Our Lady of the Gulf

Use of any and all parish facilities by any person or group, including all parish groups and ministries and all schools, must be requested, approved, and booked through the parish office by calling Annette Encrapera at 228-467-6509. If your event is not on the parish calendar, then it is not considered booked.
If you have any questions or concerns about an existing booking, or if an existing booking needs to be altered in any way, please use the aforementioned information to contact the parish office ASAP.  Thank you for your cooperation and courtesy.

Lord Jesus Christ,
You took to Yourself a body and soul like ours,
to teach us the glory of self-sacrifice and service,
mercifully instill in our hearts,
the desire to dedicate our lives to You.
Give us PRIESTS and DEACONS,
to stand at the altar and to speak
the words of the Gospel;
BROTHERS and SISTERS
to teach the young, nurse the sick
and minister charity to all;
LAY PEOPLE
to imitate You in their hearts, families,
work and community.
AMEN.

Nestled on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we continue to serve the needs of the Catholic community and wider community in the city of Bay St. Louis for over 165 years.

Our Roots
Many in our community trace their roots to Europe, most notably France and Italy.  We live in a community that is a place apart with its Southern charm and slow pace of life; a place where neighbor is neighbor to each other and are often related to each other.

Survival
We have withstood fires and hurricanes over the years and still survive because of the resilience of our people.  The unnamed hurricane of 1947 impacted our community and its memory is still vivid in the older generation.  Hurricane Camille visited us in 1969 with winds over 200 miles per hour.  Gradually, we rebuilt our lives and community in its aftermath. Our latest visitor was Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005.  Her fury lashed at our shores and our lives and brought our community to its knees.  Waves of 30 feet washed away most of our buildings, our belongings and some of our lives.

Hurricane Katrina
Following Hurricane Katrina, we continue to rise from its ashes of devastation with the help of thousands of volunteers from around the country who came to bring us their labors, their gifts, the skills, their time and their blessings.  Their presence and support allowed us to continue to believe in the goodness of humanity and in our determination to rebuild our lives and our community.  We owe a deep debt of gratitude to them.