Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in Fort Payne, Alabama, is celebrating more than 60 years of service within the region. The church rests in a narrow valley at the feet of both Sand and Lookout Mountains in DeKalb County.
Our Lady of the Valley is the only parish in the counties of DeKalb and Etowah, and serves the communities of Fort Payne, Mentone, Valley Head, Ider, Henagar, Rainsville, Collinsville and beyond.
Our current Pastor is Father Richard A. Chenault.
The parish celebrates a rich history of family and faith in action. It began as a handful of people gathering at a home on Forest Avenue in Fort Payne 60 years ago. The parish community saw the need for a permanent location and soon began construction on a charming structure that would seat about 150 people. The building would see a couple of expansions before the realization that the original structure would no longer accommodate the growing number of Catholics to the region, so in 2002, a new facility was built on the same property that now seats 500 people, while the old church was converted into office and ministry space, including the Casa Maria Food Bank that serves the entire region, regardless of religious affiliation.
The Religious Education program has continued to grow, and recently resulted in the addition of a new 10 classroom structure for the more than 450 Religious Education students, ages kindergarten through high school.
The majority of initial and charter members of Our Lady of the Valley were transplants to the region as well as visitors who chose to become permanent residents of the area. A rich diversity of corporate businesses and factories brought people from all across the country for employment and an equal diversity of tourism attractions has made the NE Alabama region a year-round travel destination. Both industries continue to bring new-comers and visitors alike through our doors on a regular basis.
Fort Payne and the surrounding communities, especially Mentone and Lookout Mountain, is home to many natural and scenic attractions that draw a multitude of visitors to the region annually. Summer camps in Mentone see thousands of children and their families returning year after year to attend camp. Many of those children attend Mass at the Catholic Church. Visitors to the region enjoy attractions like the Historic town of Mentone, DeSoto State Park, Little River Canyon National Preserve and Historic Fort Payne. Whether a visitor or a resident of the region, we hope you make plans to come and worship with us at Mass. We know you will be blessed.