About St. Mary · McGehee, Arkansas
St. Mary Catholic Church is a small Catholic parish in McGehee, Arkansas (Desha County), part of the Diocese of Little Rock's South Delta Deanery. The parish is one of three Catholic communities served out of St. Mark Church in Monticello, the others being Holy Child of Jesus Church in Dumas, and is currently administered by Fr. Daniel Wendel alongside Lura Cooper as Director of Religious Education. Worship takes place Saturday evening and twice on Sunday mornings, with daily Mass several days a week in the church built in 1957 to replace the original St. Winand Church.
- Established
- 1908
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Fr. Daniel Wendel
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock
Why belong here
St. Mary offers a quiet, faithful Catholic presence in the Arkansas Delta where weekly Masses are celebrated throughout the week — including Saturday Vigil, two Sunday morning Masses, and four weekday Masses — and confession is reliably available before Mass on Saturday afternoons. The parish is cared for by Fr. Daniel Wendel with the help of Director of Religious Education Lura Cooper, and it shares its worship and formation life with sister parishes Holy Child of Jesus in Dumas and St. Mark in Monticello. The historic parish hall (the former 1917 school-and-convent built by the Benedictine Sisters) is still in use for parish gatherings, an enduring sign of a small community with deep local roots.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30–4:45 PM (before Vigil Mass)
- By appointment
History of St. Mary Parish
Catholic life in McGehee began when the Benedictine missionary Reverend Matthew Saettele became the first Catholic priest to come to the town. On May 17, 1908 the community dedicated its first church, named St. Winand. The parish quickly added a rectory and, in 1917, a combined school and convent opened under the Benedictine Sisters of Fort Smith, Arkansas. The original brick St. Winand Church withstood the devastating 1927 Mississippi Delta flood and continued to host parish celebrations for decades. As the parish grew, a larger church was built and dedicated in 1957 to replace the original structure; it became the church now known as St. Mary. The school and convent have long since closed as educational institutions, but their buildings still serve the parish as the parish hall.
From St. Winand to St. Mary
When the new 1957 church was dedicated, the parish took on the name by which it is known today: St. Mary. The earlier brick St. Winand Church, which had served the community since 1908, was retired. The transition mirrors a common pattern in small Delta parishes, where a simpler early mission church is replaced by a larger building better suited to a permanent congregation.
- 1908 — St. Winand Church dedicated (May 17)
- 1917 — School and convent opened by the Benedictine Sisters of Fort Smith
- 1927 — Original St. Winand Church survives the great flood
- 1957 — Present church built; named St. Mary
Clergy & Staff
The parish is administered by Fr. Daniel Wendel, who was appointed by Bishop Anthony B. Taylor in April 2026 to serve the three parishes of St. Mark (Monticello), Holy Child of Jesus (Dumas), and St. Mary (McGehee). He was ordained on May 28, 2022 and previously served as associate pastor of St. Joseph Church in Conway. Religious education is led by Director of Religious Education Lura Cooper. The best way to reach Fr. Wendel is through the St. Mark Church office in Monticello at (870) 367-2848.
- Administrator: Fr. Daniel Wendel (ordination: May 28, 2022; appointed to McGehee: April 2026)
- DRE: Lura Cooper
- Best contact line: St. Mark Church, Monticello — (870) 367-2848
Religious Education & Faith Formation
Faith formation for the parish is coordinated by Director of Religious Education Lura Cooper. As a small rural mission-style parish, religious education is shared across the tri-parish grouping with St. Mark (Monticello) and Holy Child of Jesus (Dumas) under the same priest. The historic 1917 school-and-convent building, originally opened by the Benedictine Sisters of Fort Smith, continues to serve the parish as a parish hall.
- DRE: Lura Cooper
- 1917 school/convent building repurposed as parish hall
Tri-Parish Community with St. Mark & Holy Child of Jesus
Because the McGehee congregation is small, St. Mary is administered together with two other parishes in the South Delta Deanery of the Diocese of Little Rock: St. Mark Catholic Church in Monticello and Holy Child of Jesus Church in Dumas. They share one pastor (currently Fr. Daniel Wendel as administrator), and the St. Mark parish serves as the practical hub for clergy contact, mail, and parish office staff.
- St. Mark Catholic Church — Monticello (hub)
- Holy Child of Jesus Church — Dumas
- St. Mary Church — McGehee
Diocese & Deanery
St. Mary Parish belongs to the Diocese of Little Rock (Catholic Diocese of Little Rock, Arkansas) and is placed in its South Delta Deanery, a grouping of parishes in the southeastern Arkansas Delta region. The parish is officially classified by the diocese as a mission-style community that is 'Attended From St. Mark Church - Monticello.'
- Diocese: Diocese of Little Rock
- Deanery: South Delta Deanery
- County: Desha County, Arkansas
Visit, Contact & Find Us
St. Mary is located at 401 N. 3rd Street in McGehee, Arkansas 71654. The parish shares its phone line and office with St. Mark Catholic Church in Monticello at (870) 367-2848, which is the best way to reach Fr. Wendel. Email is [email protected], and the parish website is hosted under the St. Mark Catholic Church domain, with a dedicated history page for St. Mary.
- Mailing address: 401 N. 3rd Street, McGehee, AR 71654
- Phone: (870) 367-2848
- Email: [email protected]
- Web: https://www.stmkcatholic.com/st-mary-history
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Matthew Saettele
Benedictine missionary, the first Catholic priest to come to McGehee; led the founding of St. Winand parish (1908).