About St. Mary · Yazoo City, Mississippi
St. Mary Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic parish in Yazoo City, Mississippi, organized in 1851 and affiliated with the Diocese of Jackson. The parish community worships in a striking two-tower brick church completed in 1907 on the site of two earlier church buildings, the most recent of which was destroyed in the devastating Yazoo City fire of May 25, 1904. Today's sanctuary is celebrated locally for its beautiful stained glass windows and the craftsmanship of its Classical Revival and Romanesque-inspired facade, and it remains the spiritual anchor of a small but enduring Catholic community in the Mississippi Delta.
- Established
- 1851
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (St. Mary)
- Rector
- Reverend Panneer Selvam Arockiam (current pastor per diocesan records; Rev. Joseph Golamari appointed Administrator effective July 1, 2025)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Jackson
Why belong here
St. Mary is one of the oldest continuously serving Catholic parishes in central Mississippi, with a worship tradition stretching back to 1851, and it offers an unusually intimate Mass schedule for a small-town parish — including two Sunday Masses, weekday Masses celebrated both in the parish office chapel and at a satellite location (the Mariah House), and easy access to Confession before Mass or by appointment. Visitors and parishioners alike single out the 1907 sanctuary itself as the parish's distinctive gift: the stained glass windows, the terra-cotta archwork over the entrance, and the vaulted interior reward a visit in their own right. For Catholics in the Yazoo City and Mississippi Delta area, St. Mary is a small, historically-rooted community with a beautiful building that has been faithfully maintained across more than a century.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before Mass or by appointment
History of St. Mary Parish
St. Mary's Catholic Church was organized in 1851 in Yazoo City, making it one of the earliest Catholic congregations in central Mississippi. The parish's first building — a small white wood-framed church at the corner of Main and Madison Streets — was completed in 1856, and a brick church replaced it in the late nineteenth century. That church, like most of downtown Yazoo City, was destroyed in the great fire of May 25, 1904, which burned 324 buildings and most of the central business district. The parish rebuilt on the same lot; the present church dates from 1905–1907 and was erected by the building contractor Glass & Morford. The parish's own materials describe the sanctuary as 'now 120 years old' and 'a testament to the resilience and devotion of generations past.'
- Parish organized: 1851
- First church (wood frame): completed 1856
- Second church (brick): built later 19th century
- Great Yazoo City fire: May 25, 1904
- Current church built: 1905–1907
- Contractor: Glass & Morford
Architecture & Building
The 1905–1907 sanctuary is a two-tower brick church in a hybrid Classical / Romanesque Revival style. Its dominant feature is a recessed main entry with double-leaf wood doors beneath an arched stained-glass transom, framed by a series of graduated terra-cotta arches decorated with scrollwork and dentil molding, and flanked by pilasters with Corinthian capitals. The entry competes visually with twin corner towers. Inside, a vaulted ceiling rises above an array of stained glass windows that the parish itself calls 'magnificent' and that visitors consistently cite as the building's most distinctive artistic element. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History notes no architect of record; the contractor is identified as Glass & Morford.
- Style: Classical / Romanesque Revival hybrid
- Exterior: two-tower brick with terra-cotta arched entry
- Interior: vaulted ceiling, stained glass windows
- Architect: not documented (MDAH)
- Builder: Glass & Morford
- Notable detail: arched stained-glass transom over double-leaf wood doors
Mass & Sacrament Schedule
The parish's published Mass schedule, as listed on the Diocese of Jackson parish finder, includes two Sunday Masses at 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM, weekday Masses on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 12:00 PM (celebrated in the Parish Office), and a Friday 10:00 AM Mass at the Mariah House location. Holy Day Masses are scheduled at 6:00 PM. Confession is offered before Mass or by appointment. All Masses are celebrated in English.
- Sunday: 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM (church)
- Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday: 12:00 PM (Parish Office)
- Friday: 10:00 AM (Mariah House)
- Holy Days: 6:00 PM
- Confession: before Mass or by appointment
Clergy & Leadership
St. Mary is currently served by Reverend Panneer Selvam Arockiam as pastor (per the Diocese of Jackson parish finder); Reverend Pradeep Kumar Thirumalreddy is also listed in diocesan records as Administrator. A diocesan pastoral-assignments announcement in May 2025 named Reverend Joseph Golamari as the incoming Administrator of St. Mary Parish in Yazoo City (together with All Saints Parish in Belzoni and its mission Our Mother of Mercy in Anguilla), effective July 1, 2025. Earlier clergy names for the parish's first century and a half are not available in current online sources.
- Pastor: Rev. Panneer Selvam Arockiam
- Administrator (diocesan listing): Rev. Pradeep Kumar Thirumalreddy
- Incoming Administrator (effective July 1, 2025): Rev. Joseph Golamari
Parish Identity & Community
St. Mary is the Catholic anchor parish of Yazoo City, sitting in the historic downtown core alongside other buildings reconstructed after 1904 (many listed on the National Register of Historic Places). It is affiliated with the Diocese of Jackson and operates as a 501(c)(3) under the USCCB group exemption. The parish is included on the Visit Yazoo County Historic Church Tour and is recognized by the city's tourism office as one of Yazoo's notable historic buildings.
- Diocese: Jackson
- Listed on Yazoo County Historic Church Tour
- Listed on Visit Yazoo County 'Historic Buildings' page
- Nonprofit EIN: 93-1757802
Preservation & Fundraising
The parish has publicly raised funds through #iGiveCatholic and Mightycause campaigns specifically to maintain its historic 1907 sanctuary, citing both the stained glass windows and the church roof as urgent preservation needs. The parish describes its campaign as focused on 'essential repairs to our church roof, ensuring the safety, stability, and longevity of our parish home.'
- Stained glass windows in need of repair
- Church roof repair identified as ongoing capital need
- Active in #iGiveCatholic and Mightycause fundraising campaigns
Visiting & Location
The church sits at the corner of Main and Madison Streets in downtown Yazoo City, in the same lot where Catholic worship has been offered since 1856. The Visit Yazoo tourism office recommends the building for its stained glass windows and craftsmanship and lists Confession 'at other times by appointment' — reflecting that this is the third church on the site. Mailing address is P.O. Box 27, Yazoo City, MS 39194-0027; the street address is 128 North Main Street (some parish listings also give 129 N. Washington Street).
- Corner of Main and Madison Streets, downtown Yazoo City
- Mailing: P.O. Box 27, Yazoo City, MS 39194-0027
- Phone: (662) 746-1680
- Featured on Visit Yazoo County Historic Church Tour
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Unknown1851–early 1900s
Parish organized 1851; first church completed 1856. Founding pastors' names not located in available online sources.
- Clergy serving during 1904 fire and 1905–1907 reconstructionc. 1900s–1907
No individual names recovered from online sources; oversaw rebuilding of the present church after the May 25, 1904 fire.
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