About St. Rose of Lima · Baxley, Georgia
St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church is a small bilingual parish located at 1520 City Circle Road in Baxley, Georgia (Appling County), serving the local Catholic community in both English and Spanish. It belongs to the Diocese of Savannah and is clustered with two neighboring mission parishes — Good Shepherd in Hazlehurst and St. Frances of Rome in Alma — sharing clergy across the three communities. Dedicated in 1991 by Bishop Raymond W. Lessard, the parish grew out of an earlier mission, St. Christopher, that had worshipped for over fifty years in an old army building in Baxley before a Highway 1 widening project forced relocation.
- Established
- 1991
- Patron
- St. Rose of Lima
- Rector
- Fr. Anthony Madanu, MF (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Savannah
Why belong here
St. Rose of Lima is a small but deeply bilingual Catholic community where English- and Spanish-speaking families worship side-by-side, with two Sunday Masses each week in their respective languages and weekly CCD and Confirmation formation for both. As part of a three-parish cluster with Good Shepherd in Hazlehurst and St. Frances of Rome in Alma, it offers the stability of shared pastoral care and the warmth of a tight-knit rural parish. Weekly devotions — Thursday Adoration and Rosary, Saturday confessions, and Lenten Stations of the Cross in both languages — give the community a steady rhythm of prayer and sacramental life.
Mass times at St. Rose of Lima
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays 5:00 – 5:30 PM
Adoration times
- Thursdays 6:00 – 7:00 PM (Adoration and Holy Rosary)
History of St. Rose of Lima, Baxley
For more than fifty years before St. Rose of Lima was built, the Catholics of Baxley worshipped in an old army building that served as a church under the patronage of St. Christopher. St. Christopher was a mission of Good Shepherd parish, and in June 1990 Fr. Patrick J. Shinnick was appointed pastor. When the City of Baxley planned to widen US Highway 1 — bringing the roadway right up to the front door of St. Christopher's — the property was sold and a new site was sought. Between 1990 and 1991, land on City Circle Road meeting all diocesan requirements was secured and groundbreaking followed. Construction began September 15, 1991; the total cost of building, land and furnishings was $170,000, with the Diocese of Savannah contributing $90,000 and the parish assuming the remaining $80,000. On December 15, 1991, Bishop Raymond W. Lessard formally blessed and dedicated the new church, placing it under the patronage of St. Rose of Lima. With about 15 to 20 families, the parish burned the mortgage only six months after opening — a symbolic gesture that the church was debt-free.
- Old army building on Highway 1 served as St. Christopher mission for over 50 years
- Highway 1 widening forced relocation
- New parish named St. Rose of Lima
- Construction began September 15, 1991
- Total project cost: $170,000 (Diocese $90,000, parish $80,000)
- Blessed and dedicated by Bishop Raymond W. Lessard on December 15, 1991
- Founding community of 15–20 families burned the mortgage within six months
CCD and Faith Formation (Catecismo)
Faith formation at St. Rose of Lima is offered in both English and Spanish. English CCD classes meet on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 PM. Spanish CCD (clases de catecismo) meets on Tuesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, and Spanish-language Confirmation preparation classes are held on Mondays from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.
- CCD – English: Wednesdays 6:00 – 7:30 PM
- CCD – Spanish: Tuesdays 6:00 – 7:30 PM
- Spanish Confirmation classes: Mondays 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Clergy and Pastoral Succession
St. Rose of Lima is served today by a parochial administrator, Fr. Anthony Madanu, MF, who also ministers to Good Shepherd in Hazlehurst and St. Frances of Rome in Alma. The parish's history page lists the pastors who have shepherded the community since the founding of the new church in December 1991.
- Fr. Patrick Shinnick — Dec 1991 – June 1992 (founding pastor)
- Fr. Herbert Graf — July 1992 – Aug 2001
- Fr. Lorenzo Garcia — Sept 2001 – June 2005
- Fr. Paul O'Connell — June 2005 – Sept 2009
- Fr. Rafael Estrada — Sept 2009 – Dec 2024
- Fr. Anthony Madanu, MF — Jan 2025 – present (Parochial Administrator)
Parish Cluster
St. Rose of Lima shares its pastor with two neighboring mission parishes: Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Hazlehurst (259 Baxley Hwy, Hazlehurst, GA 31539) and St. Frances of Rome Catholic Church in Alma (1497 12th St. W, Alma, GA 31510). The cluster, listed under the Diocese of Savannah's Valdosta-Brunswick Deanery, is pastored by Fr. Anthony Madanu, MF, who serves as parochial administrator of all three communities.
- St. Rose of Lima — Baxley (Sunday Masses)
- Good Shepherd — Hazlehurst (Saturday Vigil 7:00 PM, bilingual)
- St. Frances of Rome — Alma (Sunday 10:30 AM, bilingual)
- Shared parochial administrator: Fr. Anthony Madanu, MF
Visit, Contact and Location
St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church is located at 1520 City Circle Road, Baxley, Georgia 31513, in Appling County. The parish office can be reached by phone at 912-705-8927. The parish's joint website with Good Shepherd and St. Frances of Rome is goodshepherdsaintrose.com.
- Address: 1520 City Circle Rd., Baxley, GA 31513
- Phone: 912-705-8927
- County: Appling
- Deanery: Valdosta-Brunswick (Diocese of Savannah)
- Website: goodshepherdsaintrose.com
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Patrick ShinnickDec 1991 – June 1992
Founding pastor at the new St. Rose of Lima site; had shepherded the Baxley mission/St. Christopher since June 1990 and burned the mortgage six months after the new church opened before being assigned to Holy Spirit, Macon.
- Fr. Herbert GrafJuly 1992 – Aug 2001
- Fr. Lorenzo GarciaSept 2001 – June 2005
- Fr. Paul O'ConnellJune 2005 – Sept 2009
- Fr. Rafael EstradaSept 2009 – Dec 2024
- Fr. Anthony Madanu, MFJan 2025 –
Current parochial administrator for the cluster of St. Rose of Lima, Good Shepherd (Hazlehurst), and St. Frances of Rome (Alma).