About Holy Child Jesus · Canton, Mississippi
Holy Child Jesus is a historically Black Catholic parish in Canton, Mississippi, established in 1946 by the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity (the Trinitarians) as one of the last African American Catholic parishes formed in the state during the Jim Crow era. Located at 315 Garrett Street in the Diocese of Jackson, the parish is internationally known as the home parish of Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, the celebrated African American Franciscan nun, scholar, and liturgist who converted to Catholicism there as a child. Today it remains a small but culturally and historically significant mission parish served by the same Trinitarian community, with a current roster of about 57 households.
- Established
- 1946
- Patron
- The Child Jesus
- Rector
- Reverend Guy Wilson, S.T. (Missionary Servant of the Most Holy Trinity)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Jackson
Why belong here
Holy Child Jesus is a small, intimate African American heritage parish with deep civil rights and Catholic history — worshipers pray in the very church where Sister Thea Bowman learned her faith, and in a sanctuary that sheltered Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the 1966 March Against Fear marchers. Members find a richly multicultural Catholic community (Father Wilson bridges the growing Latino population through bilingual programming), strong music ministry rooted in the African American Catholic tradition, and direct involvement in the Sister Thea Bowman Guild supporting her cause for canonization. For anyone drawn to Black Catholic spirituality, ecumenical outreach, and a parish that actively shapes a still-segregated Mississippi community, Holy Child Jesus offers an unusually warm and historic welcome.
Mass times at Holy Child Jesus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment (contact the parish office)
History & Heritage
Founded in 1946 by the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity (Trinitarians) as one of the last African American Catholic parishes in Mississippi during the Jim Crow era, Holy Child Jesus began in a World War II barracks moved from Meridian's Key Field. A four-classroom brick school followed in 1947, with the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration from La Crosse, Wisconsin taking over the school in 1948. The parish's barrel-roofed gymnasium (1956) sheltered Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the 1966 March Against Fear marchers, and after the City of Canton refused a building permit for a new church in 1965, Father Luke Mikschl led 100 parishioners in joint worship at the white Sacred Heart Catholic Church — pressure that ultimately won the permit. The current Canizaro-designed brick church was completed in 1967 and remains the worship home today.
- Founded 1946 by the Trinitarians (M.S.SS.T.)
- Original worship in WWII barracks from Key Field, Meridian
- 1947 brick school built; 1956 gym added
- 1965 permit standoff and joint worship at Sacred Heart
- 1966 shelter for March Against Fear marchers
- 1967 current brick church completed (architect James T. Canizaro)
Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA — Servant of God
Holy Child Jesus is internationally recognized as the home parish of Sister Thea Bowman (1937–1990), who was baptized Catholic at age nine under the Trinitarian missionaries and Franciscan sisters here, later joining the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration herself. She returned to teach at the school and went on to become one of the most influential African American Catholics of the 20th century — a scholar, liturgist, civil rights voice, and author of the 1987 hymnal Lead Me, Guide Me, which shaped a distinctively Black Catholic style of worship. She died in Canton on March 30, 1990. Her cause for canonization was opened in the Diocese of Jackson in November 2018; the diocesan phase was formally closed in February 2024 and the case is now at the Vatican.
- Converted at age 9; baptized here
- Joined the FSPA and returned to teach at Holy Child Jesus
- Author of Lead Me, Guide Me (1987)
- Cause for canonization opened 2018, diocesan phase closed Feb 2024
- Plan to reinter her remains at Holy Child Jesus upon beatification
The Sister Thea Bowman Guild & Torchbearers
The Sister Thea Bowman Guild, coordinated through the Diocese of Jackson and centered at the parish, supports Sister Thea's canonization cause through prayer, education, and events. Local 'Torchbearers' carry that work forward at parish and diocesan level; the Guild welcomes new members from anywhere in the world. Each year Holy Child Jesus hosts an annual commemoration Mass around the anniversary of Sister Thea's death (March 30), drawing pilgrims, former students, and choirs from across the region.
- Annual commemoration Mass near March 30
- Torchbearers — local prayer/awareness supporters
- Annual fundraiser ornaments and items supporting Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School in Jackson
Worship Schedule & Sacraments
The parish celebrates Mass in English on Sundays at 11:30 AM and on Thursdays at 5:00 PM; Holy Day schedules are arranged by contacting the parish office. Confessions are heard by appointment. Music is central to the liturgy: the parish choir, under assistant minister of music Myrtle Jean Otto, continues the African American Catholic tradition Sister Thea Bowman helped develop.
- Sunday Mass — 11:30 AM (English)
- Thursday Mass — 5:00 PM (English)
- Confession — by appointment
- Holy Days — contact office
Parish Staff & Clergy
Holy Child Jesus continues to be served by the same religious family that founded it — the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity. Father Guy Wilson, S.T. is pastor (also of Sacred Heart in Camden, with Father Wilson serving as Administrator Pro Tempore of Sacred Heart in Canton). Father Alexis Zuniga Velasquez, S.T. serves as parochial missionary, and Sister Mary Anne Poeschl, RSM serves as Pastoral Minister.
- Pastor: Rev. Guy Wilson, S.T.
- Parochial Missionary: Rev. Alexis Zuniga Velasquez, S.T.
- Pastoral Minister: Sr. Mary Anne Poeschl, RSM
- Assistant Minister of Music: Myrtle Jean Otto
Music & African American Catholic Worship
Music is the living legacy of Sister Thea Bowman at Holy Child Jesus. The parish choir — often combined with choirs from Sacred Heart (Canton and Camden), Christ the King, and the Rembert Washington Memorial Chorale — keeps alive the spirituals and gospel-rooted hymns that Bowman championed through Lead Me, Guide Me. The annual Sister Thea Bowman celebration each March typically features 'It Is Me, O Lord,' 'Every Time I Feel the Spirit,' 'I Just Wanna Praise You,' and other favorites from her hymnal.
- Assistant Minister of Music Myrtle Jean Otto (former student of Sister Thea)
- Combined regional choirs for the annual commemoration
- Continuation of the Lead Me, Guide Me tradition
Outreach, Food & Community Programs
Rooted in the Trinitarian mission to the poor — historically housed in the convent purchased on the Garrett Street grounds — Holy Child Jesus runs an active outreach and food pantry ministry. Under Father Wilson's regional coordination, the Canton parishes also support daily meals for seniors and adults with special needs and summer nutrition programs for children. The 'Pray and Play' ecumenical basketball program, created in partnership with local Baptist and Evangelical pastors, requires participating youth to commit to Sunday prayer before tournaments.
- Food pantry and parish outreach
- Senior and special-needs daily meals
- Summer children's nutrition
- 'Pray and Play' ecumenical basketball youth ministry
Civil Rights Legacy
Holy Child Jesus's identity is inseparable from the Mississippi civil rights movement. In June 1966 its school gym sheltered marchers during the March Against Fear — including Martin Luther King Jr. — after violent confrontation with Mississippi Highway Patrol and police at McNeal Elementary School. Father Luke Mikschl, M.S.SS.T. opened the church's grounds as one of eighteen voter-registration and freedom-marcher centers across the state, joined the Canton NAACP, and served on its board. The Medical Committee for Human Rights conducted house-to-house searches for wounded marchers from the parish that night. This history is remembered each year in the parish's civic and liturgical life.
- March Against Fear, June 1966
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sheltered on parish grounds
- Father Mikschl joined Canton NAACP, 1966
- MCHR house-to-house searches for wounded marchers
Visiting & Pilgrimage
Pilgrims visiting Holy Child Jesus come primarily to pray in the church where Sister Thea Bowman worshiped and to honor her cause for canonization. The annual March 29/30 commemoration Mass and the ongoing work of the Sister Thea Bowman Guild make this one of the most visited small historic Black Catholic parishes in Mississippi. Visitors are warmly welcomed at scheduled Masses and at special events.
- Annual Sister Thea Bowman commemoration (around March 30)
- Sister Thea Bowman Guild gatherings
- Walkable from the former school (now private preschool) and from historic Sacred Heart Canton
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity (founding order)1946–
Holy Child Jesus was founded in 1946 by the M.S.SS.T. (Trinitarians), who have staffed it continuously and continue to do so today.
- Father Luke Mikschl, M.S.SS.T.mid-1960s
Pastor during the 1965 building-permit standoff with the City of Canton and the June 1966 March Against Fear; led ~100 parishioners in joint worship at Sacred Heart and joined the Canton NAACP in August 1966.
- Father Patrick Moran, M.S.SS.T.1960s
Co-pastored the Canton mission with Father Mikschl during the civil rights years.
- Father John Ford, S.T. (M.S.SS.T.)
Longtime Trinitarian pastor and close friend of Sister Thea Bowman; preached the homily at her funeral in 1990, quoting her words: 'I'm not going to die. I'm going home like a shooting star.'
- Reverend Guy Wilson, S.T.2020–present
Became pastor in 2020; serves both Holy Child Jesus (Canton) and Sacred Heart (Camden); also Administrator Pro Tempore of Sacred Heart, Canton; ordained June 2 (anniversary).