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Colonel Felix LaBauve was the first known Catholic to settle in this area. He left the diocese land on which to build a church in the future. However, this property did not meet present-day needs, thus making it necessary to acquire the site on Holly Springs Road, which is now Commerce Street. Shortly after Colonel LeBauve settled here in 1838, he was followed by other Catholics: Edward Orne, Dr. Jagoe and his family, Mr. and Mrs. Robertson Yates, who moved from Memphis in 1891.
Mrs. Yates recalled that in those early days, in order to attend Mass, one had to take a train to a mission church in Sardis or to Memphis; it was a day's journey to attend Mass. The nearest priest in Mississippi resided as far away as Water Valley. The scarcity of Catholics did not justify a priest residing in northern Mississippi, especially with the shortage of priests at that time in the state. It was then that the Bishop Richard O. Gerow of the diocese invited the Priests of the Sacred Heart (SCJ) to minister to the counties of Marshall, Tippah, Benton, Tate, and DeSoto. In 1943, their headquarters was established at Holly Springs, with Fr. John Flanagan as pastor.
Providentially, Fr. John Flanagan and his assistant, Fr. Henry Saxon were informed by a Memphis priest that a Mrs. L. A. Johnson, who at the time was living in Walls, had taken her baby daughter to Memphis to be baptized. The next day, January 17, 1944, these two priests visited Mrs. Johnson and learned that there were 34 known Catholics in DeSoto County. Therefore, these priests began celebrating Mass in various private homes in North Mississippi. After that time, Mass was celebrated at Walls in a converted gas station offered by Mr. Patty Harris. In Hernando, however, Mass continued to be celebrated in the homes of the Johnson and Yates families.
At this time, there was an unoccupied Episcopal Church located in Hernando on the east side of Northview between Holly Springs Road and Center Street. Through the kind intervention of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cooke and Mrs. Mary Smith, the facility was then used as a mission church for Catholics in this area. Following the church's unfortunate destruction by fire in 1959, the Catholics were again without a place to worship. They requested permission and were generously granted the use of the county courthouse. The permission to use this building will always be recalled with deep gratitude.
After land was acquired on Holly Springs Road, construction of the small church began with groundbreaking on December 11, 1960. The original church was completed, and the first Mass was celebrated on July 2, 1961, by Fr. Jude Blaszczyk, then pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Walls. On Sunday, July 30, 1961, His Excellency, Most Rev. Richard Oliver Gerow, Bishop of Natchez-Jackson, placed the cornerstone and blessed the Church of the Holy Spirit, thereby bringing to reality the long-time dream of so many parishioners. At this time, Holy Spirit Church was a designated mission church, thus remaining under the guidance and rules of Sacred Heart Southern Missions in Walls.
In the spring of 1968, Mrs. Fred Barth of Dubuque, lowa, a veteran shrine builder, chose Holy Spirit Church in Hernando to be the recipient of a beautiful grotto of the Blessed Mother of our Lord. It was soon learned that all the parish had to do was sit back and watch as Mrs. Barth, affectionately known as "Frone," went into action. The shrine became a showplace. What can be seen is a reverent and worshipful work of art, a magnificent testimony to the goodness and generosity of grandmother Frone Barth. Each of Mrs. Barth's shrines carries the plea, "Pray for Peace."
The first parish council, a governing body of laity working with the pastor, Fr. James Cunniffe, was organized on September 9, 1968. The parish continued to grow. The Status Anamarium Report for 1972 for Holy Spirit Catholic Church reflected the total number of registered families as 67, and the total Catholic population as 228.
In the fall of 1973, two new and very welcome faces were received in the Hernando area: Sister Mary Sue Scharfenberger and Sister Ruth Ann Mattingly of the Ursuline Order, from their motherhouse in Louisville, Kentucky. The sisters were sent to Hernando under the sponsorship of the Sacred Heart Southern Missions at Walls, Mississippi. They established CCD programs for the youngsters of the Hernando and Olive Branch communities. The two sisters were active in all functions of the parish, especially religious education and the liturgy. With their assistance, a community services committee and senior citizens group were formed. They also worked with both Catholic and non-Catholic poor in these areas.
In 1974, Holy Spirit Catholic Church received full recognition upon being designated a parish. In a report prepared in April of 1979, Holy Spirit Church records revealed that there were 74 registered families, and a total Catholic population of 239. Our annual parish bazaar was reintroduced, and it soon became our biggest money raiser. In 1982, Toni Troxler presented to the Allocation Board of the Sacred Heart Southern Missions a proposal for an education building. The parish was offered a loan of $60,000, at an interest rate of 6 ½%, payable on monthly installments for twelve years. In late fall, the children of Holy Spirit began to attend their CCD classes in the new building. In 1983, the new building was formally named "Fr. Joseph Connelly Hall" in appreciation of his service in Hernando.
On Pentecost in 1986, Holy Spirit Church celebrated 25 years since its dedication and commemorated the faith journey begun in 1838 by Colonel LeBauve. Because Holy Spirit Parish children attend Sacred Heart School, their CCD classes emphasize involvement in liturgies and in special outreach projects. Thus, the next generation is being prepared in Catholic traditions.
By 1993, the parish had grown to 125 families. The youth program had grown, and talk of a Family Life Center that would enhance parish gatherings was being discussed. The education building was no longer large enough to hold parish-wide gatherings such as the annual bazaar and parish Christmas dinner. In December of 1994, a larger building became are a reality. By this time, the parish had grown to 139 families. Saturday night liturgies continued to be held in the original little church while Sunday Mass was celebrated in the new Family Life Center. Parish activities grew, including youth functions, volleyball, basketball, an annual fish fry and annual bazaar, community gatherings, as well as anniversary parties and other entertainment.
In the spring of 1999, discussion of building a new church began. Town hall meetings were held concerning the possibility of combining Holy Spirit and Christ the King parishes into one large church. After much discernment, the decision was made to remain as separate parishes. In November of 2000, a parish fundraising campaign led by Cunneen Parish Fundraising of Connecticut was begun. By Christmas of 2000, the parish had exceeded its goal of $500,000. An architectural firm was chosen, and this parish of 212 families and a Catholic population of over 530 was moving closer to their dream of a new church.
Fr. James Cunniffe appointed a building committee to explore the construction of the new church. At Bishop Houck's request, plans were made to design a church that would hold 600 people. After contacting several contractors, we came to the conclusion that a facility of this size greatly exceeded what the parish could afford. In the meantime, Bishop William Houck had retired, and Bishop Joseph Latino was appointed as our new Bishop. The building committee, along with Fr. James, met with Bishop Latino, and he suggested that the church be down-sized from a capacity of 600 to a capacity of 400. The committee met with the architect to redesign the building. Even after reworking the plans, the new design was still cost-prohibitive, due to the type of construction being used.
About this time, Holy Spirit Church started its second Capital Campaign. The building committee went to work on a new idea presented by J.D. McIngvale to explore the possibility of dealing with Master Church Builders and having them design and build a new church. Approval was gained from the diocese to sign a design contract and to proceed in the design of the church. About halfway through this process Fr. James retired, and Fr. Tony Kelly, SCJ, was appointed as new pastor. Fr. Tony arrived and wasted no time in getting started on the building project. The parish received approval to start construction. A special ground-breaking ceremony was held on May 27, 2007. Thus, the dream that began 13 years ago for a new church fitting to worship and glorify our Lord as well as fitting for the congregation was ready to become reality.
SCJ Priests who have served at Holy Spirit Catholic Church:
Fr. Jude Blaszcyk, SCJ
Fr. Kevin McGinnis, SCJ
Fr. Vincent McDonald, SCJ
Fr. Tony Pudenz, SCJ
Fr. Mike McMillan, SCJ
Fr. Albert Simmons, SCJ
Fr. Dave Jackson, SCJ
Fr. Joseph Doscher, SCJ
Fr. Joseph Connelly, SCJ
Fr. Gerry Bishop, SCJ
Fr. Tom Burns, SCJ
Fr. Paul Casper, SCJ
Fr. Charles Yost, SCJ
Fr. James Cunniffe, SCJ
Fr. Anthony Kelly, SCJ
Fr. Gregory Speck, SCJ
Fr. (Paul) Phong Hoang, SCJ