Our History

Christ Church Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, is the physical manifestation of Episcopalians’ untiring efforts and devotion over more than a century.

Christ Church was established in 1889 by Hettie Crowell and a small group of other Episcopalians. The first service was held in the Crowell home on North Beach Boulevard. In 1890, the construction of a sanctuary began. In 1901, Christ Church was admitted to the diocese of Mississippi as a mission. Over the next 50 years, the physical location of the service occurred in multiple locations. A new era began in 1948 with the arrival of Rev. Charles R. Johnson as Priest-in-Charge of the mission. Two years later, Christ Church was granted parish status.

In 1950, the church purchased a seven-and-a-half acre property at 912 S. Beach Blvd. and established Christ Episcopal Day School. Today, the school offers academic excellence as Coast Episcopal School, now located in nearby Long Beach. While the church continues to have a supportive relationship with the school, it no longer has any management or financial responsibility. 

Hurricane Camille struck the Mississippi Gulf Coast on August 19, 1969, destroying Christ Church’s building. The unharmed Christ Episcopal School building provided a service space for the congregation for 20 months while planning a new building. A new Christ Church was raised on the grounds at 912 South Beach and was dedicated to the glory of God by Bishop John Allin on April 18, 1971. A rectory and curate’s house were also built. The former 1890 cornerstone was cemented into the pavement under a newly constructed bell tower, where the surviving bell hung. 

On August 28, 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed all of the buildings on the church property, leaving only the bell tower containing the bell of the original Christ Church. 

Despite the total devastation at the church and in the community, seventeen parishioners gathered for worship and communion on the church slab on the first Sunday following the storm. After several months of services on the slab and later under a tent in the parking lot, a metal Quonset hut was constructed on the original church slab through the generosity of several Episcopal Churches in the southeast. On the storm’s tenth anniversary, a memorial service was held on the original church slab. 

Services continued in the hut until May of 2010 when the construction of the present Christ Church was completed. The new church was dedicated on May 30, 2010, to the glory of God by Bishop Duncan M. Gray, III, IX Bishop of Mississippi. 

In its 132-year history, Christ Church has had four full-time rectors, three of them serving a total of 60 years. Interim and supply priests have been appointed or served as the situation required. 

Rector Timelines

Christ Church is a resilient community of faith that, over the years, has weathered storms large and small (including a global pandemic) and takes adversity in stride with a strong sense of community and compassion. Despite storms, our live oaks thrive, and the Gulf view remains breathtaking, providing a perfect place for Christ Church to continue building our rich and textured history.