From the Pastor

On behalf of the clergy, staff, and our entire family of parishioners, I welcome you to St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church!

For more than sixty years, St. Paul has served the families and residents of Whitehaven, southern Shelby County, and northern Mississippi. Our parish continues to grow, building upon our strong Catholic traditions and unique cultural diversity. The family of St. Paul has a fervent Catholic identity that is based upon our communion and unity with our Savior, Jesus Christ and with each other.

Under the patronage and intercession of St. Paul, we celebrate the apostolic tradition handed down through the history of the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Following the example of our patron we strive to answer that universal call to holiness by doing the will of our Father and being apostles to all nations. St. Paul parish lives out this mission through our ministries of religious education, community service, and fellowship in the worship of God and offers many opportunities for participation in the mission of our Church.

We especially welcome all visitors and tourists who would like to share in the celebration of Holy Mass and the Sacraments with our parish family. If you or your family have recently relocated into the area, please visit our parish office so we can get to know you. Join with us in the joy and fulfillment of our stewardship before God.

Yours sincerely in Christ Jesus,
Father Mike Werkhoven

A Pauline Year

Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has declared that from June 28, 2008 through June 29, 2009 will be a special Jubilee Year dedicated to the apostle, St. Paul (you can check out the papal pronouncement here). This Pauline Year on the occasion of the bimillennium of the birth of St. Paul, will be celebrated in a privileged way in Rome and is encouraged to be celebrated all other the world, especially in dioceses, parishes, shrines, religious institutions and places of worship that are named after or inspired by St. Paul. This current year of 2007-2008 will be a special year of planning and preparation for the Jubilee.

The parish of St. Paul the Apostle will join in with the universal Church, implementing special scriptural, liturgical, cultural and ecumenical events as well as various pastoral and social initiatives into the life of our parish family inspired by Pauline spirituality.

Just as St. Paul was given the gift to deepen the riches of the Church founded by Jesus Christ on the Rock of St. Peter, we at St. Paul the Apostle Church use this Jubilee Year to deepen our faith and the riches given to us through the Church. And just as St. Paul using different charisms from St. Peter, worked together with St. Peter to build up the Body of Christ, we will use this year and our many gifts to commit ourselves to take the Good News to all people and build up the Body of Christ in Whitehaven, southern Shelby County and northern Mississippi.

What's Happening?

Don't miss out on everything that's going on at St. Paul Church! The Announcements page is updated frequently, and the Sunday Bulletin is online every week!

You need a PDF-reader like Adobe Reader or FoxIt Reader to view the online bulletin.