This text was obtained via automated optical character recognition.
It has not been edited and may therefore contain several errors.

---

' I
Thursday ^October. 14,’ 193? *».t > \	y * :,M-- > -'CATHOLIC ACTION ‘ OF THE/ SOUTH ;
	
•' Page 67
&
1
irr'	•'
^ir^tjvGulfport Church Erected in 1901; Monsignor Prendergast Instrumental ii> Start; Spanish Mission Style Church Built Under Father Spengler in 1923
JpSiV
JpSSfcV-V,-SK-V'-’.., !"• ■ •
WiBy Vcry Rev. XI. A. Spengler |{Gulfport, Mississippi’s only port, fand the county seat of Harrison ‘County, situated in the southeastern'part of the state, is a deep jwater port located on the Gulf of !(Mexico,: 67 miles east of New Orleans,' 160 miles south of Jack-/spn, the state capital, and 73 miles 'westof ' Mobile. Gulfport was founded and incorporated in 1898, sand is," therefore, a new commun: $’ty.;’with new homes and all mod-'erri;c6nveniences. The U. S. census of 1930 gives it a population of ,547, but of course it has grown Considerably in the past seven jV,ears.|;,
ft’;~Th'e' activities of the Catholic-jChurch. began here even before jthis'^new community was incorporated.;1 The archives of the Dio-tese'.-of., Natchez first mention Gulfport in 1887. Then Bishop Francis Janssens visited the place |with a'-'view of buying a lot for a i.Iuture' church, but he stated that e'1'feared the p'lace would be a !ailure. Now that half a century jhaspassed since his visit, he Jyould:’indeed be surprised could "le^.qow'f.see the city of Gulfport irid-'the parish of St. John tHe Evangelist.
IkThe - infancy of the parish is connected with. Mississippi City ?»nd:'Handsboro. On June 29, 1896, WRev^.'Camille D’Hooghe was ap-p.ointed'pastor of Mississippi City and.-Handsboro with Gulfport as fone1''■ of,. his missions. Father -D’Hooghe is buried in St. James [Cemetery in Handsboro, Miss. • ffhere.;>as no church in Gulfport ftjhen^-so'Mass was said in private nomes.i.;,-An annual report of 1897 . tj^ives-othef Catholic population; of Gulfport; and vLong Beach as -32.
Very Rev. H. A. Spengler, born, Jackson, Miss.; studied at Propaganda college, Rome; ■ordained, June 16, 1905, at St. John ' Lateran’s, Rome; came to the diocese,_ November 14, 1905; successive appointments, November 14, 1905, -St. Paul’s church, Vicksburg, assistant; March 1,	1908, Cathedral,
Natchez, assistant; November 8,	1911, St. Paul’s church,
-Vicksburg, assistant; April 24, 1912, 'Nativity B. V. M„ Biloxi assistant; October 2,’ 1914, 'St. John the Evangelist, Gulfport,1 pastor.
This first school was on the northwest corner of 25th avenue and 17th street in a building formerly used as a feed store by Mr. Long. They reported 34 boys and 40 girls. Mass was said still iri a private home until the following, year, 1901, when a church in hon-J; or of St, John the Evangelist was. dedicated by Bishop Thomas', Heslin on November 3. It-stood’ and still stands on the corner‘of" 24th avenue and 17th street. The following year, namely on Sep-tember 21, 1902, Bishop Heslin1; blessed a new school and convent.; dedicated to St. Francis de Sales.' The school and convent are^still ir) use.
The records of the parish begin with the year 1900. Therein the first baptism is reported under date of May 5, being that of Edwin A. Deseamus.«The first wedding is under date of May 14, be- . ing that of Mr. Henry Swann and Miss Cora Green. Monsignor Prendergast has a note in the baptismal register that the first child
St. John the Evangelist church serves the Catholic community of Gulfport on the Coast.
1, 1908, Rev. S. Greimel was doyen of the diocese, changed from Woodville to Gulf-	Much has taken place in these
port. In 1910, on account of ill-	23 years. Improvements’ tosre
baptized by him in the church was ness> Father Greimel went to New made first in the combination Norman B. Feehan under the date Orleans and later returned to Ger- school and convent building. By of June 17, 1900.	many, where he now lives. Then 1921 it was too small for the num-
In writing to the Bishop in 1903, ^ev- F- A. Kuhn, O. S. B., was ber of children attending, so Bish-Rev. J	M.	Prendergast	stated that	Placed in temporary charge of the	op Gunn bought, from the' -Cul-
there	were	many	non-Catholics	at	Parish of St. John the Evangelist,	linane family, a lot and a' resi-
-	In 1911, a permanent pastor was	dence which was converted into a
sent in the person of Rev. James Kiernan, who remained in Gulfport until his death in 1914. Fath-er*Kieman is buried in the Gulf-
Long Beach, McHenry and Lorraine, and. he thought that if a second priest could be stationed at Gulfport, much good could be done. In answer to this sugges
tion, Rev. James'Maguire was ap-. P°rt cemetery. Bishop John E.
of April 13, 1900, and his mis-g^ulfport; was -attended from Mis-	sions included Long Beaph and
.ffl®^PPi'"'City until .1900 when its	McHenry. His first annual re-
fiflirst',pastor, was appointed in the	port lists the. Catholic population	port	to administrator	of Missis-
■S&erspnfpt Rev, J. M. Prendergast,	as 240 whites and eight Colored,	sippi	City.	Then in 1906, on June	_
ajrio.vi{-.,the'.pastor of "Vicksburg and	In September, 1900, a school was	23, Father	Prendergast	was trans-	office, being surpassed omy by the
pointed assistant at Gulfport on January 22, 1903< ' Father Maguire remained about a year, for on February 18, 1904, Rev. J. Emeric Chenel took his place as assistant under Father Prendergast. Towards the end . of that same year, November 15, Father Chenel was changed from Gulf-
school. Later another lot was bought next to it, from the Jones estate. This spot on the corner of 25th avenue and 17th street eventually became the site of a new church. The rectory was also refiovated soon after the arriv-al of Father Spengler in the parish.	■
During the World war, ; Father
Gunn sent Rev. J. P. Cassagne,
C. M.,. to take charge of the parish until September 29, 1914, when the present pastor, Rev. H. A.
Spengler, was . appointed, coming _____________	___	____ ____
from Biloxi. Father Spengler came Spengler sei^ed as'phaplain^at the to Gulfport on October 2, 1914.- Gulfport Naval Training' Station;
Soon'23 years will have been and later as secretary for the spent in the parish "by1 its present Knights of Columbus welfare pastor. He is the second ;senior work, after the' naval station was on June pastor of the diocese in tenure of closed and became a hospital. : v<
In 1919 and again in 1921 due
(Vicar-General of the diocese with established under the name of St. ferred to Bay St. Louis. On July venerable Father R. J. Sorin, to the illness of Bishop Gunn, the' title1 bf Monsignor. His com- Francis de Sales, conducted by the 1, Rev. P. McConkey was named whose 40 years of residence at De Bishop J. M. Laval of New Or-ing to, 'Gulfport was under the date Sisters of Mercy from Vicksburg, rector of Gulfport, but on April Lisle make him the dean and	(Continued	on	Page	72)	^
f.sSv s
1y ,.::w -
I
Vr
. ,% 'Oncc‘ a mission of Our Lady of Sorrows church, Biloxi, St. Tlie-' resa church is now an independent parish.
By Rev. Jos. F. Hennessey, S. S. J. Sacrifice regularly in the new 'VUntil six years ago there were church, though Rev. Stephen not more than 30 practical Colored Sweeney, S. S. J., of Pass Chris-Catholics in Gulfport. This small tian and the Divine Word Fathers ’group attended St. John’s church of Bay St. Louis did say Mass ’ and were cared for by Very Rev. there whenever possible.
Hubert A. Spengler, pastor of St. In July of 1934, Rev. Stephen John’s. In 1931 Father Spengler Hogan, S. S. J., 'v/ho was then sta-graciously permitted Rev. Walter tioned at Pass Christian, became Mulroney, S. S. J., pastor of Moth- the first priest to regularly at-er of Sorrows church, Biloxi, to tend St. Theresa’s. He offered the bring the Sisters of the Blessed Holy Sacrifice every Sunday and Sacrament to Gulfport to conduct spent much time during the instruction classes among the Col- week instructing the parishioners ored people of the city. These in their Holy religion and inter-classes, first held in the Apex Tea esting those outside the fold. Aft-Garden. hall, served to create in- er six months of zealous effort Fa-terest in the church and after one ther Hogan was replaced by Rev. year several non-Catholics were Edward LeDoux, S. S. J., who prepared for the reception of Bap- carried on the good' work. The tism. ■ i-■	-combined	efforts	of these two
^In-1932,, Most Rev. Richard O. zealous priests, extending over the Gerow,;D.D., Bishop of Natchez, period.of one year, -were crowned was hable , to raise' enough money with success, and Fathers Hogan to ,'erect a mission chapel in the and ^LeDoux had the consolation Colored^ section of the city. This of/seeing St! Theresa’s mission chapel -was dedicated on Decem- double its membership during ber .11,'1932, and named in honor their, ministry there, of.. St. Theresa, the Little Flowerinstruction Classes
St. Theresa,s--Giilfport
y .	,	•
St. Theresa, the Little Flower- of Jesus Parish for Colored at Gulfport Was Set Up Under Bishop Gerow; Had Been Attended from Biloxi; Father Hennessey Pastor
tion in honor	of	Our	Mother	of	the novena in honor of Our Moth-	Rev. Joseph F. Hennessey, S. S. J.,.
Perpetual	Help	and a regular Fri-	er of Perpetual Help and the	took up his residence at the new;
day night instruction class. Both weekly instruction class have-,as^f .first Pastor of St.
proven very popular both with	Theresa s parish, and it is hoped
Catholics and with non-Catholics.	that with a priest living on the
As interest irf the church devel-	grounds the parish will continue
oped, many converts were re-	to grow even more rapidly than
ccived into the Church and many	in the four and one-lial£ years
fallen-away' Catholics were re-	since its beginning.	_■
claimed, so that St. Theresa’s parish has increased from its orig-
Splendid Cafe
^CoHgregatioi1-‘'DoubledTheresa’s'from’hBiloxi. At-' this IvFor^the1-first itwo- and.'oneiiialI-:<time,'-besides'-the‘Sunday’ Massarid years Qf its'existence there was no*1 daily V visitations/* there T were ; in-’
T’trioe-f	---	----- .	^	--
Rev. Joseph 'Francis'Hennessey, S. S. J.;’ born; Salem, Mass.; studied at' Epiphany ^college, Baltimore, Md.; Epiphany college, Newburgh, N.
Y.; St. Mary’s seminary, Baltimore, Md.; Catholic univer-' sity, Washington, D. -C.; ordained, June 10, 1935, at Catholic university; came . to the diocese, July 4, 1935; succesr , sive appointments,July4,
. . -1935, St. Philomena’s church,’^
^ Pass Christian,, assistant;.-Sep-rj .v’; -r ^tember
v^.'rows 'church,"'BiIoxi,vassist%n)t;
■vvAugust i;'!‘1937rStriyheyesa’s
■ inal 30 members to its present enrollment of 190 members, notwithstanding the fact that since the beginning some 20 others have either moved to other cities or have passed away. Of the present membership, 40. are reclaimed Catholics.
Recently a piece of land adjoining the church property was purchased by Bishop Gerow with a view to having a resident pastor at the mission. There was a house standing on the newly acquired property, and for five weeks the men of the parish gave unsparingly of their time and talents, practically rebuilding the house, until at present it is a very beautiful rectory. It is worthy of note that these men, among whom were plasters, painters and carpenters, gave their services freely to the . church.
On-the first day of August, 1937,
Highway 90
Gulfport, Miss.
“SB
ANNIVERSARY
GREETINGS