About St. James the Greater · Tupelo, Mississippi
St. James Catholic Church (formally dedicated as St. James the Apostle) is a Roman Catholic parish in Tupelo, Mississippi, belonging to the Diocese of Jackson. The parish's roots reach back to the mid-1800s, when Irish immigrants settled in the area, and the current church building was dedicated on July 9, 1914 by Bishop John Gunn, making the parish a century-plus presence in northeast Mississippi. Today the bilingual (English/Spanish) parish offers fourteen Masses a week and serves a growing community that now includes new immigrants from Mexico and Central America alongside descendants of the original Irish Catholic families. Its stated mission is 'To love God, serve His people, and become a united community in Christ,' and it also oversees the nearby St. Thomas Aquinas Mission in Saltillo.
- Established
- 1914
- Patron
- St. James the Greater (St. James the Apostle / St. James the Major)
- Rector
- Rev. Timothy Murphy
- Diocese
- Diocese of Jackson
Why belong here
St. James offers one of the most active Catholic schedules in northeast Mississippi, with fourteen Masses a week in both English and Spanish, weekly Saturday confessions, and a complete faith formation program for children including the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for kindergarteners. The parish welcomes newcomers directly through a personal welcome team (call or text 662.460.4020), runs the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) for those exploring Catholicism, and supports a Junior CYO youth ministry along with adult and youth choirs. It also extends its pastoral care to the St. Thomas Aquinas Mission in nearby Saltillo, giving parishioners a way to participate in a wider Catholic community rooted in a century of local history.
Mass times at St. James the Greater
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 p.m.
Parish History & 100th Anniversary
St. James was founded by mid-19th-century Irish Catholic immigrants in the Tupelo area. Bishop John Gunn dedicated the church on July 9, 1914, and the parish observed its 100th anniversary in July 2014. The centennial weekend began on the feast of St. James the Major with a Camino-de-Santiago-style pilgrimage from Chickasaw Village back into Tupelo, and Bishop Joseph Kopacz celebrated two weekend Masses that drew nearly 700 people under then-pastor Father Lincoln Dall.
- Mid-1800s: Irish Catholic immigrants settle in the Tupelo area
- July 9, 1914: Bishop John Gunn dedicates the church
- July 25–27, 2014: 100th anniversary celebration with Way-of-St. James-style pilgrimage and Masses celebrated by Bishop Joseph Kopacz
- Pastors have included traveling priests, Benedictines, and diocesan priests
Mission & Welcome
St. James Catholic Church states its mission as 'To love God, serve His people, and become a united community in Christ.' The parish actively welcomes visitors, new residents, returning Catholics, and the simply curious. A dedicated Welcome Team can be reached by call or text at 662.460.4020, and a short visitor registration form is offered on the parish website.
- Mission: To love God, serve His people, and become a united community in Christ
- Welcome Team phone/text line: 662.460.4020
- Online visitor registration form on saint-james.net
- Open to visitors, newcomers, returning Catholics, and inquirers
Faith Formation & Religious Education
St. James runs a Faith Formation program for children of all grades, including the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium for K-4 and K-5 students. The Director of Faith Formation is Veronica Lopez, and the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Coordinator is Karen Mayfield.
- Faith Formation for all grade levels
- Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for K-4 and K-5 — Coordinator Karen Mayfield
- Director of Faith Formation: Veronica Lopez ([email protected], 662.231.7671)
OCIA / Becoming Catholic
Adults interested in the Catholic faith or in becoming Catholic are invited into the parish's Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), a prayerful, supportive classroom process for learning what Catholics believe and why they do what they do. The parish lists OCIA Directors as Alex Emlaincourt.
- Process for adults exploring Catholicism
- OCIA Directors: Alex Emlaincourt
Youth & Music Ministry
St. James supports both youth formation and parish liturgical music through the Junior CYO program and two choirs — an adult choir and a youth choir — that serve the parish's Sunday and Spanish Masses.
- Junior CYO Coordinator: Jai Eschete
- Adult Choir Music Minister: Lailah Valentine ([email protected], 662.401.3584)
- Youth Choir Music Minister: Erin Bristow ([email protected], 662.610.1151)
Hispanic Ministry
Hispanic Ministry at St. James coordinates the parish's substantial Spanish-language liturgical and pastoral life, including Spanish Masses every weekend and on most weekdays. Raquel Thompson serves as Hispanic Minister and Olga Soltero as Program Coordinator of Hispanic Ministry.
- Hispanic Minister: Raquel Thompson ([email protected], 662.402.9599)
- Program Coordinator: Olga Soltero (787.379.3499)
- Spanish Mass schedule: Saturday 6:30 p.m.; Sunday 12:00 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 6:30 p.m.
Parish Staff & Clergy
St. James is led by a pastor, associate pastor, and deacon, supported by a Director of Parish Life, a Parish Business Manager, an Administrative Assistant & Bulletin Editor, and other ministry staff. The current pastor is Rev. Timothy Murphy.
- Pastor: Rev. Timothy Murphy — [email protected] — 662.304.0087
- Associate Pastor: Father Octavio Escobar — [email protected] — 662.208.4537
- Deacon: Carlos Sola Fonseca — [email protected] — 787.473.3602
- Director of Parish Life: Michelle Harkins — [email protected] — 662.231.1055
- Parish Business Manager: Meg Gibens — [email protected] — 662.842.4881
- Director of Faith Formation: Veronica Lopez — [email protected] — 662.231.7671
- Hispanic Minister: Raquel Thompson — [email protected] — 662.402.9599
- Administrative Assistant & Bulletin Editor: Luz Acosta — [email protected] — 662.842.4881
- Campus Grounds: Salvador Perez
St. Thomas Aquinas Mission, Saltillo
St. James Parish shepherds the St. Thomas Aquinas Mission in Saltillo, about ten miles south of Tupelo. The original mission church was built in 1921 and burned in a 2009 arson; the community rebuilt it themselves. Bishop Joseph Kopacz blessed the new concrete-block chapel/multi-purpose building on June 1, 2014.
- Address: 612 County Road 683, Saltillo, MS 38866
- Original mission church built 1921
- Original structure destroyed by arson in 2009
- New chapel building blessed by Bishop Kopacz in June 2014
- Served primarily by descendants of the Barrett family and others
Contact, Location & Bulletin
St. James Catholic Church is located on North Gloster Street in Tupelo, with a mailing address of P.O. Box 734, Tupelo, MS 38802. The parish office can be reached at 662.842.4881 and publishes a weekly bulletin edited by Luz Acosta.
- Physical address: 1911 North Gloster Street, Tupelo, MS 38804
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 734, Tupelo, MS 38802
- Main phone: 662.842.4881
- Weekly bulletin edited by Luz Acosta ([email protected])
- Diocese: Diocese of Jackson
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Lincoln Dallserved as pastor in 2014 (at least)
Pastor at the time of the 100th anniversary celebration in July 2014; described the celebration and the Apostle James in the parish bulletin.