About Sacred Heart · Pascagoula, Mississippi
Sacred Heart Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Pascagoula, Mississippi, situated in the Bayou Casotte area on the Gulf Coast. It belongs to the Diocese of Biloxi and is named for the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a devotion the parish emphasizes through Friday Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. The parish offers Mass in both English and Spanish, hosts a perpetual Adoration Chapel, runs OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults) classes, and is closely tied to Resurrection Catholic School (RCS), the inter-parochial elementary and high school system serving the area's Catholic families.
- Established
- 1962
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Lalo (Fr. Lalo) Mora
- Diocese
- Diocese of Biloxi
Why belong here
Sacred Heart is a warm, bilingual (English/Spanish) parish in the heart of the Pascagoula Bayou Casotte community where Catholic families have worshipped continuously since the 1940s. The parish offers the daily Eucharist almost every day of the week, a 24-hour Perpetual Adoration Chapel, Friday Adoration with the Litany of the Sacred Heart, a robust OCIA process for adults joining the Church, and close ties to Resurrection Catholic School. Its ministry to seafarers and maritime workers — a living tradition in shipbuilding Pascagoula — and its active Ladies Auxiliary, Hispanic Ministry (Ministerio Hispano), and youth programs make it a parish where newcomers are quickly drawn into the life of the community.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:30 AM – 7:55 AM
- Sunday 10:00 AM – 10:25 AM
- Sunday 4:30 PM – 4:55 PM
- Saturday 5:30 PM – 5:55 PM (in Spanish / en Español)
- Thursday (2nd and 4th of the month) 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM during Eucharistic Adoration
- First Friday 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
- By appointment during the week — call the Parish Office at 228-762-1837
Adoration times
- Perpetual Adoration Chapel — open 24 hours / 7 days (call the Parish Office for the entry code)
- Thursday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (live-streamed on Facebook and the parish website; Fr. Lalo leads)
- First Friday 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
- Every Friday: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Todos los viernes: Adoración al Santísimo Sacramento y Letanía del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús)
About Sacred Heart Parish
Sacred Heart Catholic Church is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Roman Catholic parish in Pascagoula, Mississippi, serving the Bayou Casotte community and belonging to the Diocese of Biloxi. The parish is named for the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and its devotional life centers on the Eucharist — through daily Mass, a Perpetual Adoration Chapel, and the weekly Friday Litany of the Sacred Heart. Current pastor Fr. Lalo Mora leads a parish community that worships together across generations, with strong ties to Resurrection Catholic School (RCS / RCES) and a tradition of ministering to Pascagoula's shipyard and seafaring families.
- Patron: Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Diocese: Diocese of Biloxi
- Pastor: Fr. Lalo Mora
- Deacon: Mike Martin
- Languages: English and Spanish
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 2190, Pascagoula, MS 39569-2190
History of the Parish
The parish's story begins in the 1940s, when Bayou Casotte families had Mass celebrated in their homes by visiting priests — Fathers Peter Quinn, Charles Hunter, and P.J. Carey — most often at the home of John B. and Gertrude Delmas. Parishioners recall opening the 12-foot parlor doors, setting up a homemade altar, and gathering on the front porch after Mass. The community later moved to a small mission church (where families once brought their own chairs, and Arnold Walker's shipyard carpenters built the first pews around 1950), and was canonically established as Sacred Heart Parish on December 27, 1962 by Bishop R.O. Gerow of the Natchez-Jackson Diocese.
- 1940s – Mass celebrated in East Pascagoula homes (Delmas parlor)
- c. 1950 – Mission church building, first pews built by A.V. Walker Shipyard
- Dec. 27, 1962 – Canonically established by Bishop R.O. Gerow
- 1966 – New rectory built
- 1975 – New church built
- 1988 – Sacred Heart Elementary merged into Resurrection Catholic School (Bishop Howze)
Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (O.C.I.A.)
Sacred Heart offers the O.C.I.A. — the parish's adult-initiation program, recently renamed from RCIA in line with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' updated terminology. Classes meet on Mondays at 6:00 PM, beginning each October and running through the Easter Vigil, when the Elect receive the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist. The program is led by Mr. Rusty Lachaussee and is offered at no charge, with all reading and study materials provided by the parish. Adults curious about the Catholic faith, as well as those preparing for full initiation, are warmly invited to enroll.
- Coordinator: Mr. Rusty Lachaussee (228-219-7218)
- When: Mondays, 6:00 PM, beginning in October
- Where: Sacred Heart Parish
- Rite of Election: Second Sunday of Lent
- Initiation at the Easter Vigil
- Free of charge; materials provided
Catholic School — Resurrection Catholic School (RCS / RCES)
Sacred Heart families are part of Resurrection Catholic School, the inter-parochial Catholic school serving the Pascagoula area. RCS was formed in 1988 when Bishop Howze merged Sacred Heart Elementary, Our Lady of Victories (OLV) Elementary, and OLV Central High School into one system; its roots go all the way back to the Academy of the Guardian Angels, founded in 1882 by five Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. Religion teacher Mrs. Pat Clement guides students through the elements and symbolism of Catholic churches — candles, the crucifix, the tabernacle, kneelers, the baptismal font, the chalice, and sacred vestments — and recently had students build their own model churches as a hands-on faith project. The parish and school community worship together for special celebrations such as the Candlemas blessing of candles each February 2nd.
- Formed 1988 by merger of Sacred Heart Elementary, OLV Elementary, OLV Central High
- Roots to Academy of the Guardian Angels (1882)
- Inter-parochial school serving multiple parishes in the Diocese of Biloxi
- School Mass on Thursdays during the school year (8:15 AM)
- Religion instruction by Mrs. Pat Clement
- Website: rcseagles.com
Hispanic Ministry (Ministerio Hispano)
The parish serves its Spanish-speaking members through the Ministerio Hispano, offering the Saturday 6:00 PM Vigil Mass in Spanish, Spanish-language confession on Saturday evenings, and fellowship gatherings such as Convivio-Compartir for Día del Padre (Father's Day) and Día de las Madres (Mother's Day). Spanish-language bulletins and announcements are available through the parish office.
- Saturday 6:00 PM Vigil Mass in Spanish
- Saturday 5:30 PM – 5:55 PM Confession in Spanish
- Convivio-Compartir fellowship gatherings
- Día del Padre and Día de las Madres celebrations
Parish Life and Community
Parish life at Sacred Heart is woven through year-round sacramental and social moments. The Ladies Auxiliary hosts the spring Baccalaureate Mass and luncheon for graduating seniors, who each receive a cross as a reminder that 'Sacred Heart Parish will always be their home.' The parish crowns Mary each May (Crowning of Mary SHP), celebrates baptisms and confirmations together, and gathers for Holy Week liturgies. The parish has a strong pastoral relationship with Pascagoula's maritime community — a tradition with deep roots in the Bayou Casotte shipyard culture — and Fr. Lalo Mora was honored in May 2026 to bless the Signet Warhorse III at Signet Maritime Corporation.
- Ladies Auxiliary — Baccalaureate Mass and luncheon
- Annual Crowning of Mary
- Confirmation 2025 at SHP
- Baptism celebrations throughout the year
- Holy Week liturgies at SHP
- Maritime Blessings (e.g., Signet Warhorse III, May 2026)
Sacraments and Devotions
Beyond the Mass schedule and Reconciliation times, the parish celebrates all the usual sacraments — Baptism (infant and adult), First Communion, Confirmation, Matrimony, and Anointing of the Sick — and welcomes inquiries through the Parish Office. Devotional life is shaped by the parish's patron, with the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus prayed every Friday after Adoration, Marian devotions such as the Crowning of Mary, and a parish culture that treasures Eucharistic Adoration. Live-streaming on the parish website and Facebook extends these devotions to the homebound.
- Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation
- Marriage preparation by appointment
- Anointing of the Sick by request
- Friday Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Crowning of Mary (May)
- Live-streamed Mass and Adoration
Visit, Contact, and Live-Stream
Newcomers and returning Catholics are warmly welcomed at Sacred Heart. Visitors can find the church at 3702 Quinn Drive in Pascagoula; the parish office can be reached at (228) 762-1837 or [email protected] (note: published address is [email protected]). Those unable to attend in person can watch Mass and Thursday Eucharistic Adoration via the parish website or Facebook Live. To enter the Perpetual Adoration Chapel at any hour, call the Parish Office for the access code.
- Address: 3702 Quinn Drive, Pascagoula, MS 39581
- Mailing: P.O. Box 2190, Pascagoula, MS 39569-2190
- Phone: (228) 762-1837
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: sacredheartpascagoula.com
- Live-stream on website and Facebook
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Patrick Hanley1946 (mission era)
One of the earliest priests who traveled to East Pascagoula to celebrate Mass in parishioners' homes before the parish was formally established.
- Rev. Patrick Quinn1962–1967
Founding pastor when Sacred Heart was canonically established by Bishop R.O. Gerow on December 27, 1962.
- Msgr. Joseph C. Mercier1970–1978
Oversaw the building program that included a new rectory (1966) and a new church (1975).
- Rev. Bernard Farrell1978–1989
Pastor who helped guide the parish into the inter-parochial school merger that created Resurrection Catholic School in 1988.
- Rev. Mike Kelleher1997–
Pastor at the time of the parish's 50th anniversary in 2012; led the golden anniversary celebration.
- Rev. Lalo Mora2024–
Current pastor, leading bilingual ministry (English/Spanish), ongoing Adoration programming, RCES faith initiatives and community blessings (e.g., the 2026 Signet Warhorse III blessing).