About St. Therese · Kosciusko, Mississippi
St. Therese is a Catholic parish in Kosciusko, Mississippi, in the small-town Golden Triangle region of central Mississippi. The parish is dedicated to St. Therese of the Child Jesus (the 'Little Flower') and is served by Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity (Trinitarian, ST) priests, making it a distinctive mission-focused community within the Diocese of Jackson. Worship is bilingual, with Sunday Masses celebrated in both English and Spanish, a Wednesday evening bilingual Mass, and devotional life including adoration. The parish traces its origins to a 1930s correspondence by the Joseph family with Bishop R.O. Gerow, and the historic wooden church was formally dedicated to St. Therese of the Child Jesus in June 1940.
- Established
- 1940
- Patron
- St. Therese of the Child Jesus (the Little Flower)
- Rector
- Reverend Marco Antonio Sanchez, ST (Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Jackson
Why belong here
St. Therese is a small, mission-shaped parish with the rare character of being bilingually English-and-Spanish and led by the Trinitarian missionary priests (S.T.), giving it an unusually warm, multicultural feel for a central-Mississippi town. If you live in or pass through Attala County you will find a community that takes its patron saint — St. Therese of the Child Jesus, the Little Flower — seriously, with rose-bedecked feasts, family-centered ministry, and a youth program strong enough to send a member to the diocesan Bishop Chanche award. It is exactly the kind of parish where you can be known by name, serve as an altar server or lector, and pray in your own language.
Mass times at St. Therese
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment (per Diocese of Jackson parish finder listing)
About St. Therese
St. Therese is a small Catholic mission parish in Kosciusko, Mississippi, dedicated to St. Therese of the Child Jesus, the French Carmelite known as the Little Flower. It is one of two parishes in the Diocese of Jackson bearing this dedication, the older being the Kosciusko foundation (1940) and the younger being the Jackson parish (1955). The parish is part of Deanery VI and is currently pastored by the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, a missionary congregation that has stabilized and grown the parish over the past decade. Worship is bilingual, with the parish comfortably serving both English- and Spanish-speaking families in Attala County.
- Diocese of Jackson, Deanery VI
- Bilingual (English & Spanish) worship
- Pastored by the Trinitarian (S.T.) congregation
History & Origin Story
The parish's origins lie in the correspondence of the Joseph family, early Catholic settlers who wrote to Bishop R.O. Gerow asking for a church in Kosciusko. Their son Louis Joseph later recorded that 'our parents were guided to Central Mississippi by our good Lord, to not only raise a wonderful family but to help bring the church to our little town.' The community first worshipped in a modest wood-frame chapel known simply as 'The Cabin,' and Bishop Gerow dedicated it formally to St. Therese of the Child Jesus in June 1940. From a small weekly mission with a roving priest (Father Julian M. Guillou riding in from Yazoo City), St. Therese gradually grew into an established parish, a story commemorated in a 2023 permanent exhibit opened by Bishop Joseph Kopacz.
- Founded around the Joseph family's letters to Bishop Gerow, c. late 1930s
- First chapel known as 'The Cabin'
- Formally dedicated June 1940 to St. Therese of the Child Jesus
- Early mission priest: Father Julian M. Guillou, S.S.E. (Yazoo-to-Kosciusko ride)
- 2023 permanent exhibit opened by Bishop Kopacz with Joseph-family documents
Patron & Patronal Feast
St. Therese of Lisieux (1873–1897), a French Carmelite nun canonized in 1925, is venerated as the parish's patron under the title 'St. Therese of the Child Jesus,' popularly known as 'the Little Flower.' She is also co-patroness of missions, and her 'little way' of spiritual childhood and ordinary holiness is at the heart of the parish's identity. Her feast day, October 1, is the central celebration of the year: yellow and white roses — her traditional flower — adorn the altar, image, and church, and the bishop typically joins the parish for Mass on or near that day.
- Feast Day: October 1
- Patron: St. Therese of Lisieux (the Little Flower)
- Traditional decoration: yellow and white roses
- Bishop Kopacz annually visits for the feast
Pastoral Leadership
Today the parish is led by Father Marco Antonio Sanchez, ST, a Missionary Servant of the Most Holy Trinity who also serves St. Anne Parish in Carthage. He is assisted by Rev. Kevin Slattery as Sacramental Minister. The Trinitarian order took over pastoral care of the parish in the late 2010s; Father Odel Medina, ST preceded Father Sanchez and was a beloved builder of the parish's youth and bilingual ministries. The change of leadership is widely credited with restoring stability after a difficult period.
- Pastor: Rev. Marco Antonio Sanchez, ST
- Sacramental Minister: Rev. Kevin Slattery
- Predecessor (Trinitarian era): Father Odel Medina, ST
- Pastored together with St. Anne, Carthage
Mass, Sacraments & Devotions
The parish offers Sunday Mass in English at 10:30 AM and a Spanish Mass at 2:00 PM, plus a 6:00 PM bilingual Mass on Wednesdays. Confession is by appointment, and anointing of the sick, baptism, marriage preparation, and funeral rites are arranged through the parish office. Devotions include public recitation of the rosary and Stations of the Cross in Lent (often led by youth), bilingual liturgical ministries, and the annual rose-decorated patronal feast in October.
- Sunday — 10:30 AM English | 2:00 PM Spanish
- Wednesday — 6:00 PM bilingual Mass
- Confession by appointment (662-289-1193)
- Rosary, Stations of the Cross, Anointing, Baptism, Marriage, Funeral rites
Parish Ministries & Groups
St. Therese runs an active though small-scale ministry program typical of a mission parish: altar servers, bilingual lectors, rosary leaders, a parish youth organization (CYO), and the recent Joseph-family history committee. The parish regularly partners with St. Anne, Carthage for shared events such as the annual youth retreat at Camp Garaywa. Members of the CYO have been recognized at the diocesan level (e.g., 2021 Bishop Chanche Award to parishioner Maria Garcia for service across both languages).
- Altar servers
- Bilingual lectors (English/Spanish)
- Rosary leaders and youth catechesis
- CYO — Catholic Youth Organization
- Parish history/archival committee
- Annual partnership with St. Anne Carthage for Camp Garaywa retreat
Youth & Family Life
Despite its small size, the parish invests deliberately in young people. The CYO is led by parish youth elected to office, and teenagers take visible roles as altar servers, lectors, and rosary leaders. Older youth teach the younger children how to serve, and the parish schedules a yearly youth retreat at Camp Garaywa together with neighboring St. Anne. The combined Masses — bilingual English/Spanish — and the small community size mean that families frequently worship together across generations and language groups.
- Strong server/lector/rosary participation from teens
- Annual Camp Garaywa retreat
- Intergenerational and bilingual parish life
- Bishop Chanche Award recognition
Diocese, Deanery & Wider Church Life
St. Therese belongs to the Diocese of Jackson and forms part of Deanery VI (the Golden Triangle area). In April 2024 Bishop Kopacz hosted a Deanery VI Mass of Thanksgiving for the diocesan 'Pastoral Reimagining' process at St. Therese, gathering Catholics from Kosciusko and surrounding towns to discuss challenges and strategies for the area's growing edges and diminishing population. The parish also serves as the spiritual hub for Attala County Catholics and their sacramental needs, partnering with neighboring parishes when larger liturgical events are needed.
- Diocese of Jackson
- Deanery VI
- Host of 2024 Pastoral Reimagining Mass (Bishop Kopacz)
- Attala County Catholic hub
Visiting & Contact Information
The parish welcomes visitors and returning Catholics alike, particularly on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. The church is located at 108 Bell Street in Kosciusko; the mailing address is P.O. Box 628, Kosciusko, MS 39090-0628. The parish phone is 662-289-1193 (email: [email protected]). The 2023 parish-history exhibit opened by Bishop Kopacz remains available to be viewed, and other artifacts — letters from the Joseph family, photos, and paintings by Vicky Bell Pope documenting Father Guillou's ride — are preserved at the parish.
- Address: 108 Bell Street, Kosciusko, MS 39090
- Mailing: P.O. Box 628, Kosciusko, MS 39090-0628
- Phone: 662-289-1193
- Email: [email protected]
- Joseph-family parish history exhibit available to view
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Julian M. Guillou, S.S.E.pre-1940 (mission priest who traveled to Kosciusko from Yazoo)
Rode on horseback to bring the sacraments to scattered Catholics; image later commemorated by artist Vicky Bell Pope.
- An energetic young pastor (unnamed in source)late 1930s
Worked with the Joseph family and other young members to build a chapel, described by parishioner Marilyn Scott in 2023.
- Diocesan priests (unnamed)1940 – c. 2010s
A succession of diocesan priests served the parish through the post-dedication era; no complete roster has been published online.
- Father Odel Medina, STc. 2019–2022
Missionary Servant of the Most Holy Trinity; stabilized the parish, expanded Spanish-language ministries, nominated youth (e.g. Maria Garcia) for Bishop Chanche awards, served as MFCC spiritual advisor.
- Father Marco Antonio Sanchez, STc. 2022–present
Also pastor of St. Anne, Carthage; currently leads St. Therese Kosciusko per the Diocese of Jackson parish finder.