
RECTOR'S WELCOME
A very warm welcome in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ to Mary's House in Natchez — the Mother Church of Mississippi Catholicism.
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Saint Mary Basilica in Natchez is recognized as an architectural masterpiece among Catholic churches in the South. The construction of this place of worship was begun in 1842 as a Cathedral of Our Lady Sorrows — a status she maintained until the Diocese headquarters was transferred from Natchez to Jackson in 1977.
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Each year, we welcome thousands of pilgrims and tourists who come to pray, to worship, and to experience the beauty of the Catholic faith expressed uniquely here in the heart of the American 'Bible Belt'. Everyone is welcome in our parish who come in good will to meet the Lord. We are proud of the rich Catholic heritage that is preserved in the artwork of our antebellum Church, and in the spirit of our proud community of faith.
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On behalf of the clergy, staff, volunteers, and faithful of Saint Mary's, I invite you to visit our Church in person and know that we remember you and all our spiritual pilgrims in prayer. May God bless you and those close to you, and may you be sustained by the powerful intercession of Our Lady of Sorrows.
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Yours Sincerely in Christ,
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Very Reverend Aaron M. Williams
Rector


About the Rector
Fr. Aaron M. Williams is a priest of the Diocese of Jackson. He earned a B.A. in Philosophy from St. Joseph Seminary in Covington, LA, and was the first recipient of the Esse quam videri award for service to the school. He earned a Masters of Divinity from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans and graduated with honors. During his studies, he produced the Notre Dame Vesperal. He earned an M.A. in Liturgical Studies from the Liturgical Institute in Mundelein, where he graduated with honors and completed his thesis “Ceremonial Worship: On the Place of Non-Verbal Action in the Right Worship of God”. Fr. Aaron is currently a Ph.D Candidate with Universität Wien (Austria), writing in Liturgical Theology. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Society for Catholic Liturgy and has written for Antiphon, the Adoremus Bulletin, the Priest Magazine, and the Mississippi Catholic.