About Holy Family · Natchez, Mississippi
Holy Family Catholic Church is a Roman Latin-rite parish in Natchez, Mississippi, at 16 Orange Avenue, and the oldest African-American Catholic parish in the state. It was founded by Bishop Thomas Heslin in 1889–1890 as a mission to Black Catholics in the wake of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, with the present brick Victorian Gothic Revival church dedicated on July 1, 1894. Staffed since 1899 by the Josephite Fathers (Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart), it has long combined Catholic worship with African-American education (it has run a school continuously since 1890) and, in the 1960s, became the quiet hub of the Natchez civil-rights movement. Today it remains a multicultural parish under the Diocese of Jackson with an Early Learning Center, a celebrated Gospel Choir, and a landmark building that anchors the Holy Family Catholic Church Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Established
- 1889 (parish established by Bishop Thomas Heslin) / 1890 (school opened; parish organized)
- Patron
- The Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph)
- Rector
- Reverend Anthony Okwum, SSJ (Administrator, since January 15, 2021)
- Diocese
- Catholic Diocese of Jackson (formerly the Diocese of Natchez / Natchez-Jackson)
Why belong here
Holy Family is the oldest African-American Catholic parish in Mississippi, with a school that has educated local children continuously since 1890, and it remains a living anchor of both faith and African-American history in Natchez. Visitors are drawn by the celebrated Holy Family Gospel Choir — which performs "Southern Road to Freedom" each spring during the Natchez Pilgrimage — the parish's role in the civil-rights movement (memorialized in the 1967 documentary Black Natchez), the warmth of its multicultural congregation, and its multigenerational Josephite (Society of St. Joseph) ministry that still reaches across southwest Mississippi through its mission churches at Cranfield and Fayette.
Mass times at Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- By appointment
History and Heritage
Holy Family is the oldest African-American Catholic parish in Mississippi. Bishop Thomas Heslin of the Diocese of Natchez established the parish in 1889–1890 in the wake of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, after Black Catholics in Natchez had long worshipped in the basement of St. Mary's (now St. Mary Basilica). Father A.N.J. Peters, the founding priest, oversaw a small frame church on Beaumont Street before fundraising trips north produced the present brick church, dedicated July 1, 1894 with Mother St. Katharine Drexel among the major benefactors. The Josephite Fathers assumed pastoral care in 1899 and have staffed Holy Family ever since. The parish is the centerpiece of the Holy Family Catholic Church Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places (1995).
- Parish founded 1889–1890 by Bishop Thomas Heslin
- Present brick Gothic Revival church dedicated July 1, 1894
- Designed and built by William K. Ketteringham of Natchez
- Josephite Fathers (Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart) have staffed Holy Family since 1899
- 125th anniversary celebrated November 22, 2015
- Holy Family Catholic Church Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 (NRHP #95000855)
Civil-Rights Legacy
From the early 1960s Holy Family was the quiet hub of the Natchez civil-rights movement. Father William Morrissey, SSJ, the white Josephite pastor, became the first white officer of the Mississippi Chapter of the NAACP and let the organization use the parish hall as office space. The parish hosted NAACP meetings (including a 1965 meeting pictured in The Clio and other historical accounts), sponsored interracial gatherings, and its members integrated Natchez's public schools and library, organized voter-registration drives, and led the local effort to admit Black citizens to the National Democratic Party. The parish's central role is featured in the 1967 documentary Black Natchez. White civil-rights organizer Marjorie 'Marge' Baroni, who worked out of Holy Family, was honored at an April 5, 2025 symposium at the Natchez Convention Center.
- Father William Morrissey, SSJ — first white officer of the Mississippi NAACP
- Parish hall served as NAACP office space
- Subject of the 1967 documentary Black Natchez
- 1965 NAACP meeting pictured on the Holy Family Church and School historical marker
- Marjorie 'Marge' Baroni — white organizer working from Holy Family, honored 2025
Architecture and the Historic District
Holy Family is Natchez's finest example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture: a monumental brick church on a fully raised basement, with an asphalt-shingled gabled roof pierced by a single-stage bell tower with spire and cross finial. Designed and built by William K. Ketteringham of Natchez in 1894, the building features Gothic-arched stained-glass windows, brick buttresses with pinnacles, and a Queen-Anne-detailed entrance porch with turned posts and a sunburst pediment. The interior retains its original pews, gas-light reflectors, c. 1900 electric lighting, and organ. The surrounding Holy Family Catholic Church Historic District contains 49 contributing buildings, including the 1894 convent, c. 1895 rectory, 1906 school auditorium/cafeteria, and 1907 Colonial Revival parish hall.
- Style: Victorian Gothic Revival with Queen Anne porch detailing
- Architect/Builder: William K. Ketteringham of Natchez
- Construction date: 1894 (cornerstone)
- Materials: brick with stained glass, asphalt-shingled roof, cross finial
- Notable interior features: original pews, gas-light reflectors, c. 1900 electric lighting, organ, original wall painting of the Holy Family in the altar arch
Pastor and Staff
Holy Family is administered by the Josephite Fathers of the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, who have staffed the parish since 1899. The current administrator is Father Anthony Okwum, SSJ, assigned by Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz on January 15, 2021; he simultaneously serves the parish's mission St. John the Baptist in Cranfield and St. Anne Parish in Fayette. His immediate predecessor was Father James P. Fallon, SSJ, who led the 125th-anniversary celebration in November 2015 and helped secure a Mississippi Department of Archives and History grant for church renovation recognizing the parish's civil-rights role.
- Father Anthony Okwum, SSJ — Administrator (since January 15, 2021)
- Father James P. Fallon, SSJ — former pastor (through 2021)
- Father Matthew (William) Morrissey, SSJ — pastor from 1901; civil-rights pioneer
- Father Arthur Flanagan, SSJ — pastor in 1945
- Father A.N.J. Peters — founding pastor (1889–c. 1899)
Mass and Sacraments
Holy Family celebrates Mass in English on Saturdays at 5:00 PM, Sundays at 8:00 AM, and Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 6:00 PM; Holy Day Masses are scheduled as announced. The sacrament of Reconciliation is offered on Saturdays from 4:00 to 5:00 PM and by appointment. Baptisms, marriages, First Communions, Confirmations, and Anointing of the Sick are arranged through the parish office at 601-445-5700 or [email protected].
- Saturday Vigil Mass — 5:00 PM
- Sunday Mass — 8:00 AM
- Weekday Masses — Tuesday, Thursday, Friday at 6:00 PM
- Confession — Saturday 4:00–5:00 PM and by appointment
- Holy Day Masses as announced
Holy Family Early Learning Center
The parish school, founded in 1890 as the first Catholic school for African-American children in Natchez, has educated local youth without interruption for more than 130 years. Once St. Francis School serving ages 2–18, it is now the Holy Family Early Learning Center at 8 Orange Avenue (across the street from the church), serving children ages 2–5 in preschool and PreK programs. It is staffed by Sister Bernadette McNamara and director Ira Young and has been supported since 1998 by a $10,000 annual commitment from Boston College's Lynch School of Education and, since its founding, by the Carly's Kids Foundation (more than $450,000 in donations and 150+ boxes of supplies). Students annually stage a Lenten Passion Play.
- Address: 8 Orange Avenue, Natchez, MS 39120
- Phone: 601-442-3947
- Ages served: 2–5 (preschool and PreK)
- Director: Ira Young; Sister Bernadette McNamara
- Boston College Lynch School of Education — annual commitment since 1998
- Carly's Kids Foundation — primary external supporter
Gospel Choir and 'Southern Road to Freedom'
The Holy Family Catholic Church Gospel Choir is one of Natchez's signature cultural ensembles. Each spring, during the Natchez Pilgrimage, the choir performs 'Southern Road to Freedom' — a stirring musical history of the African-American experience in Natchez from the colonial period to today — at First Presbyterian Church, and the choir is also available by special arrangement. The performance has been a feature of the Pilgrimage tour for decades and is widely cited as a highlight of any visit to Natchez.
- Annual performance during Natchez Spring Pilgrimage
- 'Southern Road to Freedom' — musical history of Natchez's African-American experience
- Available by special arrangement through the parish office
Missions of Holy Family
Under Father Matthew Morrissey, SSJ, beginning in 1901, Holy Family became the mother church of four rural mission parishes across southwest Mississippi: Cranfield (St. John the Baptist, dedicated September 3, 1916), Harriston, Laurel Park, and Springfield. Three of the four have since closed; St. John the Baptist in Cranfield survives and is administered together with Holy Family and St. Anne in Fayette by Father Anthony Okwum, SSJ. The Cranfield mission was famously built with pennies and nickels saved by the Fleming family and other African-American Catholics, on land donated by a Catholic woman named Mrs. Boggart, with the older Fleming children helping to construct the church themselves — their names are reportedly inscribed in the steeple.
- St. John the Baptist, Cranfield — dedicated September 3, 1916 (surviving mission)
- Holy Family — Harriston, Laurel Park, Springfield — closed
- All four founded by Father Morrissey out of Holy Family beginning in 1901
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father A.N.J. Petersc. 1889 – c. 1899 (founding pastor)
Brought to Natchez by Bishop Thomas Heslin as the founding parish priest of Holy Family. Oversaw construction of the original small frame church on Beaumont Street, then traveled the Northeast to raise money for the present brick church, dedicated July 1, 1894, with Mother Katharine Drexel of Philadelphia among his major benefactors.
- Father Matthew (William) Morrissey, SSJ1901 – c. 1941
Josephite priest who arrived at Holy Family in 1901 and served for decades as pastor. Known as the "Father of Missions" of southwest Mississippi; founded the four mission churches of Cranfield (St. John the Baptist, 1916), Harriston, Laurel Park, and Springfield out of Holy Family. In the 1960s became the first white officer of the Mississippi Chapter of the NAACP, let the NAACP use the parish hall for office space, hosted civil-rights meetings, and encouraged parishioners to integrate Natchez's white schools. (His missionary work is the subject of the 2021 Mississippi Catholic retrospective on Cranfield.)
- Father Arthur Flanagan, SSJc. 1945
Pastor of Holy Family in 1945; author of a written history of the Cranfield mission church that is a primary source on Father Morrissey's early-1900s missionary circuit.
- Father James P. Fallon, SSJthrough 2021
Josephite pastor who led the 125th-anniversary celebration on November 22, 2015 and helped secure a Mississippi Department of Archives and History grant for church renovation recognizing Holy Family's civil-rights role. Reassigned in 2021 in the diocesan pastoral assignments published by the Mississippi Catholic.
- Father Anthony Okwum, SSJJanuary 15, 2021 – present
Josephite priest assigned by Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz as Administrator of Holy Family Parish, its mission St. John the Baptist in Cranfield, and St. Anne Parish in Fayette, effective January 15, 2021 (Mississippi Catholic, January 29, 2021). Also serves as administrator of the three linked Black-Catholic mission parishes of southwest Mississippi.