VICKSBURG – High School youth from dozens of parishes gatherd at the Vicksburg Conventon Center for the Diocecan Catholic Youth Convention 2019 on Feb. 1-3. The theme was faith, hope, love. Look for coverage in the next issuse of Mississippi Catholic. (Photos by Maureen Smith)
VICKSBURG – On Sunday, Oct. 2, more than 200 people attended the 50th anniversary Mass and celebration of St. Michael Parish. Bishop Joseph Kopacz celebrated along with Bishop Emeritus Joseph Latino, Father P.J. Curley, current pastor and several former pastors.
St. Michael, Vicksburg’s youngest parish, was established on Sept. 29, 1966, with the installation of Father Frank Corcoran as founding pastor. The creation of the parish resulted from a steady increase in the Catholic population of southern Vicksburg and Warren County.
For years, many residents of Vicksburg attended St. Michael Church on South Washington Street. The building which was used as an elementary school by the Sisters of Mercy, became a church in 1917 and was served by priests from St. Paul Parish. In 1966, Bishop Richard Gerow, recognizing the cohesion that existed within the small church, grouped 160 families into the new parish.
Less than four years later, the present parish hall was built and served as the interim church dedicated by Bishop Joseph Brunini on May 4, 1970. Located on a 40-acre tract just off Fisher Ferry Road, the temporary church provided seating for 350 persons and room in the spacious basement for educational and social activities. In October, 1971, the rectory was built to replace a temporary rectory that had been established in Marion Park in 1967.
Bishop William Houck dedicated the present church, built under the direction of Father Noel Prendergast, on August 28, 1988.
In the fall of 2010, our parish leadership determined it was time to construct a new parish educational building. Ground was broken in October 2012, with construction beginning in December of that year. Bishop Joseph Latino dedicated and blessed the new building on Aug. 25, 2013.
Today, after 50 years, and now operating under the spiritual guidance of Father P.J. Curley, our parish continues to grow, with membership of more than 400 families. We are blessed with strong lay participation in our many spiritual, educational, social and community activities and are ready for continued service to God and his community in Vicksburg and Warren County.
(This story, first published in the parish directory, was submitted by Helene Benson, director of religious education for the parish)
VICKSBURG – Most people consult their financial advisors for investing tips and strategies. Now we might just start asking our students. St. Aloysius School seniors Cass Hudson, Lofton Varner and Lyndsey Cowart were named second-place winners in the spring senior division of the Mississippi Stock Market Game.
“I am so excited that we did so well,” Hudson said. “We were fortunate to have a good group that took the time to research stocks at low prices that had signs and the potential of rising quickly. We gambled choosing these risky stocks, and it paid off in the end.”
The simulation is a learning tool about the free enterprise system for students in grades four through 12th. The program enables students to invest a hypothetical $100,000 in the stock market over a 15-week period. Winners are determined on the percentage return above or below S&P 500 growth. St. Al school outperformed the S&P by 18.2 percent and grew their portfolio to $128,712 during the 15-week session.
Varner and Cowart both said the competition was a fun experience. “It took some time to research which company was the best to invest in,” Varner said. “We learned many things about the stock market, and we got lucky that our investments turned out the way we hoped they would.”
Cowart said she’s looking forward to putting her newfound knowledge to use in the future. “Although the competition was fun, it was also a bit challenging figuring out what stocks were the best ones to buy,” she said. “It really helped me learn how the stock market works and some things to look out for if I ever want to invest my own money into the stock market.”
St. Joseph School summer camps
MADISON St. Joseph School offers the following camps:
Soccer: May 31-June 3, from 8 a.m. – noon, for Pre K4-6th graders. Cost is $125.
Baseball: June 6-9, from 9 a.m. – noon. Cost is $125.
Football: June 13-16, from 8:30 a.m. – noon, for second-eighth graders. Cost is $135.
Dance: June 20-23, from 9 a.m. – noon, for first-sixth graders. Cost is $100.
Cheer: July 18-21, from 9 a.m. – noon, for first-sixth graders. Cost is $100.
By Alana Norris
The Vicksburg Post
VICKSBURG – This year marks a milestone anniversary for a local church, rooted deep in the history of Vicksburg.
St. Paul Parish is celebrating 175 years in Vicksburg throughout 2016.
A Show-Snack-’n’-Share Party was the first event the church sponsored from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 10, on the third floor of Farrell Hall located on Crawford Street.
This party was for parishioners and anyone with connections to the church to share photographs, mementos, and memories of times they spent at the church.
“I’m hoping that these folks will bring their memories and at the same time bring photographs they might have and help identify some of the people,” Glenda LaGarde, chair of the 175th anniversary committee, said in an interview for The Vicksburg Post published prior to the event.
She said there are plenty of pictures and newspaper clippings provided by the church, Vicksburg Catholic Schools and the Old Court House Museum. Guests could look through those and help identify the individuals in the picture to keep a historical record of the people and events that have happened in the church over the years.
The pictures go all the way back to the beginning in 1841. She said there are many photographs in the archives where she isn’t sure what war the men seem to be leaving for or what occasion those pictured are dressed up to attend.
“The date of the anniversary is Oct. 14, but we’re trying to get started early so we can gather from the people themselves what their stories are and what mementos they might have so that will help us in figuring out how we’re going to plan the grand finale,” LaGarde said.
Another part of the celebration is a Parish Tree of Life posted on a wall at the church where parishioners can write a memory, wedding date, First Communion date, or a name in memory of a former member on a paper leaf and paste it to the tree.
“I’m hoping that we get everybody, at least every family, but I’m hoping that we get most everybody to have a leaf on that tree with some little bit of their experience,” LaGarde said.
She said the church began as a chapel in a two-story building on the east side of Walnut Street between South and Crawford streets in 1841. Around 1849, she said, Bishop Joseph Chanche, the first bishop of the diocese, donated $500 and the Society for the Propagation of the Faith made an additional donation so the priest and parishioners could purchase the land and built a gothic revival style church where it is located today at 713 Crawford St.
That building was heavily damaged by the 1953 tornado, and the current church building was built following the disaster. It was completed in 1956.
“A lot of the older parishioners around here in town can probably still see in their gardens remnants from that because when they had to take it apart the parish let parishioners, if they wanted, to take something as a memento,” LaGarde said.
During the time before the new church was completed, services were held in the auditorium of what is now the Southern Cultural Heritage Center.
“You have to understand the past and the people that made it in order to guide what your choices are right now,” LaGarde said.
(This story ran prior to the event in The Vicksburg Post, it was edited and reprinted with permission.)
