About Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission · Bells, Tennessee
Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission is a Catholic mission church located in Bells, Tennessee, established in 2015 and entrusted to the pastoral care of St. Mary Church in nearby Jackson. It belongs to the Southeastern deanery of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis and worships in the facilities of First Christian Church at 172 Main Street. The mission is served by the priests and staff of St. Mary Church, Jackson, and offers a weekly Saturday Vigil Mass in Spanish at 6:00 PM, providing Spanish-speaking Catholics in rural Madison County a dedicated place to celebrate the Eucharist and the sacraments in their own language.
- Established
- 2015
- Patron
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Rector
- Very Rev. Dennis Schenkel, V.F.
- Diocese
- Catholic Diocese of Memphis (Southeastern deanery)
Why belong here
Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission welcomes Spanish-speaking Catholics and others in Madison County, Tennessee, to a weekly Vigil Mass celebrated entirely in Spanish, with the Sacrament of Reconciliation offered just before Mass. Because it is a mission of St. Mary Church in Jackson, it benefits from the pastoral care, sacramental support, and staff of that larger parish, while gathering as a smaller, close-knit Catholic community in the shared facilities of First Christian Church on Main Street in Bells. It is a rare and convenient option for Spanish-speaking faithful in this rural stretch of west Tennessee who wish to worship in their own language and still be fully part of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis.
Mass times at Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 5:45 PM – 6:00 PM (immediately before the Vigil Mass)
About Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission
Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission is a Spanish-language Catholic mission established in 2015 in Bells, Tennessee, in Madison County. It is part of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis, within the Southeastern deanery, and operates under the pastoral care of St. Mary Church in nearby Jackson. Because the mission has not yet built its own dedicated Catholic church, it worships in the facilities of First Christian Church on Main Street, but its sacramental and administrative life is fully Catholic and tied to the diocese.
- Established: 2015
- Deanery: Southeastern, Catholic Diocese of Memphis
- Worship site: First Christian Church, 172 Main Street, Bells, TN 38006
- Parent parish: St. Mary Church, Jackson, Tennessee
History
The mission was created in 2015 as an outreach of the Diocese of Memphis into Madison County's smaller communities and to serve the area's Spanish-speaking faithful. From the outset it was administered by St. Mary Church, Jackson, sharing both priests and lay staff. Diocesan directories list successive pastors of St. Mary, and by extension of the mission, including Rev. David Graham (through at least the 2024 directory) and Very Rev. Dennis Schenkel, V.F. (in the September 2025 directory). The mission continues to meet weekly for a Saturday Vigil Mass in Spanish.
- 2015: Mission established by the Catholic Diocese of Memphis
- Listed in diocese directory under St. Mary, Jackson
- Clergy succession shared with parent parish
Clergy and Staff
Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission has no deacons of its own and no dedicated parish staff. It is fully served by the priests and lay staff of St. Mary Church in Jackson, as is explicitly stated in the Catholic Diocese of Memphis parish directory. As of the September 2025 directory, the priests serving both St. Mary's and the mission are Very Rev. Dennis Schenkel, V.F. (Pastor), Rev. Gabe Bouck (Parochial Vicar), and Rev. Rolando Perez (Parochial Vicar). The 2024 directory listed Rev. David Graham as Pastor with Rev. Gabe Bouck and Rev. Jonathan Pérez-León as Parochial Vicars.
- Pastor (2025 directory): Very Rev. Dennis Schenkel, V.F.
- Parochial Vicar (2025): Rev. Gabe Bouck
- Parochial Vicar (2025): Rev. Rolando Perez
- Prior Pastor (2024 directory): Rev. David Graham
- Deacons: None Appointed
- Lay staff: shared with St. Mary, Jackson (see parent parish directory)
Sacraments and Parish Life
Baptism, marriage preparation, anointing of the sick, and ongoing faith formation for the mission are coordinated through the parent parish of St. Mary Church, Jackson. Spanish-speaking parishioners can therefore receive the full range of Catholic sacraments without leaving the diocese, beginning with weekly Spanish-language Mass and confession at the mission in Bells and continuing in formation programs hosted at St. Mary's.
- Baptism: coordinated through St. Mary, Jackson
- First Reconciliation / First Eucharist: via parent parish faith formation
- Marriage: preparation through parent parish
- Anointing of the Sick: arranged via parent parish priests
Visiting the Mission
Visitors will find the mission in the First Christian Church facilities at 172 Main Street in Bells, Tennessee. Because it is a small mission, parishioners are encouraged to direct general questions to the parent parish office in Jackson at the phone number or email listed below. The mission does not maintain its own office hours; parish records and administration are handled by St. Mary Church, Jackson.
- Address: 172 Main Street, Bells, TN 38006
- Parent parish phone: 731-668-2596
- Parent parish fax: 731-668-9809
- Parent parish email: [email protected]
- Website: www.stmarys.tn.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. David Grahamthrough ~2024 (per 2024 parish directory)
Listed as Pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission and St. Mary, Jackson, in the 2024 Catholic Diocese of Memphis parish directory.
- Very Rev. Dennis Schenkel, V.F.as of 2025 (per 2025 parish directory)
Listed as Pastor (Very Reverend, Vicar Forane) of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission and St. Mary, Jackson, in the September 2025 Catholic Diocese of Memphis parish directory.