About Saint Robert Bellarmine · Atmore, Alabama
St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish serving Atmore in Escambia County, Alabama, and the surrounding rural communities of south Alabama. The parish belongs to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mobile and is one of the smaller faith communities in the archdiocese, holding Mass on Sundays, Saturday evenings, and select weekdays. The current pastor is Rev. Joseph Chacko. The parish is bilingual, offering a Spanish-language Mass on the last Sunday of each month alongside its regular English liturgy. Its campus at 600 S. Main Street includes Boland Hall, which the parish opens to the wider Atmore community for outreach events such as the annual Gordon's Giving Thanksgiving meal.
- Established
- 1946
- Patron
- St. Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621), Italian Jesuit cardinal and Doctor of the Church
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph Chacko
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mobile
Why belong here
St. Robert Bellarmine is a welcoming small-town Catholic parish that combines traditional English Masses with a Spanish liturgy celebrated on the last Sunday of each month — a meaningful home for Atmore's bilingual Catholic community. The parish offers the full rhythm of Catholic life, including weekday Masses, Saturday and Sunday confessions, First Friday Eucharistic Adoration with Sacred Heart devotions and Benediction, and an annual community Thanksgiving outreach (Gordon's Giving) in Boland Hall. For Catholics in Atmore, Walnut Hill, and the surrounding Escambia County area who want a faithful, family-sized parish rooted in the Archdiocese of Mobile, St. Robert's is a fitting spiritual home.
Mass times at Saint Robert Bellarmine
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:30 PM – 3:50 PM (or by appointment)
- Sunday: 10:00 AM – 10:20 AM (or by appointment)
Adoration times
- Friday: 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM (First Fridays only — Sacred Heart devotions and Benediction)
Parish Identity and Patron
St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church takes its name from St. Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621), the Italian Jesuit cardinal, theologian, and Doctor of the Church who is honored as a patron saint of catechists. His feast day is September 17. The parish is a Roman Catholic community of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mobile, rooted in Atmore in southwestern Alabama since the mid-twentieth century.
- Patron: St. Robert Bellarmine, S.J.
- Feast day: September 17
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Mobile
- Founded: 1946
History of the Parish
St. Robert Bellarmine was established in 1946 as a Catholic mission in Atmore, a small city in Escambia County near the Florida state line. IRS and nonprofit filings show the parish received its tax-exempt status in March 1946, and it has remained a registered religious organization under the Archdiocese of Mobile ever since. For nearly eighty years the parish has ministered to Catholic families in Atmore and the surrounding rural communities — including Walnut Hill just across the Alabama–Florida line — through Sunday Mass, weekday liturgies, the sacraments, and outreach to neighbors in need.
- 1946 — parish founded in Atmore, Alabama
- Sustained by a succession of priests assigned by the Archdiocese of Mobile
- Pastoral succession includes Father Gordon Milsted (earlier pastor) and the current pastor, Rev. Joseph Chacko
- Active bilingual ministry: English and Spanish
Sacraments
In addition to the Eucharist, Confession, and Anointing of the Sick, the parish prepares Catholics of all ages for the other sacraments of initiation and for marriage. Parents expecting a baptism, couples preparing for marriage, and adults seeking to complete their initiation (Confirmation, First Communion) should contact the parish office for preparation information.
- Baptism — preparation required; contact the parish office
- First Communion — preparation for parish children
- Confirmation — preparation for parish youth and adults
- Marriage — contact the parish office for preparation
- Anointing of the Sick — by request
Community Outreach — Gordon's Giving
St. Robert Bellarmine is widely known in the Atmore area for opening Boland Hall on its parish campus for Gordon's Giving, a free community Thanksgiving meal held every Thanksgiving Day since 2020. The tradition was started by the family of Gordon Nichols, a young man who died in a November 2019 wreck, as a way of thanking first responders and of making sure no one in Atmore is alone at Thanksgiving. Each year the parish and volunteers serve dine-in meals in Boland Hall and also deliver meals to the local hospital, assisted living facilities, and the homebound.
- Gordon's Giving — annual free Thanksgiving meal since 2020
- Hosted in Boland Hall on the parish campus
- In memory of Gordon Nichols (d. November 2019)
- Dine-in plus delivery to hospital, assisted living, and homebound
- Coordinated with parish and community volunteers
Staff and Clergy
The parish is currently led by Rev. Joseph Chacko as pastor. Father Gordon Milsted served the parish before him and continues to be associated with the community. For day-to-day contact, the parish office can be reached by phone at (251) 368-3615 or by fax at (251) 368-1801.
- Rev. Joseph Chacko — Pastor
- Father Gordon Milsted — earlier pastor
- Parish Office: (251) 368-3615
- Fax: (251) 368-1801
Visit, Contact, and Location
The parish is located at 600 S. Main Street in Atmore, at the southwest corner of Main and Craig Streets, which makes it easy to find from anywhere in town. Weekday Mass days and times vary, so visitors and travelers are encouraged to call ahead or check the weekly bulletin. Current and past bulletins are available on the parish website, and visitors can also follow the parish on Facebook.
- Address: 600 S. Main Street, Atmore, AL 36502
- Phone: (251) 368-3615
- Fax: (251) 368-1801
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://strobertatmore.com/
- Facebook: St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church — Atmore, AL
- Located at the southwest corner of Main and Craig Streets
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Gordon Milsted
Earlier pastor of St. Robert Bellarmine; con-celebrated memorial Masses at the parish as recently as 2024.
- Rev. Joseph Chacko
Current pastor of St. Robert Bellarmine, Atmore.