About St. Elizabeth Ann Seton · Gardendale, Alabama
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama, serving the Gardendale community from its location at 334 Main Street. It also ministers to the Mission Church of St. Henry in nearby Warrior (211 5th St., Warrior, AL 35180), making it a hub of Catholic life in northern Jefferson County. The parish offers a Sunday Mass, a Saturday Vigil Mass, weekday Masses, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Eucharistic Adoration, a Family Faith Formation program organized under the motto "One Faith, One Family," and lay organizations including the Knights of Columbus and the Ladies Altar Sodality. Newcomers are welcomed by filling out a Registration Card in the vestibule and dropping it in the collection basket.
- Patron
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
- Rector
- Rev. Wyman Vintson
- Diocese
- Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama
Why belong here
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is a small, family-oriented parish where members can truly know one another. Its Family Faith Formation program walks alongside parents in catechizing their children from K3 through 12th grade, treating the family as the 'domestic church.' Parishioners can serve in the Knights of Columbus, the Ladies Altar Sodality, or the choir; they can pray before the Blessed Sacrament at multiple weekly adoration times or in the Tuesday-evening rosary; and newcomers are invited to register by simply filling out a card in the vestibule and dropping it in the basket. The parish campus is clean and well maintained, with a parish hall and an on-site columbarium for the inurnment of cremated remains.
Mass times at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM
Adoration times
- Tuesday evening: 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM (followed by Rosary 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM)
- Tuesday morning: 5:30 AM – 6:10 AM
- Wednesday morning: 5:30 AM – 6:10 AM
- Thursday morning: 5:30 AM – 6:10 AM
- Friday morning: 5:30 AM – 6:10 AM
Welcome and Parish Identity
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Parish welcomes newcomers with a simple, time-honored invitation: pick up a Registration Card in the Church Vestibule, fill it out, and either mail it or drop it in the collection basket. The parish identifies itself as a Roman Catholic community within the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama, and its Family Faith Formation program carries the motto 'One Faith, One Family.' The parish sees itself as sharing 'as a community in the ministry of Christ, living as One Family and sharing in our One Faith.'
Parish Staff
The parish is led by Rev. Wyman Vintson as Pastor. The Faith Formation Program is organized by Marie White and Melissa Alfano, who can be reached through [email protected], and Melissa Alfano also coordinates Faith Formation volunteers. Marie White additionally serves as Director of Music and conducts the parish choir. The parish office is staffed Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
- Rev. Wyman Vintson — Pastor
- Marie White & Melissa Alfano — Family Faith Formation
- Marie White — Director of Music
- Parish Hall phone: (205) 631-8025
Family Faith Formation
Faith Formation is the centerpiece of parish ministry and is built around a 'Family Faith Formation' model in which the family — the 'domestic church' — learns and practices the Catholic faith together. The program serves all St. Elizabeth Ann Seton families with children in grades K3 through 12 who are not enrolled in a Catholic school, and those in Catholic school are welcome and encouraged to participate. Classes meet on Sundays from 9:30 AM to 10:45 AM in the parish classrooms and Parish Hall, with some 'off-days' noted in the family schedule and bulletin.
- Grades served: K3 through 12
- Sunday sessions: 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
- First Reconciliation and First Communion preparation begins in 2nd grade (students must be at least 7 years old)
- Confirmation preparation begins in 8th grade
- Catechists needed; online VIRTUS youth-protection training required
- Families contact Marie White & Melissa Alfano at [email protected]
- Totus Tuus summer program offered to supplement the academic year
Music Ministry
The parish choir is described by its Director of Music, Marie White, as 'more than singing — it's stepping into a living prayer that lifts hearts and transforms the liturgy.' Choir members rehearse at 6:00 PM on alternate Wednesdays, generally following the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. Singers are asked to be in their seats and ready to sing by 10:30 AM for the 11:00 AM Sunday Mass.
- Director of Music: Marie White ([email protected])
- Rehearsal: 6:00 PM every other Wednesday (following 1st and 3rd Wed.)
- Sunday Mass call time: 10:30 AM
Parish Organizations
Several long-standing lay organizations help carry out the parish mission. The Knights of Columbus provide Catholic men's fraternity, service, and charity work. The Ladies Altar Sodality is the women's society dedicated to the care of the church's liturgical environment, linens, and altars. A youth ministry supplements Faith Formation for older teens. All three groups are linked directly from the parish website's main navigation.
- Knights of Columbus
- Ladies Altar Sodality
- Youth Ministry
Weddings and Sacraments
Couples preparing for marriage are directed to the parish's Weddings page for parish guidelines and to contact the parish office. Sacramental Preparation for children is coordinated through the Faith Formation office: First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion are typically received in 2nd grade (minimum age 7), and Confirmation is typically celebrated with students in 8th grade or older. The parish also coordinates the Totus Tuus summer catechetical program.
- Contact parish office to begin wedding preparation
- First Reconciliation / First Communion: 2nd grade, age 7+
- Confirmation: 8th grade or older
Sacred Spaces and Columbarium
Beyond the main church, the parish maintains an on-site columbarium for the inurnment of cremated remains of parishioners and their families — an increasingly common Catholic option that allows burial to occur on consecrated parish grounds. Visitors can request information through the parish office.
- On-site columbarium
- Contact parish office for information