About St. Therese of Lisieux · Gulfport, Mississippi
St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Gulfport, Mississippi, staffed by the Josephite Fathers (St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart), the religious order dedicated historically to African-American ministry. Founded in the early 1930s, the parish sits on 19th Street on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and serves a tight-knit, multigenerational faith community of roughly 200 households. It is one of four Josephite parishes in Mississippi and is part of the Diocese of Biloxi. The parish is well known locally for its warm, family-like atmosphere, its annual Lenten Fish Fry, and its role in Gulf Coast Black Catholic history — its 1941 Parish Hall once served as a USO center for Black servicemen during World War II.
- Established
- 1932
- Patron
- St. Therese of Lisieux (Thérèse de Lisieux)
- Rector
- Father Patino Martinez
- Diocese
- Diocese of Biloxi
Why belong here
St. Therese of Lisieux is a small, spirit-filled neighborhood parish where 'there's a family feel,' as parishioners put it — the kind of church where the pastor knows your name, the choir faces the tabernacle, and the church is genuinely packed for special occasions. Rooted in the Josephite tradition of Black Catholic ministry on the Mississippi Gulf Coast since the early 1930s, it offers weekday and weekend Masses, a beautifully renovated sanctuary, an active Fish Fry and Fall Bazaar community life, and a deep connection to the wider Gulfport community through its historic Parish Hall site. Visitors and vacationers regularly return to worship here, and the parish is currently celebrating 90 years of faith, fellowship and ministry.
Mass times at St. Therese of Lisieux
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Confessions are heard daily by the pastor (call 228-863-0624 to confirm a specific time); the renovated soundproofed confessional with indicator light is regularly in use
Adoration times
- Adoration is offered (contact the parish office at 228-863-0624 for the current schedule)
About St. Therese of Lisieux Parish
St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish at 3521 19th Street in Gulfport, Mississippi, part of the Diocese of Biloxi and one of four Mississippi parishes staffed by the Josephite Fathers (St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart). Founded in the early 1930s, the parish serves a multigenerational faith community and is widely described by parishioners as 'spirit-filled' and 'family-like.' The parish is currently led by Father Patino Martinez, with Deacon Gerald Norris also serving the community.
- Parish address: 3521 19th Street, Gulfport, MS 39501
- Diocese: Diocese of Biloxi
- Order: Josephite Fathers (SSJ)
- Office phone: 228-863-0624
- Office fax: 228-863-2531
- Email: [email protected]
History of the Parish
The parish was established in the early 1930s — parishioners and the Josephite Harvest newsletter describe the church as 'coming into being in 1932,' while GCatholic records the founding year as 1934. The Josephite Society, founded in 1871 to serve African-American Catholic communities in the United States, took responsibility for the new Gulf Coast mission. In 1941 the parish built its Parish Hall at the corner of 19th Street and 36th Avenue, which quickly became the social heart of Gulf Coast Black Catholic life. During World War II, with segregation barring Black servicemen from white USO facilities, the Hall was pressed into service as a USO center for colored troops. It hosted weddings, community events, and Civil-Rights-era gatherings until Hurricane Frederic damaged it in 1979; parishioners demolished it in 1980. In December 2023 the parish unveiled a historical marker on the old Hall site to preserve that legacy.
- Founded 1932 / 1934 by the Josephite Fathers
- Parish Hall built 1941 — served as a USO center for Black servicemen in WWII
- Hall damaged by Hurricane Frederic, 1979; demolished 1980
- Historical marker dedicated at Hall site, December 2023
- 90th anniversary celebrated 2024–2025 with Mass honoring Josephite history
2017–2018 Interior Renovation
The biggest renovation in the parish's history was completed in 2017–2018 under the direction of then-pastor Father John Joseph McBrearty, SSJ. The $85,000 project — funded without a formal capital campaign, largely by parishioners 'pinching pennies' for nearly a decade and supplemented by donations from the pastor's sister-in-law and friends in Wisconsin, New York and California — touched nearly every part of the church interior. The renovation replaced donated, mismatched pews with a uniform set, installed new carpet in the nave, refinished the two sacristies in hardwood, added new presider's and altar-server chairs, refurbished the statuary and two outdoor shrines, reoriented the choir with new kneelers so it faces the tabernacle, and built a soundproofed confessional with an indicator light and three devotional images (the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Shepherd). Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III blessed and dedicated the renovations on October 7, 2018, on the eve of Father McBrearty's 50th anniversary of ordination and his 87th birthday.
- Total project cost: $85,000
- New uniform pews throughout the nave
- Hardwood refinish of both sacristies
- Soundproofed confessional with indicator light
- Choir reoriented toward the tabernacle with new kneelers
- Outdoor shrines refurbished
- Dedication Mass: Oct 7, 2018, by Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
The parish is currently pastored by Father Patino Martinez, supported by Deacon Gerald Norris. Both are part of the Josephite ministry tradition that has staffed St. Therese since its founding.
- Father Patino Martinez — Pastor
- Deacon Gerald Norris
Parish Life & Fundraisers
Community life at St. Therese centers on two beloved annual fundraisers — the Parish Lenten Fish Fry every Friday of Lent (proceeds going to the church building renovation), and the Bazaar & Fall Festival, which gathers parishioners, friends and local businesses in support of parish ministry. In August 2025 the parish added a Jubilee Year of Hope Parish Homecoming Sunday, inviting back former parishioners and former pastors for Mass, fellowship and home-cooked meals from parish families.
- Parish Lenten Fish Fry — every Friday of Lent
- Annual Bazaar & Fall Festival
- Jubilee Year of Hope Parish Homecoming — Sunday, August 24, 2025, 10:00 AM
- 90th Anniversary Mass — celebrated with the history of the Josephites
Music & Liturgy
Music is central to worship at St. Therese. The choir was given particular attention in the 2017–2018 renovation: new chairs with kneelers were installed and reoriented 180 degrees so that singers face the Lord and the tabernacle during Mass — a change Deacon Norris described as a '180-degree improvement' in the choir's worship.
- Parish choir reoriented toward the tabernacle in 2018
- New choir chairs with kneelers
- Refurbished statuary and sanctuary seating
Josephite Heritage & Black Catholic Mission
As one of the Mississippi parishes of St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart — the religious order founded by Cardinal James Gibbons and Father John R. Slattery in 1871 to minister to African-American Catholics — St. Therese of Lisieux is part of a long tradition of Black Catholic witness on the Gulf Coast. The parish's 90th anniversary celebration explicitly honored that history alongside its own. The parish continues to host Josephite priests and to draw on the spiritual and cultural resources of the Josephite charism.
- Order: St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart (Josephites), founded 1871
- Mission: African-American Catholic ministry
- One of four Mississippi Josephite parishes (alongside Holy Family/Natchez, Our Mother of Mercy, and St. Peter the Apostle/Pascagoula)
- Anniversary Mass celebrated Josephite history alongside parish history
Contact & Visit
Visitors and returning parishioners are warmly welcomed at St. Therese of Lisieux. The parish office is open by phone and email during the week, and Deacon Norris and other parishioners frequently note that visitors — including vacationers who come back year after year — are received with the warmth of a family gathering.
- Address: 3521 19th Street, Gulfport, MS 39501
- Phone: (228) 863-0624
- Fax: (228) 863-2531
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: sttheresegulfport.org
- Facebook: facebook.com/st.therese.catholic.church.gulfport
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father James Patrick Fallon, SSJ
Ordained 1968; served as pastor of St. Therese of Lisieux for seven years during his Josephite ministry.
- Father John Joseph McBrearty, SSJcirca 2009 – circa 2018
Ordained 1968; arrived at the parish close to a decade before 2018. Led the major 2017–2018 $85,000 interior renovation. Celebrated 50 years of priesthood and 87th birthday on Oct 1, 2018; renovations blessed by Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III on Oct 7, 2018.
- Father Patino Martinezcurrent
Current pastor; serving the parish in its 90th-anniversary era and during the Jubilee Year of Hope.