About St. Benedict the Moor · Indianola, Mississippi
St. Benedict the Moor is a Roman Catholic parish in Indianola, Mississippi, founded in 1953 to serve the Black Catholic community of the Mississippi Delta and placed under the care of the Franciscan Order. Located at 403 Church Avenue, the parish is today administered together with its sister parish Immaculate Conception by Father Sleeva Reddy Mekala under the Catholic Diocese of Jackson. Weekly worship is centered on a Saturday Vigil Mass at 6:00 p.m. and Sunday Mass at 9:00 a.m., and the parish is widely remembered for the civil-rights work carried out from its church and its 1960 community center during the 1960s.
- Established
- 1953
- Patron
- Saint Benedict the Moor
- Rector
- Reverend Sleeva Reddy Mekala (Pastor/Administrator of St. Benedict the Moor and Immaculate Conception, appointed May 1, 2022)
- Diocese
- Catholic Diocese of Jackson
Why belong here
St. Benedict the Moor is a small, historically Black Catholic parish with deep roots in the Mississippi Delta and a powerful legacy of civil-rights witness going back to Father Walter Smigiel's tenure in the 1950s and 1960s. Worshippers are drawn by its Saturday Vigil and Sunday Masses, its prayerful Catholic community, its outreach from the 1960 St. Benedict the Moor Center (which still hosts events like the annual MLK Jr. Brunch and the Sunflower County NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet), and its welcome to travelers and newcomers passing through Indianola on Highway 49W or the Mississippi Blues Trail.
Mass times at St. Benedict the Moor
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment
History of St. Benedict the Moor Parish
St. Benedict the Moor was established on March 5, 1953, by Bishop Richard O. Gerow and Father Theophane Kalinowski, OFM, to serve the Black Catholic community of Indianola. After worshipping first in a renovated grocery store and then a renovated house (occupied April 4, 1955, the feast of the patron saint), the congregation moved to a former funeral home on Church Street. The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration from St. Rose Convent, La Crosse, Wisconsin, operated the Holy Child Jesus Mission on parish grounds, and the parish Center — begun in 1960 — has served as a religious, civic, social, and educational hub for six decades. The current church was dedicated by Bishop William Houck on May 8, 1994.
- Founded March 5, 1953 by Bishop Richard O. Gerow and Father Theophane Kalinowski, OFM
- First home: renovated grocery store, ready April 5, 1953
- Second home: renovated house, occupied April 4, 1955
- Third home: former funeral home on Church Street
- St. Benedict the Moor Center construction began in 1960
- Current church dedicated May 8, 1994 by Bishop William Houck
Civil-Rights Legacy
Under founding pastor Father Meinrad "Walter" Smigiel, OFM (1953–1971), St. Benedict the Moor became one of the most important civil-rights churches in the Mississippi Delta. Father Walter co-founded the biracial Indianola Improvement Association in 1964, opened the church and Center to the wider Black community, and with local attorney Carver Randle, Sr., helped organize civic life during the 1960s. During the turbulent 1960s the church was targeted with gunfire and threats. In June 1966 Father Walter helped secure Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s visit to Indianola during the marches following James Meredith's shooting; while King's main speech was delivered on the courthouse grounds, a large evening rally was scheduled at St. Benedict the Moor.
- Father Meinrad "Walter" Smigiel, OFM — pastor 1953–1971
- Co-founder of the biracial Indianola Improvement Association (1964)
- Targets of threats and gunfire inside the church during the 1960s
- June 21, 1966: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. scheduled to speak at St. Benedict the Moor during the post-Meredith-shot marches
- Sustained community organizing with attorney Carver Randle, Sr.
Worship & Sacraments
St. Benedict the Moor celebrates a Saturday Vigil Mass at 6:00 p.m. and Sunday Mass at 9:00 a.m. in English. The sacrament of Reconciliation is offered by appointment. The parish's Visitor Information page explains Catholic practice at Mass: Holy Communion is reserved for believing Catholic members in a state of grace, and non-Catholics are welcome to remain in the pew or to approach the priest with arms crossed in an X over the shoulders to receive a personal blessing. Holy Day schedules are published in the parish bulletin (see the parish Calendars page).
- Saturday Vigil Mass — 6:00 p.m. (English)
- Sunday Mass — 9:00 a.m. (English)
- Confession — by appointment
- Holy Days of Obligation — consult the parish bulletin
Visitor Information
Whether traveling through the Mississippi Delta, looking for a new church home, or returning to the practice of one's own faith, all are welcomed at St. Benedict the Moor. Mass is celebrated as a formal and dignified ceremony in a prescribed order; congregational prayer books (missalettes) are provided for guidance. Visitors who do not wish to receive Holy Communion may line up with arms crossed in an X across the shoulders to receive a blessing from the priest. The parish office can be reached by mail at P.O. Box 407, Indianola, MS 38751, or by phone at (662) 887-4659.
- All are welcome to attend Mass
- Missalette / hymn books provided in the pews
- Non-Catholics may request a blessing instead of Communion
- Parish phone: (662) 887-4659 — Mailing: P.O. Box 407, Indianola, MS 38751
St. Benedict the Moor Center
The St. Benedict the Moor Center, whose construction began in 1960, is the parish's signature community facility. For more than six decades it has served as a religious, civic, social, and educational center for Indianola — and especially for the Black community. The Center continues to host civic and cultural events, including the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Brunch organized by the parish and the Sunflower County NAACP's Freedom Fund Banquet.
- Construction began 1960
- Religious, civic, social, and educational center
- Hosts annual MLK Jr. Brunch
- Hosts Sunflower County NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet
Staff & Leadership
St. Benedict the Moor is administered together with sister parish Immaculate Conception by Reverend Sleeva Reddy Mekala, who was appointed pastor of both parishes on May 1, 2022. He is assisted in the broader Indianola Catholic Community by Reverend Adolfo Suarez-Pasillas, pastor of Immaculate Conception. The parish's founding pastor, Father Meinrad "Walter" Smigiel, OFM, remains a revered figure of Mississippi civil-rights history.
- Rev. Sleeva Reddy Mekala — Pastor/Administrator, appointed May 1, 2022
- Rev. Adolfo Suarez-Pasillas — Pastor, Immaculate Conception (sister parish)
- Father Meinrad "Walter" Smigiel, OFM — Founding Pastor, 1953–1971
Indianola Catholic Community & the Diocese of Jackson
St. Benedict the Moor is one of two Indianola parishes in the Catholic Diocese of Jackson — the other being Immaculate Conception — and is also closely associated with the St. Catherine Mission. The two Indianola congregations were formally designated as separate and distinct full parishes by Bishop Richard O. Gerow in 1958. Following this separation the Franciscan Order withdrew from Immaculate Conception in 1962, leaving it to be served by a succession of diocesan priests. Today both Indianola parishes share a pastor/administrator and are part of the Diocese of Jackson's deanery structure.
- Diocese: Catholic Diocese of Jackson (https://jacksondiocese.org)
- Sister parish: Immaculate Conception, Indianola
- St. Catherine Mission — associated with the Indianola Catholic Community
- Parishes formally separated by Bishop Gerow in 1958; Franciscans withdrew from Immaculate Conception in 1962
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Meinrad "Walter" Smigiel, OFM1953 – January 1971
Founding pastor; Detroit native Franciscan; civil-rights leader; invited Martin Luther King Jr. to speak at the church in 1966; targets of gunfire and threats during the 1960s; oversaw construction of the St. Benedict the Moor Center (begun 1960).
- Reverend Sleeva Reddy MekalaMay 1, 2022 – present
Appointed pastor/administrator of St. Benedict the Moor and Immaculate Conception; listed as Administrator on the Diocese of Jackson parish finder.