About Us

In spite of having such a small Catholic population, Darien has hosted a Catholic presence for nearly 500 years. In 1526, two Dominican friars came to Sapelo Sound (in the Darien area) with Conquistador Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon from Santo Domingo (present day Cuba) to establish a colony. The colony lasted three months and survivors returned to Santo Domingo. Following Vasquez de Ayllon, other conquistadores began colonies in la Florida, bringing with them Franciscan missionaries who started more substantial missions and worked closely with the native Guale population. According to the 1845 Catholic Directory, Darien is listed as a mission that was regularly attended to by priests from Savannah, St. John the Baptist Church, now the cathedral of the diocese of Savannah, which was established in 1850. In 1897, The Marist Fathers took over the spiritual care of the people living in Brunswick and the surrounding area. As of 1899, the Catholic Directory begins listing the mission in Darien as Nativity of Our Lord and is attended to every second Sunday. Around 1912, records indicate that Mass was celebrated in the home of the Dean family on “The Ridge,” a historical section of Route 99 that is now The Ridge Historic District on the National Register.

In 1944, Mrs. Frank Dean along with Paul J. Varner donated land to Most Rev. Gerald. P. O’Hara for the construction of a new church. This is the site of the current Nativity of Our Lady church building. In 1945, the altar was consecrated and dedicated to Marion Leo Dean (son of the Dean family in whose home Mass was originally celebrated) who died on the SS City of Atlanta when it was torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Cape Hatteras. A dedication ceremony was held marking the completion of the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady. Rev. Msgr. James E. Moylan, Administrator of Savannah-Atlanta officiated, along with the general pastor of territory, Rev. Philip Hasson, SM. The church was described as a “modern replica” of Spanish missions that had been established along the coast. It took a year to build under the direction of Rev. Leo F. Ziebarth, SM, Assistant Pastor. Living quarters, which became meeting rooms, flank the sacristy. In 1952, a wooden sculpture carved out of a tree trunk of the Madonna and Child was ordered and given to the church by a friend of Fr. Ziebarth. This sculpture is located in the church today.

In 1988, care of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Brunswick was turned over to the Franciscan Friars and by extension, its mission Nativity of Our Lady in Darien. In 1992, to honor the Diamond Anniversary (75 years) of Our Lady of Fatima, Nativity of Our Lady placed statues of the three children and Mary on the front lawn. A monument was also erected to honor those who died from Darien. The lists include members of the military from McIntosh County who died during WWII and the Georgia Martyrs. In July 2014, Fr. Timothy McKeown became the first Diocesan pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Brunswick, and by extension Nativity of Our Lady Mission in Darien. He was succeeded as pastor by Fr. Mark Van Alstine in July of 2024.