[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 85 (Thursday, June 23, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1319]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE CATHOLIC 
                     CHURCH LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI

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                            HON. GENE TAYLOR

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 22, 2005

  Mr. TAYLOR of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
100th anniversary of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church located in 
Long Beach, Mississippi.
  In early 1905, Bishop Thomas Heslin of the Natchez Diocese directed 
the order of St. Vincent de Paul, known as Vincentians, to build a 
church and religious retreat to fill the needs of the parishioners of 
Long Beach, Mississippi City, Perkinston and Wiggins. Forty acres of 
land were acquired on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and the church was 
consecrated as St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church on July 15, 1905.
  As the City of Long Beach grew, so did the mission of the church. In 
1915, St. Thomas was designated a parish church by Bishop John Gunn 
with Father Joseph Hagar serving as the new parish's first pastor. 
September 3, 1922 marked the first day of school for students of St. 
Thomas Elementary School, staffed by the Daughters of Charity.
  August 17, 1969 marked a tragic day for all of South Mississippi when 
the Gulf Coast was struck by Hurricane Camille, a category 5 storm and 
the strongest hurricane to strike the United States in the 20th 
century. Camille destroyed the original 1905 St. Thomas Church and most 
other church associated buildings. As the region slowly recovered the 
church was rebuilt. Bishop Joseph Brunini dedicated the new St. Thomas 
Church on August 20, 1972.
  The Vincentians ceded the parish to the Diocese of Biloxi in the 
summer of 1993, and Father Louis Lohan was named pastor of the 
congregation. The church's most recent major addition was the Parish 
Life Center, which was dedicated in November 2002.
  So it is my great honor to congratulate the people of St. Thomas the 
Apostle Catholic Church on their 100th anniversary.

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