About St. Jude · Sylacauga, Alabama
St. Jude Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish in Sylacauga, Alabama, founded in 1947 and part of the Diocese of Birmingham. The faith community serves the Talladega County area and also oversees the Mission Church of the Holy Name of Jesus in nearby Childersburg. Despite a smaller congregation in recent decades, the parish maintains regular Sunday and weekday Masses, a Catholic faith formation (CCD) program, and active pastoral ministry led by a part-time priest who serves multiple churches in the area.
- Established
- 1947
- Patron
- St. Jude (Thaddaeus)
- Rector
- Rev. Shobhan Singareddy
- Diocese
- Diocese of Birmingham
Why belong here
St. Jude is a welcoming small-town Catholic parish where regular worshippers know one another by name — an inviting atmosphere for anyone seeking an intimate faith community. The parish offers Sunday and weekday Masses, sacramental Reconciliation, faith formation (CCD) for children, and shares pastoral ministry with neighboring missions so the faithful can also participate in regional Holy Week, Christmas, and feast-day liturgies across the Talladega County cluster. For those who value a tight-knit Catholic identity in east-central Alabama, St. Jude provides an accessible parish home with deep historical roots going back to the post-World War II industrial era.
Mass times at St. Jude
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30-4:00 PM (or by appointment)
Parish Identity and Patron
St. Jude Catholic Church in Sylacauga, Alabama, is dedicated to St. Jude Thaddaeus, the apostle venerated as the patron saint of hope and of desperate or difficult causes. His feast day is celebrated on October 28. The parish takes its place within the Diocese of Birmingham as a small but enduring faith community in east-central Alabama.
- Patron: St. Jude (Thaddaeus)
- Feast day: October 28
- Diocese: Birmingham, Alabama
History of St. Jude Parish
The parish was established in 1947 to minister to the growing Catholic population of Sylacauga during the town's mid-20th-century industrial boom. Many Catholic families had relocated to the area from elsewhere — including Northern transplants known locally as 'Yankees' — to work at the Kimberly-Clark paper mill, Dixie-Color Printing, a shell plant, and a powder plant. Over the decades, the parish has continued to serve a smaller, multigenerational Catholic community, sharing pastoral care with neighboring missions at Holy Name of Jesus in Childersburg and St. Francis of Assisi in Talladega.
- Founded 1947
- Industrial-era Catholic community in Sylacauga
- Shares priest with Childersburg and Talladega missions
Sacraments and Devotions
The parish celebrates the standard Catholic sacraments including Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and First Reconciliation/Communion preparation for children. Devotional life includes traditional Holy Week observances and the longstanding Christmas Eve midnight Mass tradition shared by longtime parishioner families such as the Clintons.
- Baptism by appointment
- Marriage preparation with parish office
- Anointing of the Sick upon request
- Christmas Eve Vigil Mass at 11:00 PM
Faith Formation (CCD)
St. Jude offers a CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) religious education program for the parish's children. CCD sign-ups are traditionally held on Sundays and the program runs through the school year with a small per-child materials fee. Inquiries are directed to the parish coordinator Mary Beth and the parish office during open hours.
- CCD sign-up held on Sundays
- Small fee per child for books
- Contact: parish office or Mary Beth
Clergy and Staff
St. Jude is currently served by Rev. Shobhan Singareddy as pastor, working in a part-time arrangement that also covers the nearby missions. Deacon Terry Rumore assists with liturgical services, including Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at the partner parishes. The parish office is staffed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
- Pastor: Rev. Shobhan Singareddy
- Deacon: Terry Rumore
- Parish office hours: Mon/Wed/Thu 8 AM–2 PM
Visiting and Contact Information
St. Jude Catholic Church is located at 310 West Bay Street in Sylacauga, Alabama, 35150 (mailing address P.O. Box 111, Sylacauga, AL 35150). Visitors coming from I-280 East take Exit 21 (Park Street), then follow Darby Avenue, Alexander Circle/Avenue, and W Bay Street to the church. The parish office phone is (256) 245-7741 and email is [email protected].
- Address: 310 W Bay St., Sylacauga, AL 35150
- Mailing: P.O. Box 111, Sylacauga, AL 35150
- Phone: (256) 245-7741
- Email: [email protected]
Regional Catholic Cluster
St. Jude shares clergy and collaborates liturgically with two partner parishes in Talladega County: St. Francis of Assisi in Talladega and Holy Name of Jesus in Childersburg. Together they coordinate Holy Week, Christmas, All Saints/All Souls, and New Year's schedules so that the faithful of each parish can participate in regional observances such as the Easter Vigil, Christmas midnight Mass, and communal Stations of the Cross.
- St. Francis of Assisi, Talladega
- Holy Name of Jesus, Childersburg (mission of St. Jude)
- Shared Holy Week and Christmas schedule
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Tom Woods
Former pastor referenced in parish prayer requests (c. 2018).