St. Eugene

About St. Eugene Catholic Chapel & Student Center

St. Eugene Catholic Chapel & Student Center is a Catholic mission in Tallahassee, Florida, belonging to the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee. Founded in November 1952 to serve Catholic students at Florida A&M University and the surrounding south-side community, it combines the roles of a neighborhood parish and the official Catholic student center for FAMU. The chapel sits on a hill overlooking the FAMU campus — the source of its nickname 'Church on the Hill' — and today its congregation of roughly 100–124 families includes both long-standing African-American Catholic families, current FAMU students, and a large Hispanic community that has grown around a Spanish-language Mass and formation program.

History

St. Eugene was founded in November 1952 by George Thompson — longtime FAMU athletics figure and right-hand man to legendary Rattlers coach Jake Gaither — together with 17 other founders. They created a place where Black Catholics and FAMU students could worship in a welcoming environment, at a time when most surrounding parishes were segregated. From 1952 to 1976 the mission was stable, but it then entered a long period of instability: the building was rented to a Baptist congregation (1976–83), then shared with a non-denominational church, then closed, then reopened and closed repeatedly as 'on loan' priests came and went.

• 1952: Mission founded by George Thompson and 17 others to serve FAMU students and the surrounding African-American community.
• 1976–1983: Building rented to a Baptist congregation during a period of decline.
• 1980s: After further closures, the parish embraces the Vatican II liturgical reforms and the 'Office of Black Catholics,' introducing Gospel music, guitars, and drums alongside the organ.
• 1990: FAMU President Dr. Fred Humphries petitions the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee for a full-time priest, saving the chapel from being bought and razed for student housing.
• Clergy have included priests from Ghana, Nigeria, and Brazil; today the parish is pastored by a member of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD).
• November 2017: 65th anniversary celebrated with Bishop William Wack of Pensacola–Tallahassee as celebrant.
• 2024: International Taste Food Festival returns as a fundraiser to expand the social hall, offices, classroom, and kitchen.

Clergy & Staff

The mission is staffed by a small team of clergy, deacon, and lay administrator under the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee. The current pastor is a member of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), an international missionary congregation whose presence reflects St. Eugene's longstanding identity as a globally diverse community. A deacon directs the Hispanic ministry, and an administrative assistant keeps the parish office running.

• Rev. Paschal Chester, SVD — Pastor (also Chaplain to the FAMU Catholic Student Association)
• Deacon Santiago Molina — Director of Hispanic Ministry
• Tania Villanueva-Ayala — Administrative Assistant

Hispanic Ministry (Ministerio Hispano de San Eugenio)

Roughly 30% of the congregation at St. Eugene worships in Spanish. The Hispanic ministry — Ministerio Hispano de San Eugenio — is led by Deacon Santiago Molina and is one of the most active parts of parish life. It maintains its own Spanish-language Mass schedule, faith formation for adults (Catecumenado) and youth (Confirmation preparation), and Adoration. The bilingual website saneugenio.weebly.com lists Mass and confession times specifically for the Spanish-speaking community.

• Sunday 9:00 AM Spanish Mass
• Sunday 5:00 PM Spanish Mass
• Friday 7:00 PM Spanish Mass with Adoration
• Catecumenado — adult faith formation
• Confirmation preparation for youth
• Director: Deacon Santiago Molina

FAMU Catholic Student Center

St. Eugene serves as the Catholic student center for Florida A&M University (FAMU). The pastor, Rev. Paschal Chester, SVD, is also the chaplain to the Florida A&M University Catholic Student Association, and the chapel's location on the hill above the FAMU campus has been central to its identity since 1952. The partnership with FAMU — and the intervention of former FAMU President Dr. Fred Humphries in 1990 — has been crucial to the mission's survival and growth.

• Official Catholic chaplaincy for Florida A&M University
• Chaplain: Rev. Paschal Chester, SVD
• Long partnership with FAMU going back to the mission's founding in 1952
• Key moment: 1990 intervention by FAMU President Dr. Fred Humphries to save the chapel from demolition

Music & Liturgy

Music at St. Eugene reflects its African-American Catholic roots and its contemporary multicultural character. In the 1980s, under the influence of the Vatican's 'Office of Black Catholics' and parallel developments in Mississippi, the parish moved beyond traditional organ-led hymnody to embrace Gospel music, guitars, and drums in its celebrations — a change longtime parishioners describe as transformative.

• Gospel music
• Guitars and drums alongside the organ
• Gospel, English, and Spanish liturgical music supporting the multilingual congregation

Community Life & Outreach

The mission's most visible community event is the International Taste Food Festival, which highlights the extraordinary ethnic and linguistic diversity of the parish — over 20 languages and roughly 36 nationalities under one roof. The festival serves both as a celebration of that diversity and as a fundraiser for capital improvements to the parish plant.

• International Taste Food Festival (annual)
• Fundraising for expansion of the social hall, offices, classroom, and kitchen
• Welcoming outreach to a diverse urban neighborhood in south Tallahassee

Visit, Contact & Location

St. Eugene is located in south Tallahassee, just steps from the Florida A&M University campus, at the corner of Perry Street and Robert & Trudie Perkins Way across from Polkinghorne Village. Parish office hours run Monday–Thursday 9 AM–5 PM and Friday 9 AM–3 PM. Mass-goers are encouraged to call ahead or check the website for any schedule changes.

• Address: 701 Robert & Trudie Perkins Way (also referenced as 701 Gamble St.), Tallahassee, FL 32310
• Phone: (850) 222-6482
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: sainteugenechapel.org
• Office hours: Mon–Thu 9 AM–5 PM; Fri 9 AM–3 PM