About Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary · Natchez, Mississippi
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Assumption of B.V.M.) is a Roman Catholic parish in Natchez, Mississippi, in the Diocese of Jackson, located at 10 Morgantown Road on the north edge of the city. It was founded in 1913 by Father Patrick Hayden of St. Mary's to serve the Italian immigrant families of the St. Catherine Creek Colony who had arrived from Bologna, Italy in 1905. The little white frame church of 1913 was replaced by the present brick church, dedicated by Bishop Richard O. Gerow on October 30, 1960, and today the parish shares a pastor with St. Mary Basilica while retaining its own active lay community, 29 stained-glass windows, and 2013 Mississippi historical marker.
- Established
- 1913
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of her Assumption
- Rector
- Rev. Aaron Williams
- Diocese
- Diocese of Jackson (formerly Diocese of Natchez; the see was moved to Jackson in 1948)
Why belong here
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a small Italian-American parish that has welcomed immigrants of every nationality for more than a century, and its lay community still organizes itself the way it did when Irish priests and Italian farmers built the church together in 1913. It is the ideal Sunday-morning home for families along the Morgantown Road and St. Catherine Creek area who want a tight-knit, historically rooted congregation with a single Sunday Mass, regular First-Saturday confession, vibrant stained-glass sanctuary, and a pastor shared with the historic St. Mary Basilica in downtown Natchez. The parish's 2013 state historical marker and 29 stained-glass windows funded entirely by parishioners make it both a cultural landmark and an active faith community worth visiting.
Mass times at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 7:30 AM – 7:55 AM (or by appointment)
- First Saturday: 7:30 AM – 7:55 AM
Heritage: The St. Catherine Creek Italian Colony & the Founding of Assumption
The parish was born of immigration. In January 1905, families from near Bologna, Italy, departed Genoa aboard the S.S. Montevideo for New York; some were drawn south to Louisiana cotton plantations and trapped in indentured servitude, others came directly to Adams County. Under cover of darkness a group fled the plantations by raft across the Mississippi River to Natchez, where local men — notably R. Lee Parker, Sr., who offered land along St. Catherine Creek — gave them the chance to farm vegetables. The original Italian families on the 1913 dedication records — Verucchi, Stallone, Monte, Viccinelli, Mascagni, Boschieri, Zacchiroli, and later Baroni, Benedettini, Zucconi, Carazza, Gonnillini, and Maggio (May) — became the founders of the parish. Monsignor Patrick Hayden, pastor of St. Mary's (later St. Mary Cathedral) from 1891 to 1921, took the immigrants' children under his wing, taught them catechism in their homes alongside English, and financed the construction of the first little white wooden church on Morgantown Road in 1913. The affection between the Irish priest and his Italian parishioners was so deep that many descendants were and still are named 'Hayden.'
- S.S. Montevideo sailed from Genoa on January 21, 1905
- Earliest immigrants worked land leased from R. Lee Parker, Sr. along St. Catherine Creek
- First Masses celebrated in the Verucchi family home
- Bishop John Gunn dedicated the first frame church on April 20, 1913
- Original land at the corner of Morgantown Road and what is now U.S. Highway 61 North
Parish Status: From Mission of St. Mary's to Independent Parish
For forty-four years the Assumption congregation was a mission of St. Mary's parish in downtown Natchez, served by the cathedral's pastor and assistants. On July 1, 1957, Bishop Richard O. Gerow erected Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a separate parish and appointed Father Thomas Tuite as its first resident pastor. Tuite served until 1964 and was the first in what would prove to be a long line of Irish-born shepherds. After him came Fathers Lacy Green, Francis Farrell, Noel Prendergast, John Niemeyer, Martin Joyce (who died in December 1973), Don Dereveaux, Daniel Gallagher, Sam Messina, John Brock, and Mike O'Brien. In 2003 Bishop Joseph Latino's administration determined that Assumption would no longer have its own priest but would share a pastor with St. Mary Basilica; the lay community responded by reorganizing itself around an active pastoral council, fuller lay ministry, regular maintenance, and a working parish office.
- Mission of St. Mary's: 1913 – July 1, 1957
- First resident pastor: Fr. Thomas Tuite (1957–1964)
- Shared pastorate with St. Mary Basilica: began 2003
The 1960 Brick Church
On October 30, 1960, Bishop Richard O. Gerow returned to Morgantown Road to dedicate the present brick church, replacing Hayden's 1913 wooden frame structure. The old frame church was retained for use as the parish center — a reminder of the parish's Italian-immigrant roots and the building in which the first generation of Adams County Italian-Americans worshipped. The brick church remains the home of Sunday worship today; in 2019 the parish launched a stained-glass window campaign that ultimately installed twenty-nine stained-glass windows between August 2019 and May 2022, beginning with a circular oculus in the choir loft. The campaign was funded entirely by parishioners.
- Brick church dedicated October 30, 1960 by Bishop Richard O. Gerow
- 1913 frame church preserved as parish center
- 29 stained-glass windows installed 2019–2022
- Circular oculus window over the choir loft, first installed August 2019
Centennial & the St. Catherine Creek Italian Colony Marker
On October 27, 2013, the parish celebrated its centennial with a noon Mass and an on-grounds festival featuring displays of parish documents, photographs of early families, music, children's activities, and food. The headline event was the formal unveiling of a Mississippi Department of Archives and History historical marker recognizing the St. Catherine Creek Italian Colony and the founding of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1913. Father David O'Connor, then pastor of both St. Mary Basilica and Assumption, joined by descendants of the original Italian families and earlier pastors of the parish, presided. The marker remains on the church grounds at the intersection of Morgantown Road and T. Waring Bennett Jr. Road (coordinates 31°33.863′ N, 91°21.248′ W) and is part of the Mississippi State Historical Marker Program.
- Centennial Mass: October 27, 2013 at noon
- Historical marker: Mississippi Department of Archives and History, erected 2013
- Marker topic series: Churches & Religion; Settlements & Settlers
Pastor Succession
The parish's pastoral leadership spans more than a century, beginning with Monsignor Patrick Hayden's founding role from 1913. Following Assumption's erection as its own parish on July 1, 1957, Father Thomas Tuite became its first resident pastor (1957–1964) and inaugurated a long succession of Irish-born priests — Fathers Lacy Green, Francis Farrell, Noel Prendergast, John Niemeyer, Martin Joyce (d. December 1973), Don Dereveaux, Daniel Gallagher, Sam Messina, John Brock, and Mike O'Brien. From 2003 onward the pastorate has been shared with St. Mary Basilica: Father David O'Connor (c. 2003–2019) retired after writing A Priestly Pilgrimage; Father Scott Thomas was installed as pastor on August 4, 2019 by Bishop Kopacz; on May 12, 2022 Reverend Aaron Williams was appointed pastor of both St. Mary Basilica and Assumption parishes, the present pastor of the Assumption community today.
- Founding pastor — Monsignor Patrick Hayden (mission status, 1913–c. 1921)
- First resident pastor — Father Thomas Tuite (1957–1964)
- Father Martin Joyce — died in service December 1973
- Shared-pastorate era begins — 2003 under Father David O'Connor
- Father Scott Thomas installed August 4, 2019 by Bishop Kopacz
- Father Aaron Williams appointed May 12, 2022 — present
Parish Life & Lay Ministry
When Assumption stopped having its own resident priest in 2003, the laity responded by assuming meaningful responsibility for parish life. Active committees maintain the buildings and grounds, run the parish office, support the pastor shared with St. Mary Basilica, and coordinate faith formation, sacramental preparation, and pastoral care. The crowning lay achievement of recent years has been the stained-glass window campaign, completed May 2022, which raised and installed twenty-nine windows entirely through parishioner donations. The parish also hosted the Mississippi state historical marker unveiling in 2013, and parish archival materials about the early Italian families are preserved through the St. Mary Basilica Archives.
- Pastoral Council and standing committees
- Stained-glass window campaign (29 windows, 2019–2022)
- Historical preservation: state marker on the grounds
- Shared faith formation with St. Mary Basilica
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Patrick (Monsignor Patrick) Hayden1913–c. 1921
Founded the church from his own funds and land donated by R. Lee Parker; pastor of St. Mary's (later St. Mary Cathedral), 1891–1921. Original Assumption congregation was a mission of St. Mary's.
- Various diocesan priestsc. 1921–1957
Pastors and assistants of St. Mary's Cathedral continued to serve the Assumption mission throughout this period before it became a parish.
- Rev. Thomas Tuite1957–1964
First resident pastor when Assumption became its own parish on July 1, 1957. First of a long line of Irish priests serving the parish.
- Rev. Lacy Greenafter 1964
Succeeded Fr. Tuite (tenure approximate).
- Rev. Francis Farrellmid-late 1960s/1970s
Successor pastor; specific dates not located.
- Rev. Noel Prendergast1970s (approx.)
Successor pastor; specific dates not located.
- Rev. John Niemeyer1970s (approx.)
Successor pastor; specific dates not located.
- Rev. Martin Joyceearly 1970s
Died December 1973 while serving as pastor.
- Rev. Don Dereveaux1970s–1980s (approx.)
Succeeded Fr. Joyce.
- Rev. Daniel Gallagher1980s (approx.)
Successor pastor.
- Rev. Sam Messina1980s–1990s (approx.)
Successor pastor.
- Rev. John Brock1990s–c. 2003 (approx.)
Successor pastor; served through the transition to a shared pastorate with St. Mary Basilica.
- Rev. Mike O'Brienaround 2003
Final standalone pastor; in 2003 the parish began sharing its pastor with St. Mary Basilica.
- Rev. David O'Connorc. 2003–July 2019
Shared pastor of St. Mary Basilica and Assumption; Irish-born priest who authored A Priestly Pilgrimage (2021); retired in 2019; celebrated his priestly jubilee in June 2014.
- Rev. Scott ThomasJuly 1, 2019 – c. May 2022
Installed as pastor of St. Mary Basilica and Assumption by Bishop Kopacz on August 4, 2019; oversaw the centennial year and the start of the stained-glass window campaign.
- Rev. Aaron WilliamsMay 12, 2022 – present
Current pastor of both St. Mary Basilica and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary parishes, appointed by Bishop Kopacz.