St. William Catholic Church
Prior to World War II, Marshall County was not known as a Catholic enclave. In fact, in 1945, the only resident Catholic in the county’s largest city, Guntersville, was a woman by the name of Margaret “Polly” Latimer. In October of that same year, Kenneth McCormick and his new wife settled in the city. With the closest church being St. James Catholic Church in Gadsden, the small group of Catholics eventually advocated to become a mission of the Gadsden parish, which was led by Father James Wathen. The first Mass to be celebrated at the new St. William Mission was on July 17, 1949, in the Dr. Edward Venning Building in the North Town Business District, with the understanding that in exchange for the use of the building, the Catholic faithful would pay the building’s electric bill.
Prior to World War II, Marshall County was not known as a Catholic enclave. In fact, in 1945, the only resident Catholic in the county’s largest city, Guntersville, was a woman by the name of Margaret “Polly” Latimer. In October of that same year, Kenneth McCormick and his new wife settled in the city. With the closest church being St. James Catholic Church in Gadsden, the small group of Catholics eventually advocated to become a mission of the Gadsden parish, which was led by Father James Wathen. The first Mass to be celebrated at the new St. William Mission was on July 17, 1949, in the Dr. Edward Venning Building in the North Town Business District, with the understanding that in exchange for the use of the building, the Catholic faithful would pay the building’s electric bill.
By the end of 1949, the congregation boasted ten families, totaling 20 attending Mass every Sunday. In just two short years, the congregation increased to 30 parishioners, with $4,000 in the bank due to low expenses. The draw of Lake Guntersville steadily grew the number of Catholics in the area, leading the congregation to search for a permanent church home.
Then Bishop of Mobile-Birmingham Thomas J. Toolen approved the purchase of a vacated Baptist church for the sum of $23,500, which was accepted on March 2, 1952. Of the total sum, Bishop Toolen contributed $1,000, parishioner Rosemary Mackin contributed $1,000, the Catholic Extension Society contributed $10,000, and the congregation raised the remaining $11,500.
Converting the space to make it suitable for Catholic worship included the men of the parish installing floors, electrical and water lines, pews, kneelers, and the main altar, which was donated by Bishop Fulton Sheen. After the hard work, the church was dedicated on April 5, 1954.
The next five years saw more growth in the parish, bringing the total number of parishioners to 149. With the growth, the mission was raised to the status of parish when Father Paul Mullaney was assigned as resident pastor in May of 1959.
In 1961, Father Mullaney was succeeded by Father Owen Connaughton. Under his pastorate, the sacristy was remodeled, the basement was completed and furnished, and an electric organ was purchased. After his short three-year tenure, Father Joseph Cecil Gill was named pastor. He continued to operate the parish debt-free, and he was responsible for purchasing land in Scottsboro upon which St. Jude Catholic Mission would ultimately be built.
Following Father Gill’s reassignment, Father Patrick Murphy came to Guntersville in 1968. During his five years at St. William, parishioners grew in number to over 300, leading the priest to propose a larger church. The need for a larger church led the parish to hold the first-ever St. William Seafood Festival in 1971 as a means to raise funds. The last Mass to be celebrated in the old church took place on April 16, 1972, and the groundbreaking for the new church, which could seat 300, occurred two months later, with Father Murphy and Bishop Joseph Vath, First Bishop of Birmingham, present.
By the fall of 1972, the new church was complete thanks to the hard work of many parishioners, from Ed Schultz collecting liturgical items from a closing convent in Chicago to Harold Katz building kitchen cabinets to the late Bob Emmenegger drawing plans for the altar.
On March 4, 1973, Bishop Vath dedicated the new church, which cost $121,000. Amazingly, the small parish was able to pay off the mortgage in six years, thanks to parishioners making generous pledges and proceeds from the parish’s annual seafood festival.
Father Paul Donnelly replaced Father Murphy in 1973, and after three years he was succeeded by Father Bernard Mulcahy, who oversaw the building of the parish’s CCD building in 1978 and the purchase of the church’s new rectory in 1980. Father William Jones was assigned as pastor in 1982; however, in 1984, when he pursued studies in Pennsylvania, Msgr. Francis Wade came out of retirement to lead the parish.
For two weeks in 1985, Father Charles Cross was pastor before needing to leave due to health concerns. Father Francis Craven was then named administrator before being named pastor in 1987. Sadly, Father Craven died in 1989, leading to Father Thomas O’Connor from St. Bernard Abbey assisting for a short time before Msgr. Wade returned to assist the parish for several months.
Father Donnelly returned as pastor in the middle of 1989 and remained until 1997. During his second tenure as pastor, Father Donnelly oversaw the purchase of property for a parking lot, the purchase of a new organ, and the construction of a much needed office building. Following his retirement, Father Thomas Kelly came to Guntersville to serve St. William.
Father Kelly was succeeded by Father Tom Ackerman on July 1, 2001. During his time at St. William, Father Ackerman established the mission church, Chapel of the Holy Cross in Albertville, to accommodate the ever-growing Hispanic community.
In 2010, Father Pfander arrived in Guntersville as pastor. Six years into his pastorate, plans were made to expand the parish’s ability to host gatherings with the building of a parish hall. Two years later, shortly after Bishop David E. Foley, the Third Bishop of Birmingham, passed away, the expansion was dedicated as the Foley Center.
Father Pfander was succeeded by Father Mark Spruill in 2019. Under Father Spruill’s leadership, the 43-year-old church underwent extensive renovations, which included a handicap accessible church entrance and restrooms, new landscaping, new floors, refinishing of the church pews, signage, and paint. With the Guntersville parish’s humble beginnings in view, it is easy to confidently proclaim that the continued growth of St. William speaks volumes to the faithfulness not only of the parish’s dedicated pastors but also of its devoted parishioners.
