About St. Mary · Camden, Tennessee
St. Mary Catholic Church is a small, family-sized parish in Camden, Tennessee, serving about 200 parishioners across 72 households in the rural counties of Benton, Carroll, and parts of Humphreys. It is part of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis and pastorally oversees the nearby Holy Family Catholic Mission in Huntingdon. Founded as a mission in 1948 and raised to parish status in 1981, St. Mary's offers a traditional schedule of Mass, Confession, Eucharistic Adoration, First Friday and First Saturday devotions, Bible study, and a Ladies Guild.
- Established
- 1948 (as a mission of St. Patrick's, McEwen); 1981 (raised to parish status)
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (parish named 'St. Mary'; First Saturday Marian devotion is central to parish life)
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Herbert Ene
- Diocese
- Catholic Diocese of Memphis (Northern Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Mary's offers what many larger parishes can't: a tight-knit Catholic community where nearly everyone knows your name, set in the quiet of rural West Tennessee. The parish runs a full traditional schedule — daily Mass, Saturday Vigil, Eucharistic Adoration on First Fridays, a First Saturday Marian devotion with Scriptural Rosary, a Friday Bible study, a Ladies Guild, and a monthly Hospitality Sunday. Worship is supported by a dedicated music director, religious education for children, RCIA for adults, an active Knights of Columbus council, and a pastor and parochial vicar who are deeply present to the people they serve.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays 4:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Adoration times
- First Friday of the month, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon (parishioners sign up for an hour)
- First Saturday of the month (in conjunction with the Devotion to St. Mary)
Parish Identity & History
St. Mary Catholic Church is a small, mission-rooted parish of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis, in the Northern Deanery, serving rural West Tennessee. Catholic life in Camden began in 1948, when Bishop William Adrian assigned the area as a mission of St. Patrick's Church in McEwen. Mass was first celebrated in a private home, then in the local Dixie Theater, until the present church was completed and dedicated in 1950. In January 1981, Bishop Carrol Dozier — Memphis' first bishop — raised St. Mary's to parish status, appointed Fr. Richard Gantert as its first pastor, and formally dedicated the parish that September. Today the parish numbers around 200 parishioners from 72 households and serves as the parent church for Holy Family Mission in nearby Huntingdon.
Founding Story
When Camden's Catholic community outgrew a private home in 1948, the late Mr. Smothers, operator of the Dixie Theater, donated the use of his building — which served as the worship space until the church was completed in 1950. Bishop Adrian dedicated the building; the $28,000 cost included a $10,000 grant from the Church Extension Society of Chicago, and the mortgage was paid off within six years.
From Mission to Parish
St. Mary's spent fifteen years as a mission of St. Patrick's in McEwen, then in 1965 was transferred as a mission to Holy Cross in Paris, Tennessee. The 1971 creation of the Diocese of Memphis brought it into a new local church. The defining moment came on January 1981, when Bishop Dozier established St. Mary's as a parish and named Fr. Richard Gantert first pastor; a two-story addition was built to provide meeting rooms, offices, and a residential apartment upstairs.
Staff & Clergy
The parish is served by a pastor and (since March 2024) a parochial vicar, supported by a deacon, a religious education director, a music director, and office staff. The pastor also serves as pastor of Holy Family Catholic Mission in Huntingdon.
- Rev. Fr. Herbert Ene — Pastor (since November 3, 2017)
- Rev. Fr. Michael Okata — Parochial Vicar (since March 1, 2024)
- Deacon Wayne Tedford
- Sandy Simpson — Secretary / Office Manager
- Pam Warren — Director of Music
- Tessa Walker — Director of Religious Education
- Theresa O'Connell — Accounting
- Wyatt Brooks — Knights of Columbus
Rev. Fr. Herbert Ene — Pastor
Fr. Herbert Ene is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu, Nigeria, ordained August 2, 1997, after earning a Bachelor of Philosophy (1992) and a Bachelor of Theology (1997), plus a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from Imo State University. He served his home diocese as Assistant Director of CIDJAP, as pastor of St. Anthony's Ogui New Layout Enugu, and as chaplain-pastor of St. Mulumba Catholic Chaplaincy at the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus. Arriving in the Diocese of Memphis in 2004, he was associate pastor at Holy Cross in Paris, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Memphis, and St. Paul the Apostle in Memphis; served the Diocesan Archives Office; was a full-time chaplain at Saint Benedict at Auburndale High School in Cordova; and was parochial vicar of St. Louis in Memphis before his 2017 appointment to Camden. He holds a Master of Education from Christian Brothers University and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Memphis, and is well known for his greeting: 'God is good! All the time!'
Rev. Fr. Michael Okata — Parochial Vicar
Effective March 1, 2024, Bishop David P. Talley appointed Fr. Michael Okata as Parochial Vicar of St. Mary in Camden and Holy Family Mission in Huntingdon. He previously served the Diocese of Memphis most recently at St. Louis Catholic Church in Memphis.
First Friday & First Saturday Devotions
On the first Friday of each month, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, and parishioners are invited to sign up at the church office to keep a holy hour. On the first Saturday, the parish keeps a Marian devotion beginning at 9:00 a.m.: Mass, the recitation of the Scriptural Rosary, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament — those attending are encouraged to bring water in a container to be blessed.
Faith Formation & RCIA
Religious education for children is run by Director of Religious Education Tessa Walker (PRE email: [email protected]). Adult initiation is provided through the parish RCIA program, which is led directly by Fr. Herbert Ene. Inquiries about Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage preparation are handled through the parish office.
- Parish Religious Education (PRE) for children
- RCIA for adults (led by Fr. Herbert Ene)
- Bible Study every Friday
Parish Ministries & Fellowship
Beyond the sacraments, St. Mary's life is sustained by a small but active set of ministries and fellowship gatherings. Music is led by Pam Warren; the Knights of Columbus council is represented by Wyatt Brooks; the Ladies Guild meets on the second Sunday of the month after Mass in the Fellowship Hall; and Hospitality Sunday on the first Sunday after the 10:45 Mass is a parish-wide potluck (bring a dish). The men's group meets regularly, and Bible Study gathers on Fridays.
- Ladies Guild — 2nd Sunday after 10:45 Mass, Fellowship Hall
- Hospitality Sunday — first Sunday, after 10:45 Mass (potluck)
- Bible Study — every Friday
- Knights of Columbus
- Men's group
- Music Ministry — Pam Warren
Holy Family Catholic Mission (Huntingdon) — Sister Parish
Established in 1993, Holy Family Catholic Mission at 265 Cotham Drive, Huntingdon, TN 38344, is served by the same pastor and staff as St. Mary's and is administered as part of the Camden parish. It celebrates Sunday Mass at 8:30 a.m., Wednesday and Thursday Mass at 12:00 noon, Thursday Eucharistic Adoration 9:00 a.m.–12:00 noon, and Confession on Sundays 7:30–8:00 a.m. Dorothy Wood directs its music ministry.
- Address: 265 Cotham Drive, Huntingdon, TN 38344 (mailing: c/o St. Mary Church, 220 W. Main St., Camden, TN 38320)
- Sunday Mass: 8:30 a.m.
- Weekday Mass: Wednesday & Thursday, 12:00 noon
- Eucharistic Adoration: Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
- Confession: Sunday, 7:30 – 8:00 a.m.
Parish Commitments (Our Commitments)
At the time of its establishment as a parish, the community published a covenant with God naming its commitments in three areas: Community Commitment (being a servant church, sharing gifts, supporting the suffering, bearing fraternal tolerance, and tithing), Commitment to Mankind & Peace (turning violence into gentleness, hurt into joy, hatred into love, revenge into mercy), and Parish Commitment (making the Eucharist the focal point, renewing communal prayer, joyfully searching Scripture, growing in Christian education for child and adult, and growing in love of fellow parishioners through fellowship). It is a fair snapshot of how St. Mary's understands itself as a parish.
Parish Office, Address & Contact
The parish office shares building space with the church in downtown Camden. Phone, fax, and email reach both St. Mary's and Holy Family Mission.
- Address: 220 West Main Street, Camden, TN 38320
- Phone: 731-584-6459
- Fax: 731-707-4100
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: stmaryscamden.org
- Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (closed Tuesdays)
- New handicap access to the Fellowship Hall — completed.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. William B. Grannis1948
First priest to serve the Camden mission, celebrating monthly Mass in the home of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Mitchell.
- Fr. Richard GantertJanuary 1981
First pastor when Bishop Carrol Dozier raised St. Mary's from mission to parish; the two-story addition was built to house him.
- Rev. Fr. Herbert EneNovember 3, 2017 — present
Current pastor; priest of the Diocese of Enugu, Nigeria, ordained August 2, 1997; also pastor of Holy Family Mission in Huntingdon.