St. Mary's Catholic Church — Attraction in Memphis

We love it here. The church is very beautiful and everyone is so nice. About the church:

In October 1864 the cornerstone for St. Marys German Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception was laid; on October 30, 1870, the church was dedicated. Construction began in August 2002 on major renovations. As Memphis lies in the heart of the New Madrid fault, modifications were needed for earthquake resistance, as well as protection from wind damage.

St. Marys Soup Kitchen began when the Franciscans took charge in 1870. St. Marys opened the first parochial high school in Tennessee in 1887 and in 1889 started a night school providing an opportunity for those who worked to further their education. In 1912, St. Marys was first again with a kindergarten for children four to six years of age. Before World War II, St. Marys always participated in the Cotton Carnival parade, its float won first place nine out of ten years.

The altars are handmade of wood shipped from Germany. The carved pews, the ornate confessional, and the frames of the Stations of the Cross were mostly made by Franciscan brothers who traveled from place to place wherever the Franciscans settled to build church furnishings on site.

Following World War II, major shifts in Memphis' population caused St. Marys to lose most of her territorial parishioners. Urban renewal completely changed downtown Memphis and made St. Marys future look bleak indeed.

However, by the turn of the 20th century, descendants of the original parishioners began to return from all over the city to worship. Today, the parish is made up of people from all areas of Greater Memphis, including Mississippi and Arkansas. As a result of the emphasis of rebuilding downtown Memphis, and an increased number of tourists to the area, the future of St. Marys is very bright.

MASS

Monday (Communion Service), 5:30 pm Tuesday - Thursday, 5:30 PM Friday - 4:30 PM Saturday evening - 4:30 PM Sunday - 8:00...

I went to this church's soup kitchen yesterday morning. Unable to rate it on any other matter. Soup was good, altho watered down, but that's how they manage to feed people. Paper thin slice of lunchmeat on sandwich was so thin you could not identify it. Peanut butter & jelly is made as a paste, so you really don't see the jelly. Very dry, but edible. I have been here a couple of times before, always when i am downtown for court. Soup always edible tho watered down. Meat on meat sandwich usually turning green so i dont eat it. Peanut butter sandwich is always dry but edible. I appreciate what they do. They have fed the homeless...

This is a beautiful church. The priest had a great sermon that wasn't very long and was relevant. He was very welcoming. Thr church has history as we discovered talking with locals after mass and asking why there is another catholic church just a few blocks away. Apparently the Italians and the Irish in Memphis didn't get along so the Italians decided to build this church. Anyway, they have a very nice little shrine to Lourdes and the stained glass is very nice to look at. I also must say their stations of the cross were...