic parish serving the historic Plateau neighborhood of Mobile, Alabama — the heart of the nationally significant Africatown community founded by survivors of the slave ship Clotilda and other formerly enslaved people. The parish, located at 809 East Street, is one of the oldest African-American Catholic congregations in the Mobile area and is part of the Archdiocese of Mobile. It has long played a foundational role in educating young people in Plateau and remains an anchor of Catholic worship, fellowship, and community life for a diverse, faithful congregation.
- Established
- 1926
- Patron
- Our Mother of Mercy (the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Mercy / Mother of Mercy)
- Rector
- Currently led by clergy appointed effective May 9, 2020 (per Archdiocese of Mobile clergy announcements); current rector/pastor name not publicly confirmed in the sources reviewed.
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Mobile (Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mobile)
Why belong here
Our Mother of Mercy offers a rare opportunity to worship in one of the oldest African-American Catholic congregations in the Mobile area, rooted in the historically significant Plateau/Africatown community founded by the survivors of the slave ship Clotilda. The parish combines traditional Catholic liturgy and devotion with a vibrant Gospel music tradition, supports active Catholic education through its school ministries, and is a visible anchor of the Africatown heritage community — making it a meaningful spiritual home for African-American Catholics, Plateau residents, and visitors drawn to its profound cultural and historical significance.
Mass times at Our Mother of Mercy
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:30 AM – 7:45 AM
Parish Identity & Heritage
Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Parish is the African-American Catholic parish of the Plateau neighborhood of Mobile, Alabama. Plateau forms the heart of the nationally significant Africatown community, founded by survivors of the slave ship Clotilda and other formerly enslaved people after the Civil War. The parish was built in 1926 and is listed as an active parish of the Archdiocese of Mobile.
- Built 1926
- Located in Plateau (Africatown), Mobile
- Part of the Archdiocese of Mobile
History of the Plateau Community
Plateau — also known as Magazine Point — was settled after the Civil War by formerly enslaved people, including the survivors of the Clotilda, which brought captive Africans to Alabama in 1860. After emancipation they bought land on the higher ground north of Mobile and built one of the first continuously self-governed African-American communities in the Deep South. Churches, including Our Mother of Mercy, were among their first major collective institutions.
- Founded by survivors of the Clotilda and other formerly enslaved people
- Self-governed African-American community, 1865–1960
- Incorporated into Mobile County in 1960
- One of only a few communities in the U.S. whose members can identify specific African ancestors
Founding of the Parish
Our Mother of Mercy was built in 1926 to serve the Black Catholic population of Plateau and surrounding Africatown neighborhoods. As an African-American Catholic parish in the early 20th-century Deep South, it was historically served by the Josephite Fathers (S.S.J.). The parish soon established a Catholic school that became an important educational institution for the children of Plateau.
- Church building completed 1926
- Served by the Josephite Fathers (Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart)
- School opened to educate Black Catholic children of Plateau
Catholic School & Education
The parish operated a Catholic school that complemented the Mobile County Training School — the oldest public school for Black students in Alabama. Together with Whitley Elementary and a kindergarten housed in the Masonic Hall, Plateau's schools at one point enrolled more than 1,800 students. Our Mother of Mercy and the other three historic Plateau churches also hosted classes when MCTS was damaged by fire, in 1915 and 1939.
- Our Mother of Mercy School
- Masonic Hall kindergarten
- Mobile County Training School (founded 1880)
- Whitley Elementary School
Worship & Music
The parish gathers for Sunday Mass and is described locally as having Gospel choirs and a distinctive preaching style. Catholic liturgical worship is the foundation of parish life, with a particular emphasis on the centrality of the Eucharist.
- Sunday Mass
- Gospel choirs
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
The parish is staffed by clergy of the Archdiocese of Mobile. A priest was reassigned to Our Mother of Mercy Parish, Mobile effective May 9, 2020, per the Archdiocese's clergy appointment announcements. A permanent deacon, Deacon Justin G. Mitchell, is referenced in parish communications.
- Deacon Justin G. Mitchell
- Pastor reassigned effective May 9, 2020 (Archdiocese of Mobile announcement)
Community Role & Heritage
Our Mother of Mercy is one of four historic churches featured on the annual Africatown/Plateau Lantern Walk heritage tour, alongside First Hopewell Baptist, Yorktown Baptist, and Union M. Baptist. The parish is recognized as a foundational institution of Africatown, alongside the Old Plateau Cemetery and the Mobile County Training School.
- Stop on the Africatown Lantern Walk
- One of four historic Plateau churches
- Connection to Old Plateau Cemetery and MCTS alumni descendants