St. Bede the Venerable Catholic Church at 3870 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery, AL 36109 US - Our Parish History
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Our Parish History |
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The History of St. Bede Catholic Church
The Interesting and eventful history of St Bede the Venerable Catholic Church begins in North Montgomery in the early 1900’s. It was approximately 1920 when the predecessor of St. Bede, a chapel, was destroyed by fire. The planning for St. Bede began a few years later and in 1925 construction was completed on the first St. Bede Church, which was affiliated with St. Peter of Montgomery. Reverend Patrick Turner, who was born in Limerick Ireland in 1878, is credited with founding St. Bede, as pastor of St. Peter in 1925, just two years before his death.
From 1925-1946 St. Bede functioned as a mission church primarily for Catholic residents of the Capitol Heights area. In 1946, Father Joseph G. McArdle was appointed pastor of the newly created parish of St. Bede. Although growth was slow at first, the parish would expand to serve much of east Montgomery under Father McArdle’s leadership.
The parish elementary school, located where Perry Hill and the Atlanta Highway meet, opened in 1958. Several years later (in 1962) a Convent was built next to it on land purchased in 1953. The current church and rectory (which now serves as the church office) were completed at the end of 1968. The first mass in the new church was offered on Palm Sunday, March 30, 1969.
The parish and school continued to grow over the next two decades. In March of 1983 there were two much needed additions to the parish; a new school library and Parish Hall were completed and dedicated. Several years later, the Daughters of Charity vacated the Convent, making room for the St. Bede Child Center. The final addition to the school came in the form of a state of the art junior high facility, located directly behind the original school.
In 1988, the Tetreault property, located on the west side of the school complex, was purchased and became the new Rectory in 1990, making room for new church offices. In 2002, a capital campaign was launched to fund the latest addition to the parish, the Family Life Center. Opened in 2004, the facility houses a Child Development Center, gymnasium, and event rooms. It now serves as the premier facility for sports events and gatherings.
