About St. Mary · Plum Bayou, Arkansas
St. Mary Church in Plum Bayou, Jefferson County, Arkansas, is a small mission chapel of the Diocese of Little Rock and is widely recognized as the oldest Catholic church in the state of Arkansas. First built on a barge near Arkansas Post in 1782 by early Catholic settlers, the structure has been moved twice — onto dry land in 1832 and to its present Plum Bayou site in 1869 — and its original wooden exterior was preserved in brick in 1927. The mission is attended from St. Joseph Catholic Church in Pine Bluff, and monthly Mass resumed at the restored church in recent years under Father Joseph Marconi, who found a personal connection: his own grandparents met and married at this historic parish.
- Established
- 1782
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (St. Mary)
- Rector
- Fr. Joseph Marconi
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock (South Delta Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Mary Plum Bayou is the historic cradle of Catholicism in Arkansas, and visiting or belonging here is a way of connecting directly with the origins of the Diocese of Little Rock. It is a small, intimate mission chapel attended from St. Joseph in Pine Bluff, where Mass is celebrated monthly on the last Thursday evening at 6 p.m., and the restored building and adjacent pioneer cemetery offer a tangible link to the French Catholic settlers of Arkansas Post, the Sisters of Loretto, and Sister Agnes Hart. Parishioners and visitors from across Jefferson County gather here for Mass and to care for the property — a quiet but deeply meaningful ministry of preservation and prayer.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
History of St. Mary Church, Plum Bayou
St. Mary Church traces its origins to 1782, when French Catholic settlers constructed a chapel on a barge moored near Arkansas Post on the Arkansas River — believed to be the first Catholic church built in what is now the state of Arkansas. Because of chronic flooding, the structure was moved onto dry land in 1832 by Father Ennemond Dupuy, who became the parish's first resident pastor. In 1838, Sister Agnes Hart and several Sisters of Loretto traveled up from Kentucky and founded St. Mary Academy, the first Catholic school in Arkansas, on land donated by Colonel Creed Taylor near the church. Sister Agnes died of malaria in August 1839 and was buried at the original church site; her remains were later reported to have been found petrified when exhumed for the parish's second move. Persistent flooding forced the relocation of the church once more, and in 1869 the wooden building was moved to its present Plum Bayou location about twelve miles northeast of Pine Bluff; in 1927 its wooden exterior was preserved with a brick veneer.
- 1782 — barge chapel built at Arkansas Post
- 1832 — moved onto dry land; Father Ennemond Dupuy becomes first resident pastor
- 1838 — Sisters of Loretto (led by Sister Agnes Hart) open St. Mary Academy, Arkansas's first Catholic school
- 1839 — Sister Agnes Hart dies and is buried at the parish
- 1869 — church moved to its current Plum Bayou site
- 1927 — wooden exterior preserved with brick veneer
Sister Agnes Hart and the Plum Bayou Cemetery
Behind St. Mary Church sits a small historic Catholic cemetery holding the graves of many of the river country's pioneer Catholic families. Its most-visited grave is that of Sister Agnes Hart, the Loretto nun who came to Arkansas in 1838 to establish Catholic schooling and who died of malaria the following year. According to longstanding local tradition, when her body was exhumed during the 1869 move, it was found to be petrified, even though she had been buried without a casket on a bed of roses. Parishioners have continued to report miraculous healings attributed to her intercession — most notably a reported cure of cancer in 2007 — and a former pastor, Father Warren Harvey, researched her life in the 2000s in connection with a possible cause for canonization. A plaque on the exterior wall of the church chronicles this story alongside the parish's construction history.
- Grave of Sister Agnes Hart (d. 1839) in the adjoining cemetery
- Reported miraculous cure attributed to her intercession in 2007
- Father Warren Harvey's canonization research in the 2000s
Restoration and the Return of Mass
After being eclipsed in 1903 by the founding of St. Joseph Parish in Pine Bluff, St. Mary gradually fell into disuse and for many years was kept company only by its old headstones. Restoration work began under Father Joseph Marconi, pastor of St. Joseph in Pine Bluff, who discovered that his own grandparents had met and married at this very church. Volunteers and the Catholic-owned local firm Failla's Janitor Cleaning and Restoration tackled ceiling repairs, wasp infestations, roof leaks, bell-tower damage, and a full interior remodel; the building has no central heating or cooling because of its age. By fall 2019 the structure was ready, and roughly two years later regular monthly Mass resumed on the last Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. A September 2023 Mass drew nine attendees from surrounding communities, and the church has since received growing numbers of visitors.
- Renovations completed fall 2019
- Monthly Mass resumed on the last Thursday of the month at 6 p.m.
- Longtime maintenance and cemetery care by Jim Rinchuso
- Local Catholic-owned contractor Failla's Janitor Cleaning and Restoration assisted
Pastoral Leadership
St. Mary is a mission of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Pine Bluff and is listed by the Diocese of Little Rock in the South Delta Deanery. Its current pastor, Father Joseph Marconi, is assigned to St. Joseph in Pine Bluff but extends his ministry to mission communities at Good Shepherd Church in Fordyce, Holy Cross Church in Sheridan, and St. Mary Church in Plum Bayou. A former pastor of the broader apostolate, Father Warren Harvey, researched Sister Agnes Hart's life in the 2000s and encouraged devotion to her intercession.
- Fr. Joseph Marconi — current pastor
- Fr. Warren Harvey — former pastor; researched Sister Agnes Hart
Mass and Service Times
Because St. Mary is a small historic mission rather than a parish church with daily services, its public liturgical life centers on a single monthly Mass. The Diocese of Little Rock parish page and the St. Joseph, Pine Bluff website list the same schedule. There is no separately published confession or adoration schedule for the chapel; pastoral care and other sacraments for regular attendees are coordinated through St. Joseph, Pine Bluff.
- Mass — Last Thursday of the month, 6:00 p.m.
- Pastoral care and inquiries handled through St. Joseph, Pine Bluff: (870) 534-4701
Why St. Mary Matters to the Diocese of Little Rock
As the oldest Catholic church in Arkansas, St. Mary is treated by the Diocese of Little Rock as the literal starting point of organized Catholic life in the state. The diocese's own history page notes that it was built at Arkansas Post in the late 1700s and 'is believed to be the first Catholic church built in Arkansas,' and that Father Ennemond Dupuy was the only priest living in Arkansas upon statehood in 1836. For Father Marconi, caring for the little church is a way of honoring the origin of the diocese and 'how far the Church has come' — and, as he puts it, 'if you're going to start all over, why not do it where it all began?'
- Cited as the first Catholic church built in Arkansas
- Marks the origins of what became the Diocese of Little Rock
- Listed by the diocese in the South Delta Deanery parish directory
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Ennemond Dupuy1832–
Built a new St. Mary along the Arkansas River downstream from Pine Bluff and served as the first resident pastor of the parish after it was moved off the barge.
- Fr. Warren Harvey
Former pastor who researched the life of Sister Agnes Hart in the 2000s and built a case for her canonization; suggested that a gravely ill parishioner pray to Sister Agnes, who was subsequently reported cured of cancer in 2007.
- Fr. Joseph Marconi2018–present
Initiated restoration of the church and resumed regular monthly Mass on the last Thursday of the month; discovered his own family origins at the parish.