Church of the Annunciation is the oldest Catholic Church in northeast Mississippi.
The cornerstone was laid on May 4, 1863, marking the beginning of a ministry that
once covered 12,000 square miles from Corinth to Meridian. The Parish now serves
1,100 Catholics residing in Columbus and Lowndes County. |
The history of Annunciation
Parish precedes the date of the laying of the cornerstone, however. Records show
that Bishop Henry Elder baptized two Columbus infants on October 6, 1857, before
a handful of Catholics gathered around makeshift altars in private homes.
the Annunciation Church was even with the street. It is not known in what year
the floor was raised, but the bases of interior columns alteration was made to
protect the floor from water damage since early descriptions of the site noted
it, was "swampy." Still, the elevated floor does not seriously diminish
the Gothic proportions of the church's interior. A series of arches rise 40 feet
to form a ceiling that once was painted with stars. At the top near the altar
can be seen a medallion-like cluster of angels and a dove representing the Holy
Spirit. From this point hung the sanctuary lamp Once it fell- without injury to
anyone. Since then the lamp has stood on a brass floor stand to one side of the
In the beginning there were three altars in the Church. Eventually, the two small ones were removed and life-sized statues there were three altars in the Church. Eventually, the two small ones were removed and life-sized statues of the saints were donated by parishioners to be placed upon wall brackets surrounding the main altar. The statue of St Patrick was a gift from a caravan of Irish gypsies passing through Columbus.
The altar was carved from wood by a monk from St Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama. It features a trim of alternating cross and shamrock. During one of three major renovations over the past century original scaffolding was uncovered beneath the altar.
The beautiful Jacoby stained glass windows depicting events in the life of the Virgin Mary were installed sometime between 1908 and 1923. Three arched openings behind the main altar were bricked up and disguised with frescoes to keep the glare from distracting the congregation. The frescoes were painted over during subsequent redecorations.
grotto on the east side of the church is the work of another monk from Cullman,
Alabama, Father Damian Gusmus, who served as pastor from 1952 to 1961. Like the
church, it is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.|
The most extensive renovation in modern times was carried out to mark the Centennial Anniversary Celebration on May 12,1963. Jeremiah Harnett, the Pastor, met a traveling artist from Trieste, Italy, who had dedicated his life to painting churches. The current color scheme of umber, blue, and gold was the work of the artist, Joseph Kadich. The paint has been freshened once since 1963. At that time globe light fixtures on the marbleized columns were replaced with the elongated lanterns you see today. Seating capacity was increased to 250 by removal of a vestibule and replacement of the original wooden stairway to the choir loft. The antique curving altar rail, made of wrought iron, was straightened and its "squeaky" gates removed. A central heating and air cooling system was installed , along with new confessional, pulpit and pews.
Most important, perhaps, was the opening of St Mary Elementary School as the congregation's Centennial gift to the Parish. The school was the first parochial school in northeast Mississippi and has now been renamed Annunciation Catholic School.
Annunciation Church sustained moderate damage during a tornado in October
of 1992. The wind blew off about 150 asbestos shingles and 20 feet of
wood framing on the west side of the roof. Roofers found that the old
shingles were laid on topof wood shingles, and there was evidence of one
or more earlier roofs.
Father Gerard Hurley, who came to Columbus in January of 1993, supervised
the planning and construction of a new sanctuary which is now located
next to the historic one. Patterned after Sainte-Chapelle in Parish, the
new sanctuary was dedicated in December, 2000, and seats over 600 people.