About Immaculate Conception · Blytheville, Arkansas
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish located at 1301 W. Main Street in Blytheville, Arkansas, in the Mississippi County corner where Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee meet. It belongs to the Diocese of Little Rock and is part of the North Delta Deanery, and the pastor also serves nearby St. Matthew Church in Osceola. The parish is bilingual and multicultural, offering Mass in both English and Spanish on Sundays, and it sustains a small but active Catholic community in northeast Arkansas with weekday Masses, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
- Patron
- Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Fr. Francis Madanu
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception is the spiritual home of Catholics in Blytheville and the wider Mississippi County region, with a pastor who also ministers to St. Matthew Church in nearby Osceola, so visitors and newcomers are part of a small but connected northeast Arkansas Catholic family. The parish welcomes both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking families with two Sunday Masses (11:00 a.m. in English and 12:30 p.m. in Spanish), four weekday Masses, weekly Eucharistic Adoration on Wednesdays, and regular opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Its century-long history — from the early days of St. Peter's school and boarding pupils from across the region to today's bilingual parish — gives newcomers a real community to belong to in this corner of the state.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 10:30 – 10:55 a.m.
- After any Mass
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Parish Identity and Location
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Blytheville, Arkansas, located in the far northeastern part of the state in Mississippi County, where Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee come together. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Little Rock and sits within its North Delta Deanery. The church is located at 1301 W. Main Street, with a mailing address of P.O. Box 747, Blytheville, AR 72316. The parish office is open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and the same pastor also serves St. Matthew Church in nearby Osceola, giving the two parishes a shared pastoral team.
- Diocese of Little Rock (North Delta Deanery)
- 1301 W. Main St., Blytheville, AR 72315
- Mailing: P.O. Box 747, Blytheville, AR 72316
- Office hours: Mon.–Thu. 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
- Also attends St. Matthew Church, Osceola
History of the Parish
The Catholic community in Blytheville was originally organized as St. Peter Church and grew from a handful of families in the early 1900s into a parish strong enough to run its own school. The parish later took the name Immaculate Conception, and over the decades it became the spiritual center for Catholics across Mississippi County, even drawing boarding students from Osceola and surrounding communities. The parish's history is closely intertwined with the history of its school, which served Blytheville for more than nine decades before closing in 2007.
- Originally organized as St. Peter Church
- First school opened in 1915 with about 40 students taught by sisters from Holy Angels Convent in Jonesboro
- By 1915 only about 13 Catholic families lived in Blytheville
- Renamed Immaculate Conception; new school building constructed in 1952 under Monsignor Patrick F. Horan
- Pastoral home of Catholics in Mississippi County and a regional boarding school in its early decades
Clergy and Staff
The parish is currently served by a pastor, a deacon, and a parish secretary. The pastor also ministers to St. Matthew Church in Osceola, reflecting the small number of priests available to serve the rural northeast Arkansas deanery. Inquiries for baptisms, weddings, anointing of the sick, and other pastoral needs are directed through the parish office.
- Fr. Francis Madanu – Pastor
- Deacon William Brandon ([email protected])
- Tammy Archer – Secretary ([email protected])
- Parish phone: (870) 762-2506
Sacraments
As a parish of the Diocese of Little Rock, Immaculate Conception celebrates the seven Catholic sacraments. Baptisms, marriages, and anointing of the sick are arranged through the parish office, and the pastor and deacon accompany parishioners through preparation for these milestones. The sacrament of Reconciliation is offered weekly as listed above, and First Communion and Confirmation are typically prepared for through parish faith formation.
- Baptism – by appointment with the parish office
- Marriage – contact the parish office
- Reconciliation – Sunday, after Mass, or by appointment
- Anointing of the Sick – contact the parish office
Immaculate Conception School (1915–2007)
For 92 years, Immaculate Conception School was a cornerstone of Catholic education in Blytheville and a point of pride for the wider community. The school opened in 1915 under the parish then known as St. Peter Church, taught initially by sisters from Holy Angels Convent in Jonesboro, and served both Catholic and non-Catholic children from across the region, including boarding students from Osceola. In the 1940s pastor Father John J. Thompson launched a fund for a larger building; that new school opened in 1952 under Monsignor Patrick F. Horan and was staffed largely by the Sisters of Mercy. A kindergarten was added in 1971. The school closed in August 2007 under longtime pastor Father Joseph Pallo after years of declining enrollment; at the time of closure it was serving 54 students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, with only 29 committed for the coming year.
- 1915 – original school opened as part of St. Peter parish, with about 40 students and two sisters from Holy Angels Convent
- Early decades – functioned as a boarding school for children from Osceola and surrounding communities
- 1952 – new school building completed under Msgr. Patrick F. Horan
- 1971 – kindergarten program added; seventh and eighth grades dropped in 1968
- 1986 – Holy Angels Convent announces it can no longer staff the school
- 2007 – Immaculate Conception School closes after 92 years
Blytheville and the Northeast Arkansas Community
Blytheville is one of the largest steel-producing cities in the country and sits in the far northeast corner of Arkansas, near the borders with Missouri and Tennessee. The town's population, like that of the parish and school, declined significantly during the early 2000s, dropping roughly 10 percent between 2000 and 2006 to about 16,403 residents. In that context Immaculate Conception, with its bilingual Mass schedule and link to St. Matthew in Osceola, has remained an important anchor of Catholic life for the region.
- Located in Mississippi County, on the Arkansas–Missouri–Tennessee border
- Historically a major steel-producing community
- Population declined about 10% between 2000 and 2006 to roughly 16,400 residents
- Parish is part of the North Delta Deanery of the Diocese of Little Rock
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. John J. Thompsonearly 1940s
Began the fund to build a larger school for the growing parish; served during the era when the old three-classroom school housed 150 children.
- Monsignor Patrick F. Horan
Guided the opening of the new school building in 1952; oversaw early staffing by the Sisters of Mercy.
- Fr. Joseph Pallo1989–2007 (at parish/school)
Long-serving pastor who in August 2007 requested closure of Immaculate Conception School due to declining enrollment and financial strain.