About St. John the Baptist · Grand Bay, Alabama
St. John the Baptist is a Roman Catholic parish in Grand Bay, Alabama, a small coastal community in the southwestern corner of Mobile County. The parish belongs to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mobile and is served by a pastor, a Director of Religious Education/Youth Minister, and an Administrative Assistant, with daily and weekly Masses celebrated both in the main church and an on-site chapel. It is a tight-knit, mission-sized community with a notable outreach to residents of the Grand Bay Convalescent Home, where the pastor celebrates Mass on the first Friday of each month.
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Rev. Anthony Kadavil
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mobile
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist offers the warmth and accessibility of a small Catholic parish where individual parishioners are known by name. Worship includes a Saturday Vigil and Sunday morning Mass in the main church, weekday Mass celebrated in the chapel, a monthly Healing Mass, daily Rosary and Benediction, and a regular First-Friday Mass at the Grand Bay Convalescent Home. The parish also runs a formal religious-education and youth ministry program for children and families, hosts Adoration before Sunday Mass, and offers Stations of the Cross during Lent — making it an ideal spiritual home for families, retirees, and anyone seeking a faithful, close-knit Catholic community along the Alabama Gulf Coast.
Mass times at St. John the Baptist
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM – 4:50 PM (before Vigil Mass)
- Sunday 9:30 AM – 9:50 AM (before 10:00 AM Mass)
- Weekdays by appointment
Adoration times
- Sunday 9:30 AM – 9:55 AM (Adoration and Rosary before 10:00 AM Mass)
Parish Overview & Worship Schedule
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church serves the Grand Bay community in southwestern Mobile County, Alabama, as a parish of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mobile. Weekend worship centers on a Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:00 PM and a Sunday Mass at 10:00 AM, both celebrated in English in the main church. Weekday Masses are offered in the parish chapel on Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30 PM and on Wednesday and Friday at 8:00 AM, with a Healing Mass on the first Wednesday of each month.
Parish Staff
The parish is led by a pastor supported by a Director of Religious Education/Youth Minister and an Administrative Assistant. Together they coordinate worship, faith formation, youth ministry, and parish administration.
- Rev. Anthony Kadavil — Pastor
- Courtney Pritchard — Director of Religious Education / Youth Minister
- Clinton Doolittle — Administrative Assistant
Our Pastor: Rev. Anthony (Tony) Kadavil
Fr. Anthony Kadavil was ordained to the priesthood in 1967 at age 28 and came to the United States in the early 2000s, serving as chaplain at the Sacred Heart Residence of the Little Sisters of the Poor and then in parishes of the Diocese of Marquette and the Archdiocese of Mobile. He was appointed pastor of St. John the Baptist, Grand Bay, on February 11, 2011. He is widely known for his Scriptural Homilies, which he shares weekly with some 3,000 priests and deacons worldwide via his personal site and through Vatican Radio and other Catholic media.
Religious Education & Youth Ministry
The parish maintains an active religious-education and youth ministry program for children and teens from Preschool through 12th grade, meeting on Sundays from 8:45 AM to 9:45 AM during the school year. Courtney Pritchard serves as the parish's Director of Religious Education and Youth Minister, and the program relies on volunteer catechists and aides.
- Children's Religious Education (Preschool–12), Sundays 8:45 AM – 9:45 AM
- Vacation Bible School with banners memorializing past programs and parishioner volunteers
- Confirmation preparation through the youth ministry program
- RCIA / RCIC for adults and children seeking initiation
- Volunteer catechists and aides
Outreach & Pastoral Care
St. John the Baptist maintains a particular outreach to the elderly and homebound of Grand Bay. On the First Friday of each month at 10:00 AM, the pastor offers Mass at the Grand Bay Convalescent Home, and parishioners are encouraged to join in this ministry. The parish also offers a monthly Healing Mass (1st Wednesdays) and visits the homebound and hospitalized through its sacramental ministry.
- First Friday Mass at Grand Bay Convalescent Home, 10:00 AM
- Healing Mass, 1st Wednesday at 8:00 AM
- Visits to the sick, homebound, and hospitalized
- Anointing of the Sick on request
Sacraments
The parish prepares parishioners for all seven Catholic sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. Couples should contact the pastor well in advance of a planned wedding; adults seeking initiation or full communion enter the RCIA process; and the parish provides regular opportunities for First Reconciliation and First Communion through its Religious Education program.
Liturgical Seasons & Holy Days
In addition to the weekly schedule, the parish observes special liturgies for the seasons of Lent, Easter and Christmas, plus Holy Days of Obligation.
- Stations of the Cross during Lent
- Easter Vigil Mass
- Christmas Vigil Masses
- Holy Day Mass at 7:00 PM
- Communion Services during weekday gaps
Visitor & Member Information
Newcomers and returning Catholics are warmly invited to register with the parish. Daily Gospel Reflections, online Catholic resources, and homily links are linked directly from the parish home page to help parishioners deepen their faith day by day.
- Parish registration form available on the website
- Daily Gospel Reflection audio on the homepage
- Links to online Catholic resources
- Bulletin archive available online
Contact & Location
The parish office can be reached by phone or email, and visitors traveling from outside the area will find the church convenient to reach from Interstate 10.
- Address: 12450 Highway 188, Grand Bay, AL 36541
- Phone: (251) 865-6902
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://stjohngrandbay.org/
- Directions: From I-10 exit at Grand Bay / Hwy 188 South; past Hwy 90; cross the railroad tracks; the church is on the left.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Anthony Kadavil2011–2018
Appointed pastor of St. John the Baptist, Grand Bay on February 11, 2011; retired as pastor on June 30, 2018. Originally ordained in 1967, he previously served chaplainships and parishes in the Archdiocese of Mobile and the Diocese of Marquette.