Our beautiful gothic style sanctuary began from humble beginnings to service the needs of poor immigrants of the Pinch District.
In 1852 fearing war and escaping military conscription, many Germans fled their homeland and settled in Memphis. Many spoke little english so they began working to form a german parish. In 1860 Reverend Wencelaus Reisin a dioscean priest was sent to Memphis to serve them. The first mass was said in a little house on the corner of Second and Market.
In 1864 the present site was purchased and a two story frame house already on the property was used as a temporary church, school and parsonage. The house stood where the current Lourdes Grotto is located. In early October of that year, the cornerstone of St. Marys Church of the Immaculate Conception was laid. On October 30, 1870 the church was dedicated by Bishop Feehan of Nashville. The building and its gothic revival was designed by James B. Cook, a noted architect of the time.
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. Students ranged in age from fourteen to thirty and came from all over the city. She was first again in 1912 with a kindergarten for children four to six years of age.
While St. Marys was the second parish formed in Memphis, it has always been first in the hearts of many throughout the city. It has ranked first in many achievements including the soup kitchen which has fed thousands and thousands of people throughout its history. St. Marys has always relied upon the strength of the lord in its mission and its blessed mother continues to intercede for us. When the original German population had almost completely moved away by the turn of the century, the Italians and the Irish took their place. When even they moved away, some of the descendents of the original families began to return from all over the city to worship.
Today people from the entire city, together with some from Arkansas and Mississippi, regularly attend St. Marys. With the continuing emphasis on rebuilding downtown Memphis and our recent renovation and expansion project, the future of St. Marys looks very bright.