Saint Alphonsus

About St. Alphonsus Parish

St. Alphonsus is a historic Catholic parish in McComb, Mississippi, founded in 1876 and based since 1922 in a striking twin-towered Romanesque Revival church on Delaware Avenue. It belongs to the Diocese of Jackson and serves as the hub of the Pike County Catholic Community, which also includes St. James in Magnolia and St. Teresa in Chatawa. The parish welcomes English- and Spanish-speaking Catholics and offers a full range of formation, outreach, and sacramental ministries.

Parish History

Catholic life in the McComb area reaches back to the 1860s, with the first Mass in the region celebrated at Marie Elizabeth Brown's Bunker Hill home and later Masses at Vinegar Hill, where wooden dressers served as makeshift altars. St. Alphonsus Parish itself was established in 1876, one of the older Catholic congregations in southwest Mississippi. In 1922, Bishop John Edward Gunn led the parish in building the present twin-towered church, designed by Kramer and Lindsley with contractor August Wennerlund. The cornerstone reportedly bears the names of the 1922 confirmation class. A beloved pastor, Father Brian Kaskie, died in 2021; the Diocese of Jackson established the Reverend Brian Kaskie Memorial Trust in his honor. On October 30, 2022, Bishop Joseph Kopacz joined the parish for the 100th anniversary of the church building, with parishioners praying a nine-day novena to St. Alphonsus Liguori beforehand.

Faith Formation & Religious Education

The parish operates a Parish School of Religion (PSR) for PreK through 6th grade that runs parallel to a traditional school calendar (mid-to-late August through the first week of May). Classes meet Wednesday nights, starting with a family meal at 5:30 PM in Liguori Hall ($2 per plate), with catechesis from 6:00 to 7:15 PM. Fees are $20 per child or $60 maximum per family of three or more. Sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion takes place in the 2nd-grade year and requires a baptismal certificate; older children who have not yet received sacraments are also prepared. The curriculum uses Faith and Life for grades 1-6.

• PSR (Parish School of Religion) – PreK-6th grade, Wednesdays
• First Reconciliation & First Holy Communion – 2nd grade year
• Director of Religious Education: Kristen Jones
• Vacation Bible School – one week in June

Youth & Young Adult Ministry

St. Alphonsus runs a full middle- and high-school youth ministry, plus an emerging young-adult and campus outreach. The EDGE program serves 7th- and 8th-graders with Wednesday meals and catechesis; the high-school youth group meets Wednesdays with social time from 5:00 to 6:00, a meal at 5:30, and catechesis from 6:00 to 7:15 PM using the Catholic Youth Handbook (currently teaching the Creed). The parish also participates in the Diocese of Jackson's Pastoral Reimagining initiative, identifying faith formation for youth and young adults as a priority and exploring a campus ministry program to reach young adults at the local community college.

• EDGE – 7th-8th grade Wednesdays
• High School Youth Group – Wednesdays
• Youth Minister: Lauren Codding
• OCIA / Becoming Catholic – Wednesdays at 6:00 PM in the OCIA Room
• Pastoral Reimagining – youth, young adult, and campus ministry focus

Becoming Catholic (OCIA / RCIA)

Those interested in becoming Catholic gather on Wednesday nights at 6:00 PM in the OCIA Room at the parish. The OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, formerly RCIA) process walks inquirers through Catholic doctrine, scripture, and tradition toward reception into the Church, typically at Easter.

Music & Liturgical Ministries

The parish has a long-standing music ministry, recognized in the Diocese of Jackson's 2017 Chanche youth award for parish music volunteer Laurie Richard, who was cited for 'a deep devotion to prayer and a love for evangelization.' Lay liturgical ministers assist the priest at Sunday and daily Masses, including English and Spanish celebrations.

• Music Ministry
• Liturgical ministries (lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, altar servers)

Outreach & Charity

St. Alphonsus is widely recognized for its outreach to the wider Pike County community. The parish previously operated McComb's first integrated daycare in its parish facility, an outreach celebrated in the Diocese of Jackson's 2017 Chanche Medal award to Becky Bellipanni. Today, the Food for the Soul Ministry serves a free community meal at St. James Hall in Magnolia every third Thursday from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM (take-out). Hearts and Hands Ministry visits shut-ins, provides rides to local appointments, and assists those in greatest need (contact Wanda Esponge). Parishioners also volunteer in crisis-pregnancy ministry and ministry to the homebound.

• Food for the Soul Ministry – free meal, 3rd Thursday, 11:30 AM-1:00 PM, St. James Hall, Magnolia
• Hearts and Hands Ministry – shut-in visits, rides, assistance
• Crisis-pregnancy volunteer ministry
• Ministry to the homebound
• Hispanic Ministry and outreach

Pike County Catholic Community – Sister Churches

St. Alphonsus in McComb shares its pastor, Father Suresh, with two mission churches. Together they form the Pike County Catholic Community.

• St. James – 125 Bay Street, Magnolia, MS: Saturday Vigil 4:00 PM, Sunday 8:30 AM; Daily Mass Wednesday 12:00 PM (Healing Mass every 3rd Wednesday); Confession Saturday 3:00-3:45 PM and Sunday 8:00-8:25 AM
• St. Teresa – 3167 Old Hwy 51 S, Chatawa/Osyka, MS: Wednesday 12:10 PM, Friday 7:30 AM, Tuesday-Friday 11:15 AM, Sunday 5:00 PM
• Pastoral Reimagining – integrated evangelization across all three communities

Parish Staff & Leadership

The parish is led by Father Suresh Reddy Thirumalareddy, supported by an office manager, director of religious education, and youth minister.

• Pastor: Rev. Suresh Reddy Thirumalareddy (from the Diocese of Guntur, India; arrived in Pike County 2014; U.S. citizen since June 2023)
• Office Manager: Wendy Blue
• Director of Religious Education: Kristen Jones
• Youth Minister: Lauren Codding
• Food for the Soul / Hearts and Hands contact: Wanda Esponge

Sacraments

The parish prepares members for and celebrates the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion are typically celebrated in the 2nd-grade year after a full year of PSR the year prior. Baptisms, marriages, and Anointing of the Sick are arranged through the parish office; a monthly Healing Mass is offered every 4th Thursday at 12:10 PM. OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) prepares those seeking to enter the Catholic Church.

• Baptism – contact parish office
• First Reconciliation & First Holy Communion – 2nd-grade year of PSR
• Confirmation – preparation through parish school of religion and youth ministry
• Marriage – contact parish office for preparation
• Anointing of the Sick / Healing Mass – 4th Thursday of each month and by appointment
• OCIA (Becoming Catholic) – Wednesdays at 6:00 PM in the OCIA Room

Historic Significance

The St. Alphonsus Catholic Church complex — including the 1922 church, the older church structure, school, convent, and old rectory — is documented on the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) Historic Resources Inventory as a Pike County historic property cluster. The 1922 church was designed by Kramer and Lindsley with contractor August Wennerlund in an Italian-influenced Romanesque Revival style with twin square towers, blind arcade, brick pilasters, cast stone, slate roof, and stained-glass windows. The 2022 centennial was a diocesan event, drawing Bishop Joseph Kopacz and priests from across the Diocese of Jackson to celebrate 100 years of Catholic worship in the current building.