Birmingham AL and Ave Maria FL

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rosary
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
R

Rosary

Guest
I know of someone who is considering moving to the Birmingham/Irondale/Hanceville AL area due to its proximity to EWTN. Is the Catholic population increasing there? Is there a Catholic “movement” to move there?
Also does anyone know of the progress of the town being built around Ave Maria University in FL?
 
One time I talked to a lady who’s worked at EWTN for years, and she told me the EWTN area is very much like the area my family lives in in the North Carolina Bible Belt. I actually talked to Irondale locals who did NOT know of the existence of EWTN! But there is a Catholic presence there, I just got the impression it wasn’t as easy to find.

On the other hand, we’ve visited Hanceville and the houses nearby are very, very Catholic. You just have to see it! I wish we could move there… :yup:
 
I am from Birmingham and there is a Catholic presence. Actually, there is a fairly strong Catholic presence even though we are vastly outnumbered by the various Protestants.

I don’t know of any Catholic movement to relocate there though.
 
40.png
Rosary:
I know of someone who is considering moving to the Birmingham/Irondale/Hanceville AL area due to its proximity to EWTN. Is the Catholic population increasing there? Is there a Catholic “movement” to move there?
Also does anyone know of the progress of the town being built around Ave Maria University in FL?
Click to expand...
Your friend should know that Hanceville is about an hour’s drive north of Birmingham and EWTN. That being said, Hanceville and Cullman County have a fairly large Catholic population. Of course, there is only one Parish (Sacred Heart in Cullman), but there are three orders of religious: The brothers at St. Bernard (home of the Ave Maria Grotto), the Benedictine Sisters at Sacred Heart Monastery and the Our Lady of The Angels Monastery (The Shrine of The Most Blessed Sacrament) in Hanceville (a few miles south of the city of Cullman). That’s quite a lot for such a small county.

Links:

Benedictine Sisters

Sacred Heart Catholic Church

St. Bernard Abbey

Our Lady of The Angels Monastery
 
I should have added that Cullman County is dominated by Protestants. It is a dry county and has what is probably the world’s only beer-free Oktoberfest. But Catholics are here and with good numbers, though I will be moving to the Birmingham area in a few weeks. 😦
 
I moved to about 8 miles outside of Cullman when I retired 2 1/2 years ago, in order to be near relatives (next county to the west). At that time I had no idea that I would be converting to Catholicism, but I knew that there was significant Catholic presence here before EWTN ever existed; Cullman itself was founded by German Catholics.

And yes, Cullman County is a dry county, which to me was a major selling point 😃

It’s a very pleasant place to live; come on down!

DaveBj
 
I moved to Birmingham from my hometown of Mobile Alabama - I was shocked at the difference. Mobile is very Catholic. Bham is very Baptist. It’s obvious to me and it doesn’t feel like home. 😦

That said - there does seem to be a strong Catholic community and I am very happy with the Church we attend (which isn’t the one that is closest to us.) I LOVE having EWTN radio to listen to while I battle the horrid traffic - it’s been a true blessing. The reception is spotty in south Bham though.
 
Don’t know about any “movement” to start a Catholic Community in Hanceville, but I know when all my friends go there for a visit, they all want to move there permanently. Too cold for me :nope:

(Was told by someone who actually did move there to NOT advertise you are Catholic - don’t wear Catholic t-shirts or jewelry, take the rosary down from your rear view mirror, etc. Hear the price of real estate really escalates if they know you are Catholic!)

As for Ave Maria, the college is currently located in Naples, FL, with plans to relocate permanently to nearby Immokolee (sp?). They do plan to build a whole town around the place, with a church larger than St. Patrick’s in NYC. :cool: My dream is for dh to sell his business, sell the house, move down there and become a teacher at the college while I sit on the beach all day making rosaries 👍 Oldest child will be ready in a couple of years for the college; we may not be ready to follow him down there by then, but maybe with the next child…😉
 
h(name removed by moderator)2four:
(Was told by someone who actually did move there to NOT advertise you are Catholic - don’t wear Catholic t-shirts or jewelry, take the rosary down from your rear view mirror, etc. Hear the price of real estate really escalates if they know you are Catholic!)
Click to expand...
Prices also escalate if they think you’re moving down south from up north 😃 Has nothing to do with being Catholic; has to do with thinking you have money.

DaveBj
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top