About Immaculate Conception · Clarksdale, Mississippi
Immaculate Conception Parish is a historic Catholic community in Clarksdale, Mississippi, rooted in the African-American Catholic experience of the Mississippi Delta. Founded in the mid-1940s, the parish grew from a small mission into a vibrant faith family with a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother. It shares pastoral leadership with St. Elizabeth Parish and continues to celebrate the Eucharist, form disciples, and serve its local community.
- Established
- 1945
- Patron
- Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception
- Rector
- Father Raju Macherla
- Diocese
- Diocese of Jackson
Why belong here
A welcoming, historically African-American parish with a powerful Marian legacy and close-knit Delta spirit, where families can grow in faith through sacramental life and community outreach.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
History
Immaculate Conception Parish arose from a 1940s appeal by African-American Clarksdale residents for a Catholic school. With $5,000 in mission funds, Bishop Oliver Gerow assigned Father Robert O’Leary, SVD, in 1945; the school opened by 1947 and the parish church was dedicated soon after. Founding leader Samuel Keith Harrington died before the first parish Mass and was the first burial from the church. The school closed in 1990, yet the buildings remain active in parish and community life.
- Founded: 1945
- First school opened: 1947
- First burial: Samuel Keith Harrington
- School closed: 1990
The Claude Newman Story
Death-row inmate Claude Newman reportedly received a Miraculous Medal and experienced a vision of the Blessed Mother, after which he asked for a priest. Father Robert O’Leary, SVD, instructed him, and Newman reminded O’Leary of the priest’s wartime promise to found a church in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This promise was fulfilled in the founding of Immaculate Conception Parish in Clarksdale.
- Claude Newman’s reported Marian vision
- Father O’Leary’s promise to build a church
- Connection to the parish’s founding