About Queen of Peace · Olive Branch, Mississippi
Queen of Peace Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish serving Olive Branch and the surrounding northwest Mississippi area from its campus at 8455 Germantown Road. The parish is one of six churches staffed by the Priests of the Sacred Heart (Dehonians / SCJ) under the umbrella of Sacred Heart Southern Missions, the SCJ mission territory that covers DeSoto, Tunica, Tate, Marshall, and Benton Counties within the Diocese of Jackson. Weekday and Sunday Masses are offered in English, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard Saturday afternoons, and the parish community is known for its strong Marian identity under the title "Queen of Peace."
- Established
- 1955
- Patron
- Mary, Queen of Peace (Our Lady Queen of Peace)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Jackson (Roman Catholic)
Why belong here
Queen of Peace offers a small but warm parish family in fast-growing DeSoto County, with regular English-language Masses throughout the week, Saturday confessions, First Friday Mass with Adoration, weekday Rosary, and the spiritual support of a dedicated SCJ pastoral team. As part of the wider Sacred Heart Southern Missions family, parishioners are linked to one of the oldest Catholic mission networks in northern Mississippi — a tradition stretching back to 1944. The parish is a fitting home for anyone seeking a Marian-centered, mission-rooted Catholic community in the Olive Branch / Memphis metro area.
Mass times at Queen of Peace
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:30 PM – 5:45 PM (before Vigil Mass)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
- Friday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- First Friday 12:00 PM (Mass with Adoration)
Parish Overview & Identity
Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Olive Branch, Mississippi is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Jackson, served by the Priests of the Sacred Heart (Dehonians / SCJ) under the umbrella of Sacred Heart Southern Missions. The parish takes its name from the Marian title Queen of Peace — invoking Mary as the Mother and Queen of Jesus Christ and patroness of the community. The parish was founded in 1955, well before the rapid growth that has since made Olive Branch one of the largest cities in DeSoto County and a southern suburb of Memphis, Tennessee.
- Diocese: Diocese of Jackson
- Religious institute: Priests of the Sacred Heart (SCJ / Dehonians)
- Mission network: Sacred Heart Southern Missions (SHSM)
- Founded: 1955
- Title: Church of the Queen of Peace
History of Queen of Peace
The Queen of Peace congregation began in 1955 when the SCJs extended their ministry from Sacred Heart in Walls — established in 1944 as the regional SCJ mission headquarters — into DeSoto County. For nearly two decades the small flock of Catholic families in Olive Branch had no church of its own. Sunday Mass was first celebrated in private homes, then in a second-floor dance studio next to a funeral home (which at least had chairs, unlike the studio itself), and from 1965 in a former gas station. In 1974 ground was broken for a permanent church, and the current Queen of Peace church was completed in 1975, where the parish continues to worship today.
- 1955: Queen of Peace congregation founded
- Late 1950s: Mass moved to a dance studio above a funeral home — parishioners hauled borrowed chairs up an outside staircase every Saturday to set up
- 1965: Mass relocated to a former gas station
- 1974: Ground broken for a permanent church
- 1975: Current church completed
- 1980: Fr. Jack Kurps, SCJ begins his ministry at Queen of Peace as his first SCJ assignment
Devotions
In addition to Mass and Adoration, the parish maintains a regular schedule of Marian devotion through the Rosary.
- Rosary: Monday and Tuesday 11:30 AM (before noon Mass)
- Rosary: Thursday 9:00 AM
Clergy & Staff
Queen of Peace is staffed by a pastoral team of Priests of the Sacred Heart (Dehonians), supported by a Sacramental Minister, religious sisters, and lay parish staff. Pastoral care for the parish is coordinated through Sacred Heart Southern Missions.
- Sacramental Minister: Rev. Panneer Selvam Arockiam
- Pastoral Team (Moderator): Rev. Hendrik Ardianto, SCJ
- Pastoral Team: Rev. David Szatkowski, SCJ
- Pastoral Team: Rev. Guy Blair, SCJ
- Pastoral Team: Rev. Paul Phong Hoang, SCJ
- Pastoral Staff: Sr. Emily Morgan (religious sister)
- Parish Secretary: Gretchen McAlexander
- Director of Religious Education (DRE): Victoria Stirek
Sacred Heart Southern Missions (SHSM)
Queen of Peace is one of six parishes staffed by the Priests of the Sacred Heart in northwest Mississippi under Sacred Heart Southern Missions. The SHSM network has pastoral responsibility for DeSoto, Tunica, Tate, Marshall, and Benton Counties, and runs outreach and service programs — from family service retreats and youth mission trips to the Garden Café in Holly Springs and home-repair projects (wheelchair ramps, roofing, plumbing, painting, sheetrock) for clients in need.
- Regional mission network spanning five counties of northwest Mississippi
- Annual family service retreats featuring wheelchair-ramp construction and home repairs
- Youth service retreats drawing teens from all six regional parishes, with annual Sacred Heart Feast Day Mass at Christ the King
- Garden Café ministry in Holly Springs
- Sister parish connection to Sacred Heart, Walls (founded 1944) — the original SCJ mission church in the area
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Queen of Peace maintains a Director of Religious Education on staff and supports family faith formation alongside the broader SHSM youth and family programs.
- Director of Religious Education (DRE) on parish staff
- Family service retreats through Sacred Heart Southern Missions
- Youth mission/service retreats for teens from the six regional parishes
Visit & Contact
Queen of Peace is located in Olive Branch, Mississippi — part of the Memphis metro area — and welcomes visitors and new parishioners. The parish office can be reached by phone, fax, or email, and the latest news and bulletins are posted on the parish Facebook page.
- Address: 8455 Germantown Road, Olive Branch, MS 38654
- Mailing: PO Box 65, Olive Branch, MS 38654-0065
- Phone: (662) 895-5007
- Fax: (662) 895-5036
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: qopcc.com (also queenofpeaceob.org)
- Facebook: facebook.com/qopcc
- Located midway between Stateline Road and Highway 302 on Germantown Road
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Jack Kurps, SCJfrom 1980
First SCJ assignment in Mississippi was Queen of Peace, Olive Branch, beginning 1980; later became executive director of Sacred Heart Southern Missions and vice provincial of the US Province.