About Our Mother of Sorrows · Biloxi, Mississippi
Our Mother of Sorrows is a Roman Catholic parish in Biloxi, Mississippi, part of the Diocese of Biloxi. Founded in 1914 to serve the African-American Catholic community of East Biloxi, the parish was originally administered by the Josephite Fathers (Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart) and later entrusted to the Redemptorists (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, CSsR) after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The parish operates as a substation of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Parish and continues its long-standing tradition of Marian devotion, including the weekly Our Mother of Perpetual Help novena held after Tuesday Mass.
- Established
- 1914
- Patron
- Our Mother of Sorrows (Our Lady of Sorrows)
- Rector
- Reverend Khoa Phi Vo (listed as parish priest on the Diocese of Biloxi clergy page under phone 228-435-0007). The parish also operates under the pastoral umbrella of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Parish, staffed by Redemptorist (CSsR) priests.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Biloxi
Why belong here
Our Mother of Sorrows offers the rhythm of a small, historic parish rooted in over a century of African-American Catholic heritage on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Daily Mass at 8:30 a.m., a Saturday Vigil at 5:30 p.m., and a Sunday Mass at 10:30 a.m. are anchored by Marian devotion — particularly the weekly Our Mother of Perpetual Help novena on Tuesdays — and weekly Eucharistic Adoration on Thursdays. As a mission substation of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Parish, it carries a deep sense of continuity and recovery in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, welcoming parishioners and visitors into a community shaped by faith, resilience, and devotion.
Mass times at Our Mother of Sorrows
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- Thursday 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Eucharistic Adoration)
History of Our Mother of Sorrows Parish
Our Mother of Sorrows was founded in 1914 in East Biloxi to minister to the African-American Catholic community. The Josephite Fathers (Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart) sent Rev. Samuel Joseph Kelly, S.S.J., from Pascagoula to organize the new church on land bequeathed by Patrick Kennedy. The parish grew quickly, opening an elementary school on Reynoir Street in 1916 and a larger two-story school on Division Street in 1941. Both were staffed by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. After school desegregation in 1961, the school building was converted into a parish hall. The parish survived two storms that reshaped East Biloxi: the civil-rights era and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Bishop Thomas Rodi invited the Redemptorist Fathers to take on the devastated East Biloxi parishes, and since then Our Mother of Sorrows has operated as a substation of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Parish. The parish celebrated its centennial and the 150th anniversary of the Our Mother of Perpetual Help devotion in 2016.
- 1914: Parish founded by Josephite Fathers; church dedicated July 12, 1914
- 1916: Elementary school opens on Reynoir Street (Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament)
- 1941: Two-story school building opens on Division Street
- 1961: School repurposed as a parish hall after desegregation
- 2005: Redemptorists assume administration after Hurricane Katrina
- 2016: 150th Jubilee of Our Mother of Perpetual Help celebrated
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
The parish's spiritual life has long been shaped by religious-order priests. From its founding until after Katrina, the Josephite Fathers (Society of the Sacred Heart) administered the parish; since 2005 the Redemptorists (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, CSsR) have carried on that mission in cooperation with the Diocese of Biloxi.
- Rev. Samuel Joseph Kelly, S.S.J. — founding pastor (1914)
- Rev. Fr. Mulroney, S.S.J. — Josephite pastor (subsequent generation)
- Rev. Fr. Wilson, CSsR — led the 2005 Redemptorist response team
- Rev. Steve Benden, CSsR — assigned September 2014; co-led the 2016 Perpetual Help jubilee
- Rev. Gil Enderle, CSsR — served alongside Fr. Benden
- Rev. Khoa Phi Vo — current parish priest per the Diocese of Biloxi clergy page
Parish School (historic)
From 1916 the parish operated an elementary school for African-American children on Reynoir Street, north of Division, staffed by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. A new two-story school building opened on the north side of Division Street in 1941. After the desegregation of public schools in 1961, the building was repurposed as a parish hall, where it has remained a center of parish life.
- 1916: Elementary school opens on Reynoir Street
- Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament staff the school
- 1941: Two-story school building opens on Division Street
- 1961: Building transitions to a parish hall
Hurricane Katrina and the Redemptorist Mission
When Hurricane Katrina devastated East Biloxi in August 2005, Bishop Thomas J. Rodi invited the Redemptorist Fathers to assume administration of St. John, St. Louis, and Our Mother of Sorrows parishes. The Redemptorists honored the commitment despite the destruction; St. John and St. Louis were then merged into Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Parish (named for a Redemptorist saint), and Our Mother of Sorrows continues today as a substation under that combined parish.
- August 2005: Redemptorists arrive in East Biloxi
- St. John + St. Louis merged → Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Parish
- Our Mother of Sorrows becomes a substation under Seelos
Visiting the Parish
Parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed at 803 Division Street. For accessibility, current Mass times, or to arrange sacraments, the parish office can be reached at (228) 435-0007 or by email at [email protected].
- Address: 803 Division Street, Biloxi, MS 39530
- Phone: (228) 435-0007
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocese: Biloxi
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Samuel Joseph Kelly, S.S.J.1914
Founding pastor from Pascagoula; Josephite missionary who also built mission churches in Pass Christian and Pascagoula.
- Rev. Fr. Mulroney, S.S.J.mid-1910s onward
Josephite pastor retained after Father Kelly's tenure; briefly relieved by a priest from Chester, New York.
- Rev. Steve Benden, CSsRAssigned September 2014
Redemptorist priest who helped lead the parish's 2016 Our Mother of Perpetual Help jubilee.
- Rev. Gil Enderle, CSsR2010s
Served alongside Fr. Benden.
- Rev. Khoa Phi Vo
Listed as parish priest on the Diocese of Biloxi clergy page.