About St. Augustine · Signal Mountain, Tennessee
St. Augustine Catholic Church is a Catholic parish serving the Signal Mountain community just north of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Established in 1938 by the Alexian Brothers and originally housed in a converted chapel on the Signal Mountain Hotel, it was the first church in Tennessee designed under the post-Vatican II liturgical norms when its current fan-shaped building was dedicated in 1970. Today the parish of more than 370 families offers daily and weekend Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, Reconciliation, a robust religious education program (K-12), OCIA, Vacation Bible School, and a wide range of social-action and parish-life ministries. It is led by pastor Rev. John Dowling and is part of the Diocese of Knoxville.
- Established
- 1938
- Patron
- St. Augustine of Hippo (patron of the Alexian Brothers, whose Rule of St. Augustine inspired the parish's name when the chapel was first established in the Signal Mountain Hotel)
- Rector
- Rev. John Dowling (pastor since 2019)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Knoxville
Why belong here
St. Augustine is a tight-knit mountain parish of more than 370 families that lives the liturgy fully: daily Mass, generous hours of Eucharistic Adoration before each daily Mass, and Reconciliation offered seven days a week. It invests deeply in formation — Religious Education K-5, a Youth Group for grades 6-12, OCIA for adults, OCIC for older children, Vacation Bible School, adult Bible studies — and reaches outward through ministries like Family Promise, Community Kitchen, Ladies of Charity, Respect Life, the Haiti Mission, Catholic Charities, and parish nursing. With a pastor celebrated for his teaching and a campus featuring the Marian shrine, columbarium, and Stations of the Cross, it is a parish where faith is both rooted and visibly lived.
Mass times at St. Augustine
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 7:00 – 8:00 am
- Tuesday 7:00 – 8:00 am
- Thursday 7:00 – 8:00 am
- Friday 7:00 – 8:00 am
- Saturday 7:00 – 8:00 am
- Saturday 4:45 – 5:15 pm
- Sunday 7:45 – 8:05 am
- Sunday 10:00 – 10:15 am
- Wednesday 5:00 – 5:45 pm
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Sunday 7:00 – 8:00 am
- Monday 7:00 – 8:00 am
- Tuesday 7:00 – 8:00 am
- Thursday 7:00 – 8:00 am
- Friday 7:00 – 8:00 am
- Saturday 7:00 – 8:00 am
- Wednesday 5:00 – 6:00 pm
Parish History
St. Augustine parish traces its origins to 1938, when the Alexian Brothers converted part of the Signal Mountain Hotel into a chapel and Bishop William L. Adrian gave it parish status with Father Roy Gratenrath as chaplain. The community weathered a fierce local anti-Catholic campaign against the brothers' arrival, grew through the postwar years under Msgr. Joseph Mitchell, expanded its religious-education program in the 1950s, and dedicated its current fan-shaped church in 1970 — the first in Tennessee built under Vatican II liturgical norms. The 1980s brought classrooms, a grand assembly room, kitchens and offices, a Marian shrine (1988), and a columbarium decorated with Stations of the Cross artwork.
- Established 1938 by the Alexian Brothers
- Original chapel in the Signal Mountain Hotel
- 1970: current church dedicated — first Vatican II-designed church in Tennessee
- 1986: classrooms, assembly room, kitchens and offices added
- 1988: Marian shrine and columbarium built
Mass & Liturgy
The parish offers a generous liturgical schedule, with a Saturday Vigil Mass, two Sunday Masses, daily Mass Monday through Saturday, and a Wednesday evening Mass. Holy Day Mass times vary and are posted on the homepage or available from the Parish Office.
- Saturday Vigil: 5:30 pm
- Sunday: 8:15 am & 10:30 am
- Weekday Mass: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat 8:15 am; Wed 6:00 pm
Faith Formation
The parish runs a full K-12 catechetical program led by Religious Education Coordinator Heather Chapman, with weekly Wednesday-evening classes for K-5 and a separate Youth Group for grades 6-12. Adult faith formation offerings include Bible studies and programs such as '33 Days to Morning Glory' and 'Formation 2020'. The parish does not operate its own school; in the late 1950s Father Grannis arranged for children to attend St. Jude School in Red Bank via a parish bus.
- Religious Education K-5 (Wednesdays 5:30 – 6:30 pm)
- Youth Group grades 6-12 (Wednesdays 7:00 – 8:00 pm)
- OCIA — Order of Christian Initiation for Adults
- OCIC — Order of Christian Initiation for Children (3rd grade and up)
- Confirmation preparation (6th grade)
- Vacation Bible School (Pre-K through rising 5th grade)
- Adult Bible studies and adult faith formation
Religious Education Fees (2025–26)
Registration fees for the 2025/26 catechetical year are kept as low as possible and are used for program materials, classroom supplies, special activities, and catechist formation. No child is turned away for inability to pay; families are encouraged to contact the pastor or DRE about hardship.
- 1st, 3rd/4th, and 5th grades — $25
- 2nd grade (First Communion) — $50
- Confirmation (6th grade) — $50
- Youth Group (7th-12th) — $35
- Maximum $75 per family
Parish Life & Social-Action Ministries
St. Augustine's parish-life ministries span education, social outreach, and care for the sick and homebound. The parish partners with Catholic Charities, the Chattanooga Community Kitchen, Family Promise of Greater Chattanooga, Ladies of Charity, and Signal Mountain Social Services, supports a Haiti Mission through the American Haitian Foundation, and sends monthly meals to the UTC Catholic Student Center (Newman Center). A parish nurse and a team of commissioned Eucharistic Ministers bring the Eucharist to the hospitalized and homebound, while the Respect Life initiative promotes the Church's teaching on human life.
- Angel Tree (Christmas gift-giving)
- Catholic Charities — pregnancy baby-bottle fund
- Community Kitchen — 2-4 volunteers 9 am–12 pm on the 4th Saturday of each month
- Family Promise of Greater Chattanooga — quarterly on-site hosting
- Haiti Mission (American Haitian Foundation)
- Health / Faith Community Nurse
- Hospital / Homebound Visitation
- Ladies of Charity
- Meal Train
- Respect Life
- Signal Mountain Social Services
- UTC Catholic Student Center (Newman Center) dinners
Appointed Ministries & Councils
Lay leadership structures support the pastor in governance, finances, and vocations promotion.
- Parish Pastoral Council — advises the pastor on parish growth and programs; 3-year appointed terms
- Finance Council — consultative body advising on parish financial affairs
- Serra Club of Chattanooga — fosters vocations to the ministerial priesthood and vowed religious life; meets 2nd and 4th Mondays at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, with Mass at 11:40 am followed by lunch and a speaker
- Vocations / Religious Life promotion
Parish Staff & Contact
The parish office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 am – 3:00 pm. The pastor, a deacon, the parish secretary/bookkeeper, and the religious-education coordinator staff the parish.
- Pastor: Rev. John Dowling — Office 423-886-3424 ext. 12; Rectory 423-826-0429
- Deacon Tom Tidwell — 423-313-0411
- Parish Secretary / Bookkeeper: Karlin Baker — 423-886-3424 ext. 10
- Religious Education Coordinator: Heather Chapman — 423-886-3424 ext. 14
- Bulletin / announcements submissions: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Roy Gratenrath1938 (chaplain)
First chaplain assigned by Bishop Adrian when the Alexian chapel was raised to parish status.
- Msgr. Joseph MitchellWorld War II era, served 14 years
Established religious-education classes for children and opened a mission in the Sequatchie Valley.
- Rev. William Grannislate 1950s
Arranged for St. Augustine children to attend St. Jude School in Red Bank; purchased a bus for them.
- Rev. James M. Bowling1967 (and again after 1970 dedication)
Converted the old Hedges home for use as a church; oversaw the completion and 1970 dedication of the current fan-shaped church.
- Rev. Vincent J. Hines
Pastor after 1970.
- Rev. Herbert W. Prescott
Pastor after 1970.
- Rev. Vincent Kaufman
Pastor after 1970.
- Rev. Paul A. Hostetter
Pastor after 1970.
- Rev. T. Allen Humbrecht1980s
Served during a period of parish growth to over 370 families and the 1986 building expansion.
- Rev. Robert J. Hofstetter1980s
Served during the 1980s growth and expansion.
- Rev. Paul Valleroy
Pastor after 1980s.
- Rev. Peter Iorio
Pastor in the succession after 1970.
- Rev. Patrick Brownell
Pastor in the succession after 1970.
- Rev. Anietie Gerald Akata
Pastor before the current pastor.
- Rev. Joseph Kuzhupil, MSFS
Listed on the parish history page as a recent pastor.
- Rev. John Dowling2019–present
Current pastor; ordained in 1983 in the Diocese of Nashville (later Diocese of Knoxville). Previously served St. Jude, Holy Ghost Knoxville, Holy Family Seymour, Christ the King Tazewell, St. John Neumann Farragut, and St. Francis of Assisi Fairfield Glade. Marked 40th anniversary of ordination in June 2023.