Church Pastors

Priests serving the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, Augusta, Georgia

This list is compiled from information gathered from Board of Trustee meeting minutes, church letters, newspaper articles, other publications, and memory. Although desiring accuracy it is constantly being updated as new information becomes available.

Rev. Anthony Carles — 1803- 1805 — resident in Savannah visiting Augusta occasionally

Rev. Edward Sweeney - 1807 — non resident priest

Rev. Dr. Robert Browne - 1809-1814 — first resident priest — Under his leadership the congregation built its first church, on the lot that is today occupied by Holy Trinity and the Bell Auditorium.

The Years Without a Pastor – 1814 – 1817

Rev. John Egan – 1818 – 1819 — The congregation built him a rectory, which was attached to the church.

Rev. Samuel Sutherland Cooper — ordained in 1818 — assigned to Augusta 1819-1821

Rev. Denis Corkery — 1821

Rev. Francis Donoghue — (first appointment to Augusta) 1821 – 1822

Rev. Timothy McCarthy — 1822 – 1823

Rev. Francis Donoghue (second appointment to Augusta) 1823

Rev. Edward Swiney - 1824-1828

• Rev. Godfrey Sheehan — Assistant 1823-182 7(He died in October of 1827
• Rev. D. Corkery — Assistant 1824; buried in the city cemetery

Rev. Andrew Byrne — 1828

Rev. Michael D. O’Reilly — 1828

Rev. J. McEncroe — 1828 – 1829

• Rev. Michael D. O’Reiley — Assistant 1828
• Rev. Andrew N. Byrne — Assistant 1828
• Rev. J. F. O’Neil — Assistant 1829-1830

Rt. Rev. John Barry 1830-1853 — became the second bishop of Savannah in 1854; old church enlarged in 1843; laid the cornerstone for the new church 1857; died in Paris, France 1859; interred under the church in 1866.

• Rev. Joseph Stokes— Assistant 1830
• Rev. Timothy Bermingham— Assistant 1832
• Rev. P. D. Hackett— Assistant 1835
• Rev. Dominick Byrne — Assistant 1837
• Rev. T. J. Cronin — Assistant 1839
• Rev. John W. Gifford — Assistant 1840-1849

Rev. Gregory Duggan 1854-1865 — Assistant to Fr. Barry 1841-1854; pastor when the new church was built; interred under the church

• Rev. Peter Whelan — Assistant 1854
• Rev. James Hasson — Assistant 1856
• Rev. John F. Kirby 1865- 1870 — Assistant 1854-1865; interred under the church
• Rev. B. O’Hara — Assistant 1867
• Rev. Louis Denis Xavier Bazin — Assistant 1867-1870; Jardine organ installed 1868
• Rev. Abram Ryan — Assistant 1868; poet priest of the confederacy; Jardine organ purchased with proceeds from poetry readings and lectures
• Rev. James O'Hara — Assistant 1871-1873; buried under the church

Very Rev. Wm. J. Hamilton 1870-1873 — put up the iron railing around the church property; built priest's residence

Rev. Charles C. Prendergast -1873-1881

• Rev. W. F. Brown — Assistant
• Rev. Michael J. Rice — Assistant; interred under the church

Rev. William Quinlin - 1882-1884

Rev. H.J. McNally - 1885-1888 — Assistant 1880-1885

• Rev. Richard J. O’Brien — Assistant

Rev. James M. O’Brien - 1889-1894 — Finished the bell tower for the bell to be installed in 1894

Very Rev. P. H. McMahon - 1894-1907 — Replaced the wooden steps on the front of the church; replaced the wooden altar rail with marble (Board of Trustee minutes also list him as pastor 1917-1920) Twelve stained glass windows down the side aisles installed in 1919; last priest interred under the church

• Rev. R. M. Hamilton — Assistant

Very Rev. Louis Denis Xavier Bazin —  1907-1913

Very Rev. James A. Kane — 1914-1917

Rev. H. A. Schonhardt — Acting pastor January 1, 1921-January 1, 1922; Pastor 1923-1930

• Rev. Jeremiah O’Hara — Assistant 1920-1935

Very Rev. Leo M Keenan - 1930-1941

Rev. Joseph J. Malloy - 1943

Rev. Harold J. Barr - 1948-1951

Rev. Joseph J. Malloy - 1950-1952

• Rev. Honeck — Assistant

Rev. Arthur A. Weltzer —  1952-1960

Rev. Ralph Seikel — 1963 - pastor for 100th anniversary; $40,000 spent on renovations

Rev. Sean N. O’Rourke —  1969-1970

Rev. Benjamin Werner —  1970-1971

Rev. William Simmons —  1971-1983 — fund started for the renovation of the Jardine organ

• Rev. Wm. O’Neill — Assistant 1971-1975
• Rev. P. James Costigan — Assistant 1971-1972
• Rev. Michael A. Burke — Assistant 1972-1974
• Rev. Liam Collins — Assistant 1975 - ?
• Rev. Wayland Brown — Assistant
• Rev. John Lyons — Assistant 1980-1985

Rev. John O’Brien —  1983-1990

• Rev. Robert E. Chaney  —  transitional deacon in 1987, Assistant 1988-1989

Rev. Fred Nijem —  1990

Rev. Richard Canty — 1990

Rev. Daniel Munn — 1991-2006

Rev. Allan McDonald — 1991- 2004 — church nominated to the National Register of Historic Places; Jardine organ restored

• Rev. Thomas Murphy — Assistant 1996
• Rev. Tom Peyton — Assistant

Rev. Brett Brannen — 2004-2005

Rev. Tim Donahue — 2005-2009 —The Rosary Garden completed

Rev. Michael J. Kavanaugh — 2009-present

• Rev. Michael Lubinsky — Parochial Vicar 2001-present