PARISH HISTORY

Queen of Peace Parish grew from the wants and needs of Catholic families in North Mississippi.

Our story begins in early 1954 when Claudia Wiseman, Lucie Collins and Fr. Thomas Simcox, SCJ discovered that there were 12 other Catholic families in the Olive Branch area. The new 59-member congregation first met in a dance studio above the City Cleaners building in downtown Olive Branch. The building was located at the northeast corner of Pigeon Roost and Goodman Road in what is now "Olive Branch Old Towne". We continued to celebrate Mass in the 'dance hall' for several years.

Under the guidance of Fr. Tom Corcoran, SCJ our congregation continued to grow. We moved into the old Magnolia Cafe Restaurant in 1963. The Cafe was located on Highway 78 (now called Old Highway 78) next to the existing Chevron Station (then Standard Oil). 

Our parish was considered a mission church and was served by many priests. During this time Masses were celebrated by SCJ Priests: Fr. Tom Corcoran, Fr. Michael Monley, Fr. Robert Werner and other Priests of the Sacred Heart. We continued using the cafe until a group of parishioners with the SCJs formed a committee and took on the task of purchasing our own plot of land and constructing a building for us to celebrate Mass in as well as have some space for a social hall. 

A site on Sandidge Road was selected (pictured in color above with Fr. Tom Corcoran) and the construction began. In order to keep costs at a minimum the parishioners of Queen of Peace provided most the labor required to build the building, install the plumbing, do the necessary electrical and landscaping for our new church. 

The new church building was finished in 1974 and at long last the Catholic community of Olive Branch had their own church building to celebrate Mass. Fr. Jack Kurps, SCJ became the first resident priest for Queen of Peace in 1980. With Fr. Jack's appointment our population had doubled from 30 families to over 60 families.

In 1983 our community became a parish under the Diocese of Jackson, MS. Prior to that time we were a mission church served by the Priests of the Sacred Heart and Sacred Heart Southern Missions. Fr. Jack Kurps was installed as our first pastor. Fr. Thomas Burnes, SCJ succeed him as our pastor and in 1993, Fr. John Young, SCJ was appointed as pastor of Queen of Peace Catholic Church.

Under Fr. John's leadership we continued to grow. As the city of Olive Branch continued to grow so did our congregation. We had long since outgrown our Sandidge road church building. Fr. John formed a building committee and a site on Germantown Road was selected as our new church site. Construction began in 1996 and the building was completed in August of 1998. 

With our new larger facility our population skyrocketed. We started in 1954 with 12 families and now our congregation has grown to over 700 families from Olive Branch and our neighboring cities.

Timeline of the Parish

1942      The Priests of the Sacred Heart (SCJ) arrived to establish a Catholic presence in Northwestern Mississippi. The Bishop of the Diocese turned to the Priests of the Sacred Heart to minister to the counties of Marshall, Tippah, Benton, Tate, Tunica and Desoto.  The SCJs began ministering in Holly Springs under the direction of Fr. John Flanagan, SCJ. The SCJs learned of 34 known Catholics in all of Desoto County and began celebrating Mass in various homes throughout the area.
 
1954      Claudia Wiseman, Lucie Collins and Father Thomas Simcox, SCJ, discovered 12 Catholic families in the Olive Branch area. The new 59 member congregation first met in a dance studio.
 
1963      The church moved to an abandoned gas station café on Highway 78.
 
1974      The church then moved to a larger multi-purpose building on Sandidge Road.
 
1980      Father Jack Kurps, SCJ, became the first resident priest of Olive Branch.
 
1983      On the Feast of Assumption, August 15th, Queen of Peace became a parish of the Jackson Diocese Father Jack Kurps, SCJ, was installed as the first pastor, followed by Father Thomas Burns, SCJ.
 
1993      Father John Young, SCJ, became pastor.
 
1998      Queen of Peace moved to Germantown Road in August with the dedication of our new building in October.
 
2005      Father Terence Langley, SCJ, became pastor in November.
 
2012      In February, Fr. Robert Tucker, SCJ, became Moderator of five parishes in North Mississippi. Fr. Duy Nguyen, SCJ, Fr. Greg Schill, SCJ and Fr Gregory Speck, SCJ, are part of the Pastoral Team.
 
2013      Fr. Thi Pham, SCJ, joined the pastoral team.
 
2015      In January of 2015 Fr. David Szatkowski, SCJ, JCD was appointed Pastor by Bishop Joseph Kopacz.
 
2016      In July of 2016 Fr. Thi Pham, SCJ, was appointed Moderator of the six parishes in Northwest Mississippi. Fr. Greg Schill, SCJ, and Fr. Zbigniew Morawiec, SCJ, are part of the pastoral team.
 
2017      In July of 2017 Fr. Francois Tsanga, SCJ joined the pastoral team.
 
2018      In July, Fr. David Szatkowski, SCJ, JCD re-joined the pastoral team.
 
2020      Fr. David Szatkowski, SCJ, JCD was appointed Moderator of the six parishes. Fr. Hendrik Ardianto, SCJ and Fr. Greg Schill are part of the pastoral team.
 
2021      Fr. Greg Schill, SCJ was transferred to St. Joseph Indian School. Fr. Louis Mariano Fernandes, SCJ joined the pastoral team.
 
2023      Fr. Guy Blair, SCJ joined the pastoral team.
 
2023      Fr. Hendrik Ardianto, SCJ was appointed Moderator of the six parishes in NW Mississippi. Fr. David Szatkowski, SCJ, JCD and Fr. Guy Blair, SCJ are part of the pastoral team.

2024      Fr. (Paul) Phong Hoang, SCJ joined the pastoral team.

As we look into the future we will certainly be adding on to our building to support our ever growing population. We look forward to YOU being a part of that growth.

Jessica's Garden & Resurrection Garden

Jessica's Garden and Resurrection Garden are special places on our church property where we honor and remember all of God's children who were called home before their parents.

pRIESTS OF THE SACRED HEART

Queen of Peace, and all the Catholic Churches in Northwest Mississippi were founded by and continue to be ministered to by the Priests of the Sacred Heart. The SCJs came in 1942 as missionaries to develop a Catholic presence in this area over seventy (70) years ago. They are an international religious community of Catholic Priests and Brothers serving in Europe, the United Kingdom, Africa, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, North and South America. TEAM MINISTRY Dating back to around the year 2002, the Diocese of Jackson Mississippi initiated a process to address the growing shortage of priests and the inevitable consequences for the parishes. The process was called Mission & Ministry in Mississippi (3Ms) The purpose of the process was to instigate discussions on the parish, regional and diocesan level in order to address and compensate for the future realities. The hope was to prevent the closing of parishes or the amalgamation of parishes. In order to accomplish this, the burden was placed on the priests not on the parishes. Our fewer and aging priests were being asked to do more by ministering to multiple parishes in an area.

A dozen years later, the priest shortage is a reality evidenced throughout. the Diocese, the USA, and throughout the world. Already in the Diocese of Jackson, a number of parishes have no priests. Some parishes may have Mass only once a month. Other parishes are served by Lay ecclesial ministers. In our area, out of absolute necessity five years ago, we had to adopt the Team Ministry model to allow fewer priests to provide ministry to a broader area. The model seeks to keep existing parishes open with the full range of pastoral services while maintaining the individual identity of each church. However, continuing the number of Masses as in the past is not likely. With priests covering many churches the schedule of Masses will have to reflect the ability of a couple of priests to provide the needed services.

Our Mission

We, the members of Queen of Peace Catholic Church, a people of diverse backgrounds, have come together with our Bishop and our Priest as a faith community to profess a common belief in the Good News of Jesus Christ.

As members of Queen of Peace, we endeavor to love one another as Christ loves us. We strive to manifest this love in our daily lives through our prayers, in our songs, and in our spiritual and corporal works of love. We are called as individuals and as a faith community by God to use our many talents and strengths to worship God Our Father, His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and to give honor and praise to His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

We, as members of Queen of Peace, hope to inspire others in our worship and acts of love. Together, we strive to be kind and understanding, loving and caring, forgiving and accepting just as Our Lord is towards us. 

It is our hope that the family of Queen of Peace manifests the love of our God and of our fellow human beings through our commitment to:

• Develop and enhance our youth ministry, so that our young people will grow to love and serve our Lord and His people.
  
• Develop a more meaningful and active participation in the Mass, especially through our songs and liturgy.
  
  
• Develop an ongoing commitment to our brothers and sisters in the community of Olive Branch through the Thrift Shop and Food Pantry.
  
  
• Develop a continual awareness and concerns for the senior members of our parish family by supporting them in sickness and in health with prayers and visitations.
  

Lastly, together we strive to be peacemakers, expressing our love to all whom we meet so that they will know we are all members of the same spiritual family. We are the family of Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Olive Branch, Mississippi.