About St. James · Leland, Mississippi
St. James is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the Mississippi Delta town of Leland, Mississippi, within the Diocese of Jackson. According to the University of Notre Dame's Parish History Collection, the Leland Catholic community dates back to 1845 and was historically sustained by Italian and Lebanese (Syro-Lebanese) immigrant families who settled in the Delta in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today it is a mission-sized parish at 312 East Third Street, pastored by Father Sleeva Reddy Mekala, who also serves Immaculate Conception Mission in Hollandale and administers St. Benedict the Moor and Immaculate Conception in Indianola. The parish is listed as a contributing religious resource within the Leland Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Established
- 1845
- Patron
- St. James (the Greater)
- Rector
- Rev. Sleeva Reddy Mekala
- Diocese
- Diocese of Jackson (originally Diocese of Natchez, erected 1837; renamed Natchez-Jackson in 1957; renamed Jackson in 1977 when the Diocese of Biloxi was created)
Why belong here
St. James is one of the oldest Catholic communities in the Mississippi Delta, with roots reaching back to 1845 and a congregation historically shaped by Italian and Lebanese immigrant families. Visitors and parishioners can expect a small, personal parish where the pastor — who also shepherds Hollandale and Indianola — knows his flock, with Sunday Mass in English and a Saturday Vigil that fits working Delta schedules. It is a quiet, historic presence in downtown Leland and a convenient option for Delta Catholics traveling between Greenville, Indianola and Hollandale.
Mass times at St. James
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday at 5:00 PM (before Mass)
- Saturday — before Vigil Mass
History of St. James Catholic Church, Leland
The Catholic community in Leland traces its origin to 1845, predating the railroad town of Leland (founded 1885) by forty years. According to the University of Notre Dame's Parish History Collection (CAPH series), the parish was sustained through the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Italian immigrants — many of whom arrived in the 1880s to work on Delta levees and plantations before becoming merchants — and by Syro-Lebanese Christian families (mostly Maronite Catholics) who entered Mississippi through New Orleans and built peddling and grocery businesses in towns like Leland and Greenville. The church building at 312 East Third Street sits inside the Leland Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. A notable 20th-century milestone was the May 26, 1960 ordination of Father Howard Johnson at St. James; Father Johnson later served as a U.S. Army chaplain.
- 1845 — Catholic community established in the Leland area (per Notre Dame Archives Parish History Collection)
- Late 1800s–early 1900s — Italian and Lebanese (Syro-Lebanese) immigration shapes the parish
- 1885 — Town of Leland founded as a railroad town
- March 1946 — IRS recognizes St. James Catholic Church as a 501(c)(3) religious organization (EIN 64-0428722)
- May 26, 1960 — Father Howard Johnson ordained at St. James
- St. James Church included in the Leland Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Italian and Lebanese Heritage in the Delta Parish
Two immigrant communities defined Catholic Leland. Italians first arrived in the Delta in the 1880s, working levee and plantation jobs before opening grocery and dry-goods stores across Washington County. Lebanese (Syro-Lebanese) Christians, most of them Maronite Catholics from Mount Lebanon, immigrated through New Orleans from the 1880s onward, working first as peddlers and then as merchants. Oral histories collected by the University of Mississippi document Lebanese-American families — including the Showah, Shamoun, and Thomas lines — who lived in Leland, attended St. Joseph Catholic School in nearby Greenville, and helped sustain Catholic life across the Delta. Their imprint on St. James in Leland is preserved in the Notre Dame parish-history cataloguing note: 'Leland – St. James – 1845-1987 Italian, Lebanese.'
- Italian immigrants arrived in the Delta beginning in the 1880s, first as levee/plantation laborers, then as merchants
- Syro-Lebanese (Maronite Catholic) families arrived via New Orleans from the 1880s onward
- Showah, Shamoun, and Thomas families documented as Leland-area Lebanese-American Catholics
- Many Lebanese-American Catholic children attended St. Joseph Catholic School in Greenville
- Heritage remains a defining element of St. James' identity in the Leland Historic District
Parish Leadership
St. James is currently pastored by Rev. Sleeva Reddy Mekala (ordained April 12). Father Mekala also serves as Pastor of Immaculate Conception Mission in Hollandale and as Administrator of St. Benedict the Moor and Immaculate Conception in Indianola — a multi-parish assignment typical of rural Mississippi ministry. The diocese also lists him as a member of a deanery leadership team. Father Howard Johnson, ordained at St. James on May 26, 1960, is remembered as a notable alumnus of the parish who went on to serve as a U.S. Army chaplain.
- Rev. Sleeva Reddy Mekala — current pastor (ordained April 12)
- Rev. Howard Johnson — ordained at St. James on May 26, 1960; later U.S. Army chaplain
- Father Mekala also pastors Immaculate Conception Mission (Hollandale) and administers St. Benedict the Moor / Immaculate Conception (Indianola)
Diocese of Jackson
St. James belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi. The diocese was originally erected on July 28, 1837 as the Diocese of Natchez, became the Diocese of Natchez-Jackson in 1957, and was renamed the Diocese of Jackson in 1977 when the Diocese of Biloxi was created from its southern counties. The Diocese of Jackson is a suffragan see of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Orleans and today covers the largest geographic area of any U.S. diocese east of the Mississippi River — a territory in which small Delta parishes like St. James are a defining feature of Catholic life.
- Diocese of Jackson (Latin: Dioecesis Jacksoniensis)
- Founded 1837 as the Diocese of Natchez
- Renamed Natchez-Jackson in 1957; renamed Jackson in 1977
- Suffragan see of the Archdiocese of New Orleans
- St. James sits within the diocese's Greenfield Deanery
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Howard Johnsonordained May 26, 1960
Ordained a priest at St. James Church in Leland in the Diocese of Jackson; later served as a U.S. Army chaplain.