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Biloxi
Elder Asked That Catholics of Back Bay Be Administered; get of Biloxi Built First Chapel; Had Resident
Eastor. in 1912-14; Father Carey Came in Year 1921
!p^-. 7
from Bay St.
Is Little Known Epic
.tSyV’.Dciiis O’Sullivan epr\i6st'/‘reference in the l$L‘chives to the territory 5day-comprises the Sacrcd .^piaris.h' in Biloxi is to be " letter which Bishop ^rbtS'to'Rcv. H. Georget ot jU;fm^l859.! The Bishop says: 'flijid'like-you to attend to the ■;oh£Back Bay and also to tflthe'1'country and see how SyjfjCatholics are there. II nec-|es|&yjj5y.ou-may speijd a Sunday IfiiMfi'gs^jthem once or twice bc-JoE^^h^’summ^r) visitors begin cpme.i?|j^ather Georget did as ..requested',(‘'discovered a' popula-Stiqnr[£mostly Catholic numbering |30|)&peop]e, "built a chapel there dijllowing year on the prop-|frt^{jnbw^occupied by Sacrcd JHeArt.Rectory and thus Back Bay ^B^phe‘Jof hisi missions. ^raSR-'jlCHevalier, successor of ^e&fcpfrbr'get- at the Nativity !^B$!eontinued his predeces--_^^opd.^work at Back Bay until flbtin^unilonc of Ocean Spring’s ®]TUffii-(j^s?i''When Rev. T. Meer-'^scMprfJb&ame pastor.on August J29M874M'In.the latter’s time from ftto^iOr.'persons,■ including chil-^IVattendcd monthly Mass on
Cdren^alte]
fSMdaV:r>.
IdayW.Rev. D.- O'Brien (18711-[■lffl2Mandr-Rev. a. N. Peters |(fB8^-}1885|)"continucd lo minister j.t<a^acfcBay. from Ocean Springs.
er, 22. 1884, a new church
a.
• One of the epics of pioneering ble from insect bites, beards,1” in the history of Mississippi—an cakes of dirt and intatters, i .-rVr,''-1.' achievement that unfortunately Unfortunately, Father DuRu did.: has been but little known—is the not establish his mission beyond almost unbelievable journey of the Pearl river as he had origmal-1 Father Paul DuRu, the Jesuit mis- ly planned, because he and" his sionary from Biloxi to the section fellow Jesuits were, obliged to re-
Rising frcni a mission to the digniry or a parish church, Sacrcd Heart now serves a Bask Bay parish.
lation of about 800 souls.
J(;nis' O’Sullivan,
County Kerry, |land;?fstudied at St. Jos-■'^^"'dojk and the African
i^s?a»#cinii,ary'
Lyons,
lfig^ordaincd, December 3|,;1900, at Cairo, Egypt; diocese, October 1915;'“: successivc appoint-ents.i'Septeinber, 1915, St. ^aul’st church, Vicksburg, as-, ^staiitJijOctober, 1918, Immac-;\ilateV*';Conccptioii church, Sp.ssficld,^ pastor; September ,'‘*1931; Sacrcd Heart church, '.iloxi,'’pastor.
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dedicated; to the Sacred Heart was opened,'(,'fpr'’,Divine service. After
W$$$%Pberfeld’s brief term dntde^atiSO.cean Springs, in IE
of 1885,
suitable residence on the beach was purchased for $3700 and clans made to’enlarge the Sacred Heart church.
Since the Catholic population at an£e increased. North Biloxi was increasing, it was deemed essential to provide a church in that place also which-would be under the direction of the Sacred Heart parish. The Go-renflo property was purchased and the building on it remodeled, the total cost amounting to $5500.
The new building became St.
John’s church.
Father Carey Pastor
Bishop Gunn wrote to Rev. P.
Carey on October 6, 1921, appointing him pastor of the Sacred Heart church, Seymour, and- St.
John’s church, North - Biloxi. “It is rarely,”, said the Bishop, “that a man is appointed pastor before the ordination oils are dry on him, but you have made g<?od and I ‘ am glad that I .can advance you and promote you.” When the new pastor took charge of Seymour and North Biloxi the total indebtedness of his parish to the diocese- amounted to $8336. During the next few years, Father Carey devoted his efforts in building a Catholic community, taking a complete census and laying plans for a new school at Seymour. On August 21, 1927, Bishop Gerow dedicated the new school in honor of St. Therese, the Little Flower of Jesus. Shortly afterwards the school opened with an enrollment of 90 pupils under the direction
ters of Mercy conducted a ious vacation school at St. rese’s with much success. Meanwhile the regular school attend-
beyond Pearl river to visit the Indians of that area and to plan for the establishment of a mission among them.
Father DuRu left Biloxi in 1701 with a few companions to make the tedious journey. The party moored their little sloop to the shore at Bay St. Louis, where some remained to act as a for the Jesuit and his guides. Father DuRu pushed into the wild interior, a section which no white man had trodden before. It was a bold move and one that required 'more than ordinary courage, but Father DuRu was the type that feared nothing. ' He was out in quest of souls and in search of means to establish a mission among the Indians! Hence, nothing could hold or deter him, not even death.
Diary Tells Story The diary of Father DuRu’s journey depicting his trudging through the uncharted mosquito infested swamps, through sand and water, through 'thick shrubbery and among mazes of high rushes, is amazing account of suffering, endurance and almost heroic courage. II was a journey through entirely unknown country and the Jesuit had nothing to guide him except the vague knowledge of his Indian companions. But not even this could be depended upon, because on the return journey, even the guide became confused and Father DuRu and his companions wandered and floundered about for days in sloughs and bayous and swamps, very probably the treach-.
------ erous and forbidding Honey Island
territory. The mosquitoes literally relig- devoured therm The-
turn to France and abandon, for-th6 time being, their mission, in the lower Mississippi Valley. ’ Despite his sufferings and the terrible privations and fatigues-that he had to endure, Father'DuRu never lost his sense of humor. Much less did he lose his trust in God. Throughout the diary one base f'nds outcropping an unbounded, trust in Divine Providence. . •
Nothing daunted Father DuRu. He went on to .his objective and eventually found the Indian tribes
rr' j vir>or,\ iu • i • n whom he sought and whom he de-
. JL(\h	,	15	WeU	sired	to	bring	to	the	fold	of	Chris-
organized, With a Catholic popu-
Devotion
tianity. After spending a short time, among them in what is now the extreme eastern part of East Louisiana, he returned to Bay St. Louis after undergoing incredible hardships, sufferings and privations. The journey back, after having left the swampy region of Pearl river was a tedious one and Father DuRu and his guides more than once felt that they were lost in the
Nativity Parish of Biloxi, Scene of Church Events
(Continued from Page 24) scene of a touching public demonstration. Father Ketels was a Belgian by birth and much beloved.
Father Keenan Appointed
His death in July, 1921, caused great sorrow in the city. In October, 1921, Rev. Peter Keenan was installed as pastor of Nativity parish. Before long it became evident that a new parochial school and rectory were necessary and that urgent repairs on the church were required. The rectory was remodeled in the summer of 1926.
In 1933 plans were made for the new school. A building costing $32,000 was dedicated by Bishop Gerow on September 14, 1933.
Events of importance in the diocese which have taken place iti the parish of the Nativity in recent years have been .the first .. state convention of the National-Council of Catholic \Vomen, Octo- ' ber 25-26,. 1931, and the second*!.'. Diocesan Eucharistic Congress, ^ January 25, 1934, both being presided over by Most Rev., R."O. Gerow, Bishop of Natchez. • \ .>,/
The assistants who have served'';.1.; successively in Nativity parish. since Father Keenan’s advent are Fathers James McKenna, Francis Deignan, Patrick Mul-doon and Francis Quinn. The last mentioned was placed temporarily in charge of the parish after the recent, lamented death of Father ; Keenan’.'on February 13,	1937.
me, „.,w	...	Rev. Patrick. Leech,'former pastor
interminable clearings and pine at Pass Christian, has assumed his thickets. Finally their gunshots duties as pastor of Nativity church, were answered and one of the °n July 21, 1937.
men, climbing a high tree, discerned the glittering waters of Bay St. Louis.
Find Way Back Within a few hours the exploring group stumbled and dragged themselves to the anxious group on the shore. Father DuRu and his men were almost unrecogniza-
ONLY TWO PRIESTS
IN NATCHEZ DIOCESE
The two priests who were' stationed in the Diocese of Natchet when Bishop Chanche took possession of the. See were in Natchez and in Vicksburg. They were both resident priests, but both belonged to other dioceses.
■ATTEOTSON, PASTORS!-THE
F^herg-Chqvalier /of. “Biloxi‘'re"- of the Vicksburg Sisters of Mercy, jyime'd.V:.charge of ■ Back Bay, for whom a convent had been pre-p^eaqliirigj: there on Wednesday pared. The parish of the Sacred eV,enings*jand .saying' Holy Mass Heart was at last fully organized. rie^fcinorriirig^*.reaping excellent Time alone was needed for spirit-resylts..^;In[f^ 1888 he erected a ual and material growth, s^polhouse^there.' From 1885 un-	Fishing	Fleet	Blessed
til^i898Athe'Sacred Heart was at- An interesting event in parish tended/;:'^ every week from the history took place on August 15, Church^of; the'Nativity in Biloxi, 4929, When Father Carey- per-a^.d f>fro^: 1899	until 1905	it re-	formed	the solemn blessing of the
mained;(;aMm i s s i 0 n of	Ocean	fishing	boats at Seymour just as
Sprimjsr^ffhe.'Nativity parish took the fishing season began. The r°m 1906 until 1912. pastor celebrated Mass outdoors Rey. ,<Henry--Mortier became first on the beach, blessed the boats resident ^pastor	of Back Bay, or	and gave Benediction of the
\	e Sacred	Heart	Blessed	Sacrament. This was the'
parislvbecame known, in 1912, re- . first time that such a ceremony, maimn^'therft tnr - t«m	-■	-	-
Brother Andrew Lynch, more than 60 years a Brother of the Sacred Heart, is stationed at D’Evcreux Hall, Natchez. Brother Andrew, all his life a worker, is a native of Yazoo City.
,	•	—	-—5	..	.	■	----------- nuiuoer 01 Biloxi fishermen''are
_ Jtcjrgnjatfied sjintil 1917, Dur- descended, took place on our coast.*
During: the final gears'! of Father,, p	Carey’s': pastorate, Rev.>T. Fullamr*
.‘'''■■•X*Jahd' Rev.;‘ M;<Moloney were' suc-; Moeo^', FrJest Assigned. . s.cessivelys assistants ..in .the parish.
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