About St. William of Montevergine · Shelbyville, Tennessee
St. William of Montevergine is a Roman Catholic parish in Shelbyville, Tennessee, belonging to the Diocese of Nashville. The parish was established in 1941 and is named after St. William of Vercelli (1085–1142), the Italian hermit who founded the Montevergine Abbey in Italy. With more than 400 registered families and a strong bilingual character, St. William celebrates Mass in both English and Spanish, offering one of the largest Hispanic Catholic presences in middle Tennessee outside of Nashville. The current sanctuary was built in 2005, and the parish is currently undertaking an ambitious 'One Family Under God' capital campaign to expand its campus with new classrooms, a parish hall, offices, an adoration chapel, and a rectory.
- Established
- 1941
- Patron
- Saint William of Montevergine (William of Vercelli, 1085–1142)
- Rector
- Father Edwuin Cardona
- Diocese
- Diocese of Nashville
Why belong here
St. William of Montevergine is one of the most welcoming bilingual Catholic parishes in middle Tennessee, offering eight Masses per week in both English and Spanish, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, four days of confession, and a thriving community of more than 400 families. Its ministries span religious education for children, teens, and adults, RCIA, marriage and baptism preparation, ministry to the sick and homebound, the Knights of Columbus, and a vibrant youth program shared with the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville. With a major campus expansion underway, the parish is actively building the classrooms, gathering spaces, and chapel facilities its growing family needs for decades to come.
Mass times at St. William of Montevergine
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM
- Monday: 5:45 PM – 6:45 PM
- Thursday: 5:45 PM – 6:45 PM
- Saturday: 5:45 PM – 6:45 PM
Adoration times
- Thursday: 5:45 PM – 7:00 PM
- 1st Friday: 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- 3rd Saturday of the Month: Nocturnal Adoration until Mass at 7 AM
- Friday in Lent: 1:00 PM Bilingual Stations of the Cross; 3:00 PM English Adoration of the Cross; 5:00 PM Spanish Adoration of the Cross
Parish Identity and Patron Saint
St. William of Montevergine Catholic Church was established in 1941 in Shelbyville, Tennessee, as a parish of the Diocese of Nashville. The parish is named for St. William of Vercelli (1085–1142), an Italian hermit born of nobility in Vercelli who, after the death of his parents, devoted his life to pilgrimages, austerity, and founding religious communities. He is best known for founding the Abbey of Montevergine in southern Italy and for the legend of 'the Miracle of the Wolf,' in which he tamed a wild wolf that had killed his donkey and put it to work. St. William died on June 25, 1142, in Goleto, Italy, and was canonized by Pope Alexander IV in 1256. His feast day is celebrated on June 25, and he is the patron of Irpinia and of this Shelbyville parish.
- Founded: 1941
- Patron: Saint William of Montevergine (William of Vercelli)
- Feast Day: June 25
- Diocese: Nashville
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Religious education is offered in both English and Spanish, with programs for children, teens, and adults. The Religious Education Coordinator for both languages is Isabel Grajales; the Religious Formation & Education Committee is led by Joy Cakey. The parish is currently building 15 additional classrooms as part of its capital campaign to relieve overcrowding in existing PRE classes.
- Religious Education (English and Spanish) — Isabel Grajales
- Religious Formation & Education Committee — Joy Cakey
- RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- First Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Confirmation preparation
- Adult Bible Study and ongoing formation
- Pre-K through Grade 8 program
- High school youth ministry (Grades 9–12)
Sacraments and Sacramental Preparation
The parish prepares Catholics for all the major sacraments and offers culturally appropriate formation for its bilingual community, including Quinceañera preparation — a hallmark of its Latino ministry.
- Baptism — Pre-baptismal classes required (Silvia Escamilla)
- First Eucharist and Reconciliation
- Confirmation
- Matrimony — Marriage preparation program (Victor Morales)
- Quinceañera — Preparation program (Silvia Escamilla)
- Anointing of the Sick / Ministry to the Homebound
Parish Ministries and Organizations
Parishioners at St. William serve in a wide range of liturgical, formation, outreach, and community-building ministries, with parallel Spanish- and English-speaking leadership for nearly every role.
- Knights of Columbus Council 12469
- Lectors: Billy Caskey (English); Nancy Alvarez (Spanish)
- Altar Servers / Monaguillos
- Ushers and Hospitality
- Parish Pastoral Council
- Finance Committee — Bartolo Piña
- Parish Life Director — Pat Johnson
- Liturgy Committee
- Outreach and Social Ministry
- Bereavement Ministry
- Newcomers Welcoming Ministry
- Ministry to the Sick / Homebound (Eucharistic visits)
- Youth Ministry — Jorge Amaro (shared with the Cathedral of the Incarnation, Nashville)
Outreach and Social Ministry
True to its mission, St. William reaches beyond its walls in concrete service to the wider Shelbyville and Bedford County community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Father Louis Rojas organized mobile vaccination clinics at the church in partnership with the Bedford County Health Department and Community Clinic, vaccinating dozens of parishioners and neighbors — an effort inspired directly by Pope Francis's 'It's Up to You' campaign.
- COVID-19 vaccination clinics (2021)
- Prayer List for the sick and dying (updated daily in bulletin)
- Visits and Communion to the homebound
- Knights of Columbus Council 12469 service projects
- Outreach and Social Ministry Committee
One Family Under God — Campus Expansion
Launched under Father Edwuin Cardona, the 'One Family Under God' capital campaign is a multi-phase plan to bring the entire St. William community together under one roof. When the sanctuary was built in 2005, the parish outlined a long-term plan for additional campus buildings — and after two decades of growth to more than 400 families, that vision is now being realized.
- Phase 1: New parish office, classrooms, and meeting space ($600,000) — 15 new religious education classrooms, 4 staff offices, 1,000 sq ft meeting space, 6 additional classrooms, ADA-accessible bathrooms, storm shelter space, additional parking with a second entrance from Brittain Street
- Phase 2: New parish hall ($2,500,000) — large gathering space with commercial kitchen
- Phase 3: Renovation of original church into an adoration chapel ($100,000) — preserving history while creating a place for daily Mass, private prayer, and smaller services
- Phase 4: Renovation of the new parish hall into a rectory ($150,000) — funded in part by the planned sale of the existing rectory property on Main Street (~$400,000)
Visiting and Joining the Parish
Whether you are a longtime Catholic, a newcomer to the area, returning to the faith, or simply exploring, St. William of Montevergine welcomes you. New parishioners are greeted and integrated through the parish's Newcomers Ministry, and information on registration is available in the weekly bulletin and at the parish office.
- Church: 500 South Brittain Street, Shelbyville, TN 37160
- Office: 719 North Main Street, Shelbyville, TN 37160
- Phone: (931) 735-6004 | Fax: (931) 684-6154
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.stwilliamshelbyville.org
- Facebook: facebook.com/stwilliamofmontevergineshelbyville
Heritage and Religious Orders
Since the late 1960s, St. William has been entrusted to religious orders whose missionary charism has shaped its identity as a welcoming, bilingual, and outreach-focused parish.
- Glenmary Home Missioners (Cincinnati, Ohio) — 1967–1996
- Salvatorians (U.S. Province, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) — 1996 into the 2000s
- Pallottines / Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Eastern Province, South Orange, New Jersey) — 2000s–present
- St. Vincent Pallotti founded the Pallottines in 1835; they are present in 45 countries on six continents.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Louis Edward Rojas, S.A.C.2015–2022
Pallottine priest installed Feb. 15, 2015; previously served in the Diocese of Nashville's Hispanic ministry starting in 2008. Retired in 2022 after 25 years as a priest and 50 years with the Society of the Catholic Apostolate.
- Father Edwuin Cardona2022–present
Priest of the Diocese of Nashville ordained in 2019; previously associate pastor at St. Rose of Lima in Murfreesboro. Appointed pastor of St. William in 2022 for a six-year term.