About St. John · Bromley, Alabama
St. John Catholic Mission is a small rural mission church in the community of Bromley, Alabama, situated about ten miles north of Daphne on State Highway 225. It is a mission of Shrine of the Holy Cross Parish in Daphne and part of the Archdiocese of Mobile, serving Roman-Latin Rite Catholic faithful in the surrounding countryside of southwest Alabama. The mission was established in 1953 as an outreach of the Shrine of the Holy Cross, originally founded to minister to African American Catholic families living in the rural eastern shore of Baldwin County. Today it continues as a Sunday worship site under the pastoral care of Fr. Lito J. Capeding, with Deacon Joseph Gottstine assisting, and Mass is celebrated every Sunday morning.
- Established
- 1953
- Patron
- St. John the Evangelist
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Lito J. Capeding
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Mobile
Why belong here
St. John Mission is a small, close-knit rural Catholic community where parishioners know one another by name, with a single Sunday Mass celebrated in a peaceful country setting about ten miles north of Daphne. As a mission of Shrine of the Holy Cross, it shares in the pastoral care of a parish with deep roots on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, including a weekly Sunday Mass, confession before Mass, livestreamed worship, and dedicated music and lay leadership. It is a welcoming, prayerful place to belong for Catholics in the Bromley area who want the Eucharist close to home.
Mass times at St. John
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 11:15 AM – 11:25 AM, or after Mass (please call to schedule)
Welcome & Identity
St. John Catholic Mission is the Bromley-area mission church of Shrine of the Holy Cross Parish in Daphne, Alabama, serving Roman-Latin Rite Catholics in the rural community of Bromley about ten miles north of Daphne on State Highway 225. The mission is part of the Archdiocese of Mobile and is led by the same pastoral team as the Shrine: Fr. Lito J. Capeding as pastor, Deacon Joseph Gottstine, Perry Tan in music, Mary Allen as secretary, and Beverly Tolbert as mission secretary and bulletin editor.
- Patron: St. John the Evangelist (feast day December 27)
- Mailing address: 7488 Herman Sledge Rd, Bromley, AL 36507-5725
- Parish office phone: (251) 621-9793
- Web: shrineoftheholycross.org/st-john-mission
History of the Mission
St. John's was founded in 1953 as the Bromley satellite of the Shrine of the Holy Cross in Daphne, which Bishop Thomas Toolen had established in 1947-48 with the Society of St. Joseph (the Josephites) as a mission to African American families living under Jim Crow in Baldwin County. Its founding pastor, Fr. Vincent Warren, S.S.J., launched the Shrine in a Quonset hut chapel dedicated October 16, 1948, then quickly added a parochial school (1949) and outreach missions to surrounding communities.
- 1947: Archdiocese of Mobile purchases 10 acres in Daphne for the Shrine mission.
- October 16, 1948: Shrine of the Holy Cross dedicated under Fr. Vincent Warren, S.S.J.
- 1949: African American school opens at the Shrine with Franciscan Sisters from Baltimore as teachers.
- 1953: St. John's Mission established in Bromley, north of Spanish Fort, to reach Black families farther out.
- 1955: Brick schoolhouse built at the Shrine; enrollment peaks at about 230 pupils; Oblate Sisters of Providence take over teaching.
- 1966: Shrine school closes after Baldwin County schools integrate following the Civil Rights Act.
- 1990-1991: Josephites transfer administration of both the Shrine and St. John's Mission to the Archdiocese of Mobile.
Fr. Vincent Warren and the Josephite Mission
Fr. Vincent Warren, S.S.J., was a white Josephite priest sent from Mobile to Baldwin County in the late 1940s to evangelize Black residents in the turpentine-camp, farming, and fishing communities of the eastern shore. He wrote to Bishop William O'Brien of the Catholic Church Extension Society in 1948 that the Shrine was 'the center of this missionary endeavor,' and reported that roughly 75 people were attending weekly Mass in Bromley in addition to 150 at the Shrine on Sundays. His ministry drew violent retaliation from the Ku Klux Klan, who once blocked the highway and assaulted him as he drove between the Shrine and St. John's, and later attacked him again near Birmingham.
- Founded the Shrine of the Holy Cross in 1948 as a Josephite mission.
- Opened a school for African American children in 1949.
- Established St. John's Mission in Bromley in 1953.
- Elected vicar general of the Josephites in 1960; returned to Baltimore.
Pastoral Leadership
Today St. John Mission shares its pastoral staff with the Shrine of the Holy Cross in Daphne. The mission is served by Pastor Fr. Lito J. Capeding, who is a native of the Philippines and also serves as chaplain to the Port of Mobile. He is assisted by Deacon Joseph Gottstine, Music Director Perry Tan, parish secretary Mary Allen, and mission secretary & bulletin editor Beverly Tolbert. Mass is offered once a week at the mission.
- Pastor: Rev. Fr. Lito J. Capeding
- Deacon: Rev. Joseph Gottstine
- Music Director: Perry Tan
- Secretary: Mary Allen
- Mission Secretary & Bulletin: Beverly Tolbert
Ministries & Parish Life
As a small rural mission, St. John's draws on the ministries and staff of its parent parish, the Shrine of the Holy Cross. Lay faithful keep the mission running week to week through music ministry, secretarial work, and the production of the weekly bulletin. The mission is a prayerful, close-knit gathering place for Catholic families in and around Bromley, with the larger Shrine in Daphne providing additional sacramental and community resources.
- Music ministry under Perry Tan
- Bulletin and mission communications under Beverly Tolbert
- Pastoral care shared with Shrine of the Holy Cross, Daphne
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach the mission through the Shrine of the Holy Cross parish office in Daphne. The mailing address is on Herman Sledge Road in Bromley, and the office email and phone route inquiries to the shared parish staff.
- Address: 7488 Herman Sledge Rd, Bromley, AL 36507-5725
- Parish office phone: (251) 621-9793
- Office email: [email protected] (Shrine of the Holy Cross parish office)
- Parish office address (Shrine): 612 Main St., Daphne, AL 36526
- Facebook: facebook.com/ShrineoftheHolyCross
Notable Heritage
St. John Mission sits within the broader legacy of the Shrine of the Holy Cross, one of the most historically significant African American Catholic parishes on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. Among the Shrine's most distinguished former parishioners are Dr. Regina Benjamin, the 18th Surgeon General of the United States, and Fr. Joseph L. Howze, the second Black Catholic bishop in the United States.
- Sister parish of the Shrine of the Holy Cross, Daphne — celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2023.
- Heritage rooted in Josephite evangelization of Baldwin County's African American community in the 1940s-50s.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Vincent Warren, S.S.J.1948–1960 (founder of Shrine & St. John's)
Josephite missionary who founded the Shrine of the Holy Cross in 1948 and established St. John's Mission in Bromley in 1953. Was elected vicar general of the Josephites in 1960.
- Rev. John Stryjewski2003–2007
Pastor of Shrine of the Holy Cross (and thus of St. John's Mission) who died in office.
- Rev. Fr. Lito J. Capeding2007–present
Succeeded Fr. Stryjewski as pastor. Originally from the Philippines; serves also as chaplain to the Port of Mobile.