About St. Francis of Assisi (NSB Kings Bay Chapel) · Kings Bay Base, Georgia
St. Francis of Assisi (NSB Kings Bay Chapel) is the Roman Catholic parish serving the military community, families, and civilian personnel of Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay — the East Coast home of the U.S. Navy's Ohio-class Trident submarine force — in coastal Southeast Georgia. The parish falls under the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and operates out of the Main Chapel on USS Daniel Boone Drive. Its central chapel building also hosts Protestant worship, faith-formation programs, and ecumenical events coordinated by the base Religious Ministries Department, which reaches over 5,000 people a month.
- Patron
- St. Francis of Assisi
- Rector
- Fr. John Tran (full-time contract priest assigned October 1; chaplaincy serves under the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA
Why belong here
St. Francis of Assisi is the spiritual home for Catholic service members, dependents, DoD civilians, and contractors working at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. A full priest is now assigned, and the parish offers daily weekday Masses, a Saturday Vigil, a Sunday Mass, Saturday confessions, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, RCIA for adults entering the Church, CCD for children, and a chartered Knights of Columbus council. It is a tight-knit, mission-driven community that gathers Trident submariners, their families, and base neighbors around the Eucharist in one of the Navy's most strategically important installations.
Mass times at St. Francis of Assisi (NSB Kings Bay Chapel)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM (before Vigil Mass)
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM (per Catholic Church Times) — or by appointment
- Weekdays by appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
About the Parish
St. Francis of Assisi (NSB Kings Bay Chapel) is the Roman Catholic parish of Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia. It is administered under the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and serves active-duty sailors, their families, retirees, DoD civilians, and contractors who live and work on the base. The parish celebrates the Roman Rite and gathers at the Main Chapel on USS Daniel Boone Drive, the same building that also hosts Protestant worship and ecumenical programming run by the base Religious Ministries Department.
- Type: Military installation Catholic parish
- Diocese: Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA
- Address: 1220 USS Daniel Boone Drive, Kings Bay Base, GA 31547
- Phone: 912-573-4501 / 4502
History
The Kings Bay Catholic community has long centered on the Main Chapel that serves the Trident submarine fleet homeported here. In his farewell letter to Blessed Sacrament Parish in Savannah, Father John Tran recounted that military officers at Kings Bay had approached Bishop Hartmayer because the Catholic community had been without a full-time priest for roughly two years. Father Tran visited, celebrated Mass with the parishioners, and accepted a contract assignment that took effect October 1, restoring full-time resident Catholic chaplaincy to the base.
- Bishop Hartmayer (Diocese of Savannah) helped broker pastoral coverage from Blessed Sacrament, Savannah
- Fr. John Tran began a full-time Catholic priest contract at Kings Bay on October 1
- Knights of Columbus Council 16356 chartered in 2015 under the parish name
Sacraments & Devotions
Confession is heard Saturday afternoons in conjunction with the Vigil Mass, with weekday appointments available. Eucharistic Adoration is offered every Wednesday. Weddings, baptisms, and other rites are arranged through the chapel; the Navy recommends that major events be scheduled at least three months in advance.
- Confession — Saturday (typically 4:30 PM before Vigil Mass), or by appointment
- Eucharistic Adoration — Wednesday 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
- First Friday devotion — evening Mass
Faith Formation
Faith formation is run through a Director of Religious Education who organizes programs across age groups in coordination with the Navy chaplains. The annual cycle includes weekly Sunday CCD for children, an adult RCIA process on Wednesdays, Vacation Bible School, and ongoing Bible studies.
- Sunday CCD — 10:45 AM
- Wednesday RCIA — 3:00 PM
- Vacation Bible School (annual)
- Bible studies and adult formation
Knights of Columbus Council 16356
St. Francis of Assisi Council 16356 of the Knights of Columbus was chartered in 2015 at the Main Chapel on USS Daniel Boone Avenue and meets the 2nd Thursday of each month at 6:30 PM. The council's chaplain is Rev. Gerard Gonda, OSB. It has organized joint pilgrimages with neighboring parishes to pray for vocations in the Diocese of Savannah and the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.
- Council 16356 — chartered 2015
- Meeting: 2nd Thursday @ 6:30 PM
- Chaplain: Rev. Gerard Gonda, OSB
- District 3 location at NSB Kings Bay Chapel
Religious Ministries Department
The Religious Ministries Department at SUBASE Kings Bay coordinates Roman Catholic and Protestant programming, plus ecumenical special events, for the entire base population. According to the official Commander, Navy Region Southeast site, the department reaches roughly 5,000 people a month across worship services, religious education, retreats, and seasonal observances.
- Monthly reach: ~5,000 people across faith traditions
- Sunday Catholic Mass, Sunday Protestant Worship, Sunday CCD rotation
- Weddings, retirements, and classes scheduled three months in advance
Plan Your Visit
The Main Chapel sits directly across from the Navy Exchange on USS Daniel Boone Drive, inside the controlled perimeter of Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. Plan to arrive with a valid DoD ID, or coordinate base access in advance through your sponsor. After-hours pastoral emergencies are routed through the base Quarterdeck at 912-573-2020.
- Main Chapel — 1220 USS Daniel Boone Drive
- Across from the Navy Exchange
- Chapel phone: 912-573-4501 / 4502
- After-hours duty chaplain: 912-573-2020 (Quarterdeck)
Contact
Reach the chapel office during duty hours to ask about Mass intentions, sacramental preparation, weddings, baptisms, faith formation, or to connect with the Knights of Columbus Council 16356.
- Phone: 912-573-4501 / 912-573-4502
- Address: 1220 USS Daniel Boone Drive, Kings Bay Base, GA 31547
- Facebook: Kings Bay Chapel (facebook.com/p/Kings-Bay-Chapel-100077426971448)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. John TranAssigned October 1 (announced in farewell letter from Blessed Sacrament, Savannah)
First sustained full-time Catholic priest at Kings Bay in approximately two years; came at the request of military officers to Bishop Hartmayer of Savannah and was contracted via the Diocese of Savannah.