About Shrine of the Holy Cross · Daphne, Alabama
Shrine of the Holy Cross is a Roman Catholic shrine parish in Daphne, Alabama, on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay in the Archdiocese of Mobile. It was founded in 1948 by Fr. Vincent Warren, S.S.J. of the Josephites (Society of St. Joseph) as a mission to the African-American community of rural Baldwin County, and served by the Josephites until 1991. Today the shrine, along with its affiliated St. John the Evangelist Mission in Bromley, welcomes a racially and culturally diverse congregation under pastor Fr. Lito J. Capeding, and is known for its racially inclusive parish life and stained-glass sanctuary with a brown-skinned image of Christ behind the altar.
- Established
- 1948
- Patron
- The Holy Cross (relic of the True Cross given to founding pastor Fr. Vincent Warren, S.S.J.)
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Lito J. Capeding
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Mobile
Why belong here
Shrine of the Holy Cross offers a small, welcoming Catholic community that takes seriously its identity as a historically Black-founded, now multi-racial parish on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. Active worship includes three weekend Masses (Saturday Vigil and two Sunday Masses at the Shrine plus Sunday Mass at St. John's Mission in Bromley), livestreamed Sunday Mass, regular confession, and devotional life centered on the relic of the Holy Cross and a sanctuary deliberately built around a brown-skinned image of Christ. If you are looking for a parish that is racially diverse, grounded in Catholic tradition, attentive to sacramental life, and committed to the Josephite mission of service, the Shrine is a faithful home.
Mass times at Shrine of the Holy Cross
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM – 4:45 PM (Shrine of the Holy Cross, before the 5:00 PM Vigil Mass)
- Saturday by appointment (Shrine of the Holy Cross)
- Sunday 11:15 AM – 11:25 AM (St. John Mission, before the 11:30 AM Mass) — or after Mass / by appointment
About the Shrine of the Holy Cross
Shrine of the Holy Cross is a Roman Catholic shrine parish at 612 Main St. in Daphne, Alabama, on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. Founded in 1948 by Fr. Vincent Warren of the Josephites as a mission to the African-American community of Baldwin County, it has been administered directly by the Archdiocese of Mobile since 1991. Today it is a multi-racial, welcoming Catholic community of about 150–170 people at each of its three weekend services, served by pastor Fr. Lito J. Capeding and Deacon Joseph Gottstine. The parish also jointly ministers to St. John the Evangelist Mission in Bromley.
- Type: Roman Catholic Shrine
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Mobile
- Address: 612 Main St. (Scenic Hwy. 98), Daphne, AL 36526
- Pastor: Rev. Fr. Lito J. Capeding
- Affiliated mission: St. John the Evangelist, Bromley
History
Founded in 1948 as a Josephite mission to African-American Catholics, the Shrine of the Holy Cross grew out of an explicit Catholic missionary effort in rural Baldwin County. Fr. Vincent Warren, S.S.J. built the original Quonset-hut chapel on 10 acres purchased by the Archdiocese of Mobile in 1947, opened a school in 1949 with the Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore, expanded into Bromley with St. John's Mission in 1953, and saw a new brick schoolhouse built in 1955. The school closed in 1966 after integration. The Josephites returned administration to the Archdiocese of Mobile in 1991, the same decade in which the cinderblock sanctuary replaced the original Quonset hut. The parish celebrated its 75th anniversary in October 2023.
- 1947 – Archdiocese of Mobile purchases 10 acres in Daphne
- October 16, 1948 – Shrine dedicated; Fr. Vincent Warren, S.S.J., founding pastor
- 1949 – School for African-American children opens (Franciscan Sisters, Baltimore)
- 1953 – St. John's Mission, Bromley, established
- 1955 – Brick schoolhouse built; enrollment ~230
- 1960 – Fr. Warren elected Josephite Vicar General
- 1966 – School closes after Civil Rights-era integration
- 1990/91 – New cinderblock sanctuary replaces Quonset hut; administration returns to Archdiocese of Mobile
- 2003–2007 – Fr. John Stryjewski serves as pastor
- 2007–present – Fr. Lito J. Capeding serves as pastor
- October 2023 – 75th anniversary celebrated with Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi
Architecture & Sacred Space
The present church is a modern cinderblock chapel with a distinctive Spanish-style stucco front — the surviving 'Spanish-type' façade that Fr. Warren originally attached to the 1948 Quonset hut. The simple interior is lit by bright yellow stained-glass windows and is intentionally built around a brown-skinned image of Christ behind the altar, alongside European-style crucifixes and statues — a deliberate iconography of racial reconciliation that reflects the parish's origins as a Black Catholic mission and its present multi-racial identity.
- Spanish-style stucco façade (original to the 1948 Quonset hut chapel, now fronting the 1990 cinderblock building)
- Yellow stained-glass windows
- Brown-skinned image of Christ behind the altar
- Caucasian-style crucifix and statue elsewhere in the sanctuary
Clergy, Staff & Leadership
The Shrine is led by pastor Fr. Lito J. Capeding, who grew up in the Philippines and also serves as chaplain to the Port of Mobile. He is assisted by Deacon Joseph Gottstine and parish secretary Mary Allen. Fr. Capeding succeeded Fr. John Stryjewski (pastor 2003–2007) and is the parish's first priest not of the Josephite order since administration returned to the Archdiocese of Mobile in 1991.
- Rev. Fr. Lito J. Capeding — Pastor
- Rev. Joseph Gottstine — Deacon
- Mary Allen — Parish Secretary
- Beverly Tolbert — Mission Secretary & Bulletin (St. John's)
- Perry Tan — Music (St. John's Mission)
Pastoral Succession
The Shrine of the Holy Cross was led continuously by Josephite priests from its 1948 founding until 1991, when administration was returned to the Archdiocese of Mobile. The documented succession includes founding pastor Fr. Vincent Warren, S.S.J. (1947/48–1960), subsequent Josephite pastors (1960–1991), diocesan pastors (1991–2003), Fr. John Stryjewski (2003–2007), and the current pastor Fr. Lito J. Capeding (2007–present). Deacon Joseph Philip McGonagle served as assigned deacon and parish administrator until his death in 2012.
- Fr. Vincent Warren, S.S.J. — founding pastor (1947/48–1960)
- Subsequent Josephite pastors (1960–1991)
- Diocesan pastors (1991–2003)
- Fr. John Stryjewski (2003–2007)
- Fr. Lito J. Capeding (2007–present)
Ministries & Parish Life
The Shrine organizes its parish life around three classical pillars — Word, Worship, and Service — and supports a music ministry that includes a Gospel-style 9:00 AM Sunday Mass. The parish also jointly ministers with St. John the Evangelist Mission in Bromley, about ten miles north on State Highway 225, where a separate music director and mission secretary serve alongside the Shrine's staff.
- Word — faith formation and religious education
- Worship — liturgy and music
- Service — outreach and charity
- Gospel-style music at 9:00 AM Sunday Mass
- Joint ministry with St. John Mission, Bromley
St. John the Evangelist Mission, Bromley
St. John the Evangelist Mission in Bromley was established in 1953 by founding pastor Fr. Vincent Warren, S.S.J., to serve African-American families living north of Spanish Fort. Today it remains part of the Shrine of the Holy Cross parish and is served by Fr. Lito J. Capeding, Deacon Joseph Gottstine, and music director Perry Tan. Sunday Mass at St. John's is celebrated at 11:30 AM (with confessions 11:15–11:25 AM, or after Mass by appointment).
- Address: 7488 Herman Sledge Rd., Bromley, AL 36507-5725
- Phone (Mission): (251) 895-4068
- Sunday Mass: 11:30 AM (English)
- Confession: Sunday 11:15–11:25 AM or after Mass, or by appointment
- Founded 1953 by Fr. Vincent Warren, S.S.J.
- Music Director: Perry Tan
- Mission Secretary & Bulletin: Beverly Tolbert
Notable People & Legacy
The Shrine of the Holy Cross occupies a unique place in the Catholic history of Alabama and the American South. Founded in the Jim Crow era as a Black Catholic mission, it has produced nationally notable figures including Dr. Regina Benjamin, former U.S. Surgeon General, and Fr. Joseph L. Howze, the second Black Catholic bishop in the United States. Longtime parishioner Wallie Valrie is credited with helping to establish the parish; he died at age 116 just months before the church was dedicated in 1948. Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi of Mobile presided at the parish's 75th-anniversary Mass in October 2023, framing the Shrine's history as 'times which made us proud and times which did not.'
- Dr. Regina Benjamin — parishioner, former U.S. Surgeon General
- Fr. Joseph L. Howze — parishioner, second Black Catholic bishop in the U.S.
- Wallie Valrie — lay founder (d. 1948 at age 116)
- Fr. Vincent Warren, S.S.J. — founding pastor (kidnapped by KKK 1926; assaulted twice in Alabama)
- Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi — presided at 75th anniversary (2023)
Visiting the Shrine
Visitors are warmly welcomed to the Shrine of the Holy Cross at 612 Main St. in Daphne. On-site parking is available. The most distinctive interior features to see are the Spanish-style stucco façade, the bright yellow stained-glass windows, and the brown-skinned image of Christ behind the altar — the parish's most visible sign of its identity as a historically Black-founded, now multi-racial Catholic community.
- 612 Main St. (Scenic Hwy. 98), Daphne, AL 36526
- On-site parking available
- Sunday 9:00 AM Mass livestreamed on the parish Facebook page
- Confession before each weekend Mass or by appointment
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Vincent Warren, S.S.J.1947/48–1960
Founding pastor; white Josephite from the Society of St. Joseph sent by Bishop Thomas Toolen to evangelize African Americans of Baldwin County. Built the 1948 Quonset-hut chapel and the parish school; established St. John's Mission in Bromley (1953). Was kidnapped by the Ku Klux Klan in 1926 in Virginia and later assaulted twice by the Klan in Alabama. Elected Vicar General of the Josephites in 1960 and returned to Baltimore.
- Subsequent Josephite pastors1960–1991
The Society of St. Joseph (Josephites) administered the Shrine continuously from 1948 through 1991 — 41 years, with 673 baptisms (including 305 converts). Specific individual successors to Fr. Warren during this Josephite period are not documented in the publicly available online sources consulted.
- Diocesan pastors (Archdiocese of Mobile)1991–2003
After 1991 the Shrine was administered directly by the Archdiocese of Mobile. Specific pastors of this transitional period are not named in the sources reviewed.
- Fr. John Stryjewski2003–2007
Served as pastor; died in 2007. Fr. Lito Capeding succeeded him as pastor.
- Deacon Joseph Philip McGonagle1984–2012 (assigned)
Ordained a permanent deacon November 4, 1984 in Mobile; served many parishes including Shrine of the Holy Cross / St. John's Mission, Daphne, where he also served as parish administrator. Died May 27, 2012.
- Rev. Fr. Lito J. Capeding2007–present
Current pastor; grew up in the Philippines; also serves as chaplain to the Port of Mobile. Led the parish's 75th-anniversary celebration in October 2023.