About Sacred Heart · Grove Hill, Alabama
Sacred Heart Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Grove Hill, Alabama, situated in rural Clarke County and part of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mobile. The parish serves the small-town community from its location on U.S. Highway 43 and is currently clustered with St. John the Evangelist Parish in nearby Butler under a single pastor. Sacred Heart offers five Masses each week — a Saturday Vigil, Sunday morning, and weekday Masses on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday — with confessions heard before each weekend liturgy. It ministers alongside Visitation Church in Jackson, St. Joseph's in Thomasville, St. John's in Butler, and St. Paul's in Chatom as part of the wider Clarke County Catholic community.
- Established
- 1945
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Reverend Travis J. Burnett
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mobile
Why belong here
Sacred Heart is the Catholic home for Catholics in rural Clarke County, Alabama, and a place where families can worship together through a full week of Masses and frequent confession before every weekend liturgy. It also connects the faithful to a broader cluster of sister parishes — Visitation in Jackson, St. Joseph's in Thomasville, St. John's in Butler, and St. Paul's in Chatom — so parishioners can find a Catholic community throughout the region. With religious education for children ages 4 through high school and an accessible, small-town parish office, Sacred Heart offers a warm, close-knit place to grow in faith.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 3:50 PM (30 minutes before weekend Mass)
- Sunday 10:30 AM – 10:50 AM (30 minutes before weekend Mass)
About Sacred Heart Parish
Sacred Heart Parish is a Roman Catholic parish serving Grove Hill and the surrounding rural area of Clarke County, Alabama. It belongs to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mobile and is currently clustered with St. John the Evangelist Parish in Butler under Pastor Reverend Travis J. Burnett. The parish gathers the local Catholic community for Mass five days each week and for confessions before every weekend liturgy.
- Roman Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Mobile
- Located at 19730 U.S. Highway 43, Grove Hill, AL 36451
- Pastored together with St. John the Evangelist, Butler, AL
Parish History
Sacred Heart's Catholic community in Grove Hill has been documented in parish records on file at the FamilySearch Library since 1945. Over the decades the parish has been the anchor of a wider Catholic presence in southwest Alabama, clustering with missions in Jackson, Thomasville, Butler, and Chatom. Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi appointed Father Patrick Madden as pastor of the Clarke County Catholic community in 2015; on Aug. 1 of that year he reorganized the Mass schedule across the cluster and launched children's and high-school faith-formation programs. Father Wayne M. Youngman subsequently served as pastor, and today Reverend Travis J. Burnett leads Sacred Heart together with St. John the Evangelist in Butler.
- Parish records at FamilySearch Library date from 1945
- Five-parish cluster: Sacred Heart (Grove Hill), Visitation (Jackson), St. Joseph's (Thomasville), St. John's (Butler), St. Paul's (Chatom)
- Father Patrick Madden appointed pastor in 2015 by Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Sacred Heart runs a Religious Education program for children ages 4 through junior high, with a separate high school youth ministry that meets following Sunday Mass for lunch and class. Registration is coordinated through parish contacts and is open each fall.
- Children's classes: ages 4 through junior high
- High school youth: gather after Sunday Mass for lunch and class
- Religious Education coordinated by Shelly Menz (PCL/Religious Education)
Parish Staff & Leadership
The parish is led by Pastor Reverend Travis J. Burnett and supported by parish staff and volunteer coordinators. The Archdiocese of Mobile oversees the parish as part of its Metropolitan jurisdiction.
- Reverend Travis J. Burnett — Pastor
- Judy Leibold — Parish Secretary
- Shelly Menz — PCL / Religious Education
Contact & Office Hours
The parish office is open one day a week, on Wednesdays, and the parish can be reached by phone or email throughout the week. Mailing address uses the parish P.O. Box while the church itself sits on U.S. Highway 43 in Grove Hill.
- Address: 19730 U.S. Highway 43, Grove Hill, AL 36451
- Mailing: P.O. Box 70, Grove Hill, AL 36451
- Phone: (251) 275-3665
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Wednesday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Clarke County Catholic Cluster
Sacred Heart is the anchor parish of a five-church cluster across southwest Alabama. Together with Visitation in Jackson, St. Joseph's in Thomasville, St. John the Evangelist in Butler, and St. Paul's in Chatom, the parishes share pastoral leadership and a coordinated Mass schedule so that Catholics throughout the region can find a Mass each day of the week.
- Visitation Catholic Church — Jackson, AL
- St. Joseph's Catholic Church — Thomasville, AL
- St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church — Butler, AL
- St. Paul's Catholic Church — Chatom, AL
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Reverend Patrick Madden2015–
Appointed by Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi as pastor of the Clarke County Catholic community encompassing Sacred Heart, Visitation (Jackson), St. Joseph's (Thomasville), St. John's (Butler), and St. Paul's (Chatom). Restructured the cluster Mass schedule on his Aug. 1, 2015 arrival.
- Reverend Wayne M. Youngman
Listed as pastor on parish aggregator directories and Catholic directory listings.
- Reverend Travis J. Burnett
Current pastor per the parish's official Google Site; serves Sacred Heart clustered with St. John the Evangelist in Butler.