About St. Therese · Choctaw, Mississippi
St. Therese is a small Catholic mission church in the Pearl River Community of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians reservation in central Mississippi, listed by the Diocese of Jackson at 10110 BIA Road 2213, Choctaw, MS 39350. It is one of three reservation churches that together make up Holy Rosary Indian Mission — the others being Holy Rosary in Tucker (Philadelphia) and St. Catherine in Conehatta — stretching across roughly 87 miles of Neshoba County and surrounding areas. The mission has been staffed since 1944 by the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity (S.T.), and is currently pastored by Father Bob Goodyear, S.T., who also serves Holy Rosary and St. Catherine. The site was named in honor of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, the patron chosen by the Choctaw community when a chapel for Pearl River was first funded in the 1940s.
- Established
- 1948
- Patron
- St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Robert (Bob) Goodyear, S.T.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Jackson (in Mississippi)
Why belong here
St. Therese is one of the few Catholic churches actually located on the Mississippi Choctaw reservation, and attending Mass here is a way to worship with and support a living Indigenous Catholic community that has kept the faith through more than a century of mission work. The parish belongs to a family of three mission churches — Holy Rosary in Tucker and St. Catherine in Conehatta — that together stretch 87 miles across the reservation and are intentionally small, lay-led, and bilingual in English and Choctaw. Visitors are welcomed regardless of age, race, or gender, and worship here comes with the chance to encounter a unique piece of Catholic Native American heritage, from a Vatican-approved Choctaw-language Mass to a pastoral team of Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity dedicated to 'the poor and abandoned.'
Mass times at St. Therese
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before Mass or by appointment
St. Therese Mission Church — Pearl River Community
St. Therese is one of three small Catholic churches that together form Holy Rosary Indian Mission on the Mississippi Choctaw Reservation, serving the Pearl River Community at 10110 BIA Road 2213, Choctaw, MS 39350. Together with Holy Rosary in Tucker and St. Catherine in Conehatta, the three mission churches stretch across 87 miles of central Mississippi and are pastored by Father Bob Goodyear, S.T. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Jackson.
- Sunday Mass: 10:00 AM (English)
- Confession: before Mass or by appointment
- Holy Day Masses: as announced
- Phone: (601) 656-2880
- Email: [email protected]
- Mailing: P.O. Box 37, Philadelphia, MS 39350-0037
History of the Mission
The mission traces back to 1884, when a Catholic priest was sent to minister to the Choctaw who had refused removal on the Trail of Tears; Holy Rosary Indian Mission was established in the Tucker community near Philadelphia, MS. Catholic Extension has supported the mission since 1926, and the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity (S.T.) have staffed it since 1944. The Pearl River Community chapel — St. Therese of the Child Jesus — was named in the 1940s at the request of the local Choctaw faithful and was built with the help of Catholic Extension in 1972. The present church completes the modern trio of reservation churches alongside Holy Rosary (rebuilt 1969) and St. Catherine (Conehatta).
- 1884 — Holy Rosary Indian Mission founded for the Mississippi Choctaw
- 1926 — Catholic Extension begins support of the mission
- 1944 — Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity (S.T.) begin staffing the mission
- Late 1940s — St. Therese chapel dedicated under the patronage chosen by the Choctaw community
- 1969 — Holy Rosary church rebuilt in Tucker
- 1972 — Present St. Therese church built with Catholic Extension support
- 1983 — First Vatican-approved Mass celebrated in Choctaw at sister mission St. Catherine
- 2006 — Father Bob Goodyear returns as pastor
Father Bob Goodyear, S.T. — Pastor
Father Robert 'Bob' Goodyear, S.T., a Missionary Servant of the Most Holy Trinity, is the pastor of St. Therese together with Holy Rosary and St. Catherine. He first arrived at Holy Rosary Indian Mission in 1975 as a newly ordained priest and spent his first years learning everything he could about Choctaw culture and language. After eight years of study and with the help of three Choctaw tutors and an elder recognized as the language expert, he produced a Vatican-approved translation of the Catholic Mass into Choctaw, first celebrated on May 1, 1983 at St. Catherine. He served the mission 1975–1990, then went to assignments in Tennessee and Magee, MS, before returning in 2006. He was nominated by the Diocese of Jackson for the national Catholic Extension Lumen Christi Award in 2021.
- Pastor since 2006 (and earlier, 1975–1990)
- Translator of the Choctaw-language Mass
- 2021 Lumen Christi Award nominee
- Author of Eucharistic minister training manual used across the Diocese of Jackson
Worship and Sacraments
St. Therese offers Sunday Mass in English at 10:00 AM, with Confession available before Mass or by appointment. Holy Day Masses are announced in the bulletin and through the parish office, since the priest is shared with Holy Rosary and St. Catherine. As a small reservation mission the parish depends heavily on trained lay Eucharistic ministers, who on Fr. Goodyear's initiative can lead Communion services in the absence of a priest and bring the Eucharist to the sick and homebound.
- Sunday Mass 10:00 AM (English)
- Confession before Mass or by appointment
- Holy Day Mass — as announced
- Eucharist brought to the sick and homebound
- Confirmation catechesis on-site
Mission, Outreach and Lay Leadership
Since returning in 2006, Father Goodyear's main focus at St. Therese and the wider mission has been developing lay leadership so the faith can be passed on to future generations of Choctaw Catholics. Beyond traditional parish work he has also been involved in what he calls 'non-traditional' ministries — founding the Choctaw Suicide Council and authoring a Suicide Counseling Manual, collaborating with the Choctaw Human Services Council, working on a self-image study, partnering with the Choctaw Most In Need Indian Children and Youth federal demonstration project, and helping the tribe's grant writing office preserve both faith and culture. He also remodeled the former convent into a youth recreation center.
- Lay leadership formation
- Eucharistic minister training
- Choctaw Suicide Council / suicide counseling manual
- Choctaw Human Services Council
- Youth recreation center
- Marriage preparation
Holy Rosary Indian Mission — The Wider Family
St. Therese is not a standalone parish but one of three reservation churches served together as Holy Rosary Indian Mission. The flagship church, Holy Rosary, sits in the Tucker community near Philadelphia, MS, and traces back to the 1884 founding. St. Catherine Mission is in Conehatta, where the first Choctaw-language Mass was celebrated in 1983. Together the three churches span 87 miles of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians reservation, and the parish logo unites a thunderbird (Holy Spirit), a triangle (Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity) and an arrowhead (Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians) — symbolizing the mission's purpose: to serve the Choctaw people by living and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Holy Rosary — Tucker / Philadelphia, MS (built 1969)
- St. Catherine — Conehatta, MS
- St. Therese — Pearl River Community (built 1972)
- Staffing: Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity (S.T.) since 1944
- Support: Catholic Extension since 1926
Visiting St. Therese
Visitors of any age, race, or gender are welcome at St. Therese. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 10:00 AM in English, and Confession is available before Mass or by appointment — call the parish office at (601) 656-2880. Because the church is on the Mississippi Choctaw Reservation, all visitors should plan to arrive by car; there is no public transit to the site. Driving directions are available via the Diocese of Jackson parish finder. Holy Day Masses are announced rather than scheduled, since the pastor is shared with Holy Rosary and St. Catherine.
- Sunday Mass 10:00 AM
- Confession by appointment: (601) 656-2880
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 37, Philadelphia, MS 39350-0037
- Located on BIA Road 2213, Choctaw, MS
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Raphael Tonerca. 1945–late 1940s
Pastored Holy Rosary Indian Mission in the 1940s; corresponded with the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions and the Bishop about the new chapel at Pearl River, which he named St. Therese of the Child Jesus at the request of the Choctaw community.
- Rev. Robert (Bob) Goodyear, S.T.1975–1990, 2006–present
Missionary Servant of the Most Holy Trinity. First arrived 1975; served continuously until 1990, then assignments away (Tennessee, Magee, MS), returning 2006. Has served St. Therese together with Holy Rosary and St. Catherine for over 30 years combined. Translated the Mass into Choctaw; first Choctaw-language Mass May 1, 1983 at St. Catherine. Nominated for Catholic Extension Lumen Christi Award, 2021.