In 1837, the Diocese of Natchez administered the entire state of Mississippi including the missions on the Gulf Coast. During the 1840's,the first parishes were established in BaySt. Louis, Pass Christian, and Biloxi. There were only a scattering of Catholics living in other coastal communities.

The Catholic families of the Long Beach area had to rely on occasional visits by priests assigned to the coastal missions for their spiritual care. Those families traveled (on foot, horseback or by wagon) to attend church services.

The first known Mass celebrated in Long Beach was in 1891 at the home of Thomas Camp located at the southeast corner of Jeff Davis Avenue and Fourth Street. Within the next two years, families donated land and labor to build a church and rectory behind the Camp home. The church structure was barely begun when a hurricane destroyed it in 1893. The efforts to build a church were abandoned until the following year when a small chapel was built near the L&N Railroad on Girard Avenue. It served as a mission church with irregular visits from priests.

The first missionaries to reside in Long Beach were members of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, an order founded by Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini. In the 1890'sand early 1900's, three sisters sent to the Mississippi Gulf Coast for health reasons rented a house in Long Beach and taught catechism to the children of the Italian immigrant farmers who had recently come to the area. In 1898, the sisters took up more permanent residence in Long Beach, thanks to a donation of property on Girard Avenue.

By the mid 1890's, the coastal missions received more regular assignments of priests. They served Mississippi City, Handsboro, Gulfport and Long Beach. In 1900, these missions were divided. Rev. John M. Prendergast and his assistants, residing in Gulfport, assumed responsibility for the Long Beach mission. The Catholic families of the area were delighted when in 1904 the Missionaries of the Congregation of the Mission (the Vincentians), founded by St.Vincent de Paul, accepted the invitation of Bishop Thomas Heslin of the Natchez Diocese to establish a mission in Long Beach.

The Vincentians acquired forty acres of land that included the present site of St.Thomas the Apostle Church. The first pastor, Fr. Daniel Hurley, C.M., supervised the buildinq of a chapel that he named St.Thomas in honor of Bishop Heslin. Work also began on a two-story forty-room building to house vacationing priests-St. Thomas Villa or Villanova.

A more formidable church was soon under construction to accommodate the large number of priests at the villa. The church was a Gothic structure of virgin pine and cypress with thirteen altars. It was dedicated by Bishop Heslin on July 19, 1905. The town of Long Beach was officially incorporated the following month.

It was not until 1915 that Bishop John E.Gunn designated St.Thomas the Apostle as a parish. By then the villa had been destroyed by fire. Fr.Joseph Hager,C.M., served as the first parish priest.

As the population of Long Beach grew, the parish grew as well-and so did the need for a school. The first Catholic school in Long Beach held classes on the back porch of a nearby private residence and in the back ofthe church. A building combining classrooms and a convent opened in 1922. On September3 of that year,Bishop Gunn officially welcomed the Daughters of Charity of St.Vincent de Paul to Long Beach. They continued to serve and teach in the community for more than sixty years.

Within five years, enrollment at the school increased-requiring an expansion of the school and convent facilities. Over the years, many expansions and improvements to the parish physical plant included a parish hall, additional classrooms, a gymnasium/auditorium, and a new rectory which was later enlarged.

The hurricane of 1947 brought widespread damage to the area with waves carrying debris up to the steps of the church-but St. Thomas was spared. However, during the early morning hours of August 17, 1969, Hurricane Camille ravaged the church beyond repair. Millions of people saw the devastation when national television captured Fr. Francis O'Malley and a number of parishioners celebrating Mass next to the rubble of what once stood asthe "Church of the Thirteen Altars.''

The nation responded with supportive cards, letters and contributions (including a telegram from President Richard Nixon). For the next three years, Mass was celebrated in the school gym while the new church was being built.

On August 20, 1972, Bishop Joseph B. Brunini dedicated the new church. The pyramid shape of the church became a beacon to small boats and fishermen in the Mississippi Sound as well as a well-known landmark on the Gulf Coast.

The Vincentian priests continued to nurture the development and expansion of the parish. By the 1990's, the parish included over one thousand families. A capital improvement program begun at this time provided much needed improvements and renovations to the church and school. In 1993, St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church officially came under the stewardship of the Diocese of Biloxi, after being ceded to the Diocese by the Vincentian Order. Fr. Louis Lohan was appointed to serve as the first diocesan pastor.

In subsequent years, many improvements were made to the physical plant, including renovations to the rectory, new roof and other improvements to the school complex, parking lot paving, and new roof and other improvements to the church building. In November of 2002, a new building was completed which included a state-of-the-art kitchen, banquet facilities, nursery and meeting rooms. A historical marker was erected by the Long Beach Historical Society in 2002.

By 2005, the parish had grown to over 1600 families. The elementary school had a total enrollment of 176 in Kindergarten through Sixth Grade and 81 students in the Pre-Kprogram. The School of Religious Education had over 400 students aged three through 12th grade on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings.

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina roared ashore bringing tidal waves of over twenty-five feet. Fr. Louis Lohan, known to his parishioners as Fr. Louis, was residing in the rectory with Fr. Gerard Cleary. They left to spend the night with a parish family (Elvis, Melissa and Alicia Gates). When Fr. Louis returned to the parish grounds, he found that the church, school, rectory, and the community hall had been totally destroyed. All that remained were the steel beams of the new building, the upper portion of the church and the stained glass windows. This proved to be the situation for much of Long Beach and indeed the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast. Damage and destruction were widespread.

The first Mass after Hurricane Katrina was celebrated in the yard of Quarles School. Grace Lutheran Church opened their church to our congregation. Masses were held there on a regular basis for about two months.

The Knights of Columbus (Council No. 4898) bought the local skating rink located at 5557 Daugherty Road. The Knights had lost their council home to Katrina; they used the insurance proceeds to purchase the skating rink. In their generosity, they made ·the building available to the parish to be used as church, school, and offices. With the help of the local Seabees, parent volunteers, and many other volunteer workers from all over the country, the school was opened on October 3, 2005. St. Paul Catholic Elementary School had also been destroyed; so the two schools came together as one in the skating rink. Later,the name was changed toSt.Vincent de Paul Catholic' Elementary School.

Since the first Mass celebrated in the skating rink in October of 2005, we have occupied this temporary location and will continue to occupy it until our new facilities are completed. We have celebrated Masses, Baptisms, Weddings, Funerals, First Holy Communions, First Reconciliations, Confirmations, and other special events in the lives of our parishioners. Although many parishioners returned, some moved away to other cities and states because their homes had been destroyed and their businesses and jobs were lost.

Groundbreaking for a new school to be built on Espy Avenue on the grounds of Holy Family Parish was on March 23,2007. The first Mass at the new school was on August 20,2008; followed by the Dedication on the anniversary of Katrina, August 29, 2008. Groundbreaking for the new church was on March 29, 2009.

The formal Rites of Dedication for the new St. Thomas the Apostle Church took place February 11, 2011. The new church can seat 700+ people, includes a community center with state-of-the-art kitchen facilities, and an administration building to house offices for all parish ministries and meeting rooms.

The faith and sacrifices of the people and their dedication, together with volunteer workers and donations from around the world, have made it possible for St.Thomas the Apostle Parish to look forward to continuing to thrive in the City of Long Beach at 720 East Beach Boulevard . We look forward to carrying the vision of the early Catholic residents of Long Beach into the future with enthusiasm, faith, hope and love.