VERY REVEREND DENNIS CARVER, RECTOR

I am very blessed to serve the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary community of faith in the role of rector.  It excites me to be part of a Catholic Faith legacy that stems back to 1843 yet continues to strive to provide a faith experience that is relevant to the twenty-first century.  I have the highest respect for the Office of Bishop made sacramentally manifest in his Cathedral Church.  As Tradition teaches us, made manifest in Sacred Scripture, it is the bishop who holds the fullness of the priesthood in which I, the regular priest, share.  Thus, my service as rector outwardly demonstrates my understanding of collaboration and the priestly pledge of obedience made on the day of my ordination.  Being a native of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, I have a familial love for the Cathedral’s parishioners who live so well the multi-cultural sea-side values of South Mississippi.
 
I am a native of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi who grew up in the solid faith of my parents and the community of Our Lady of the Gulf Parish.  My entire education is from Catholic Schools having attended St. Joseph’s Academy, Our Lady of the Gulf Elementary School, St. Stanislaus College, Loyola University, and Notre Dame Seminary.  I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Music, a Master’s Degree in Divinity, and post-graduate certification in Ignatian based Spiritual Direction.  I was admitted into the St. Stanislaus Hall of Fame in 2015.
 
I was ordained to the priesthood in 1994.  I have pastored Sacred Heart Church in Dedeaux and St. Paul Parish in Pass Christian.  With the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, I became the founding pastor of Holy Family Parish which comprised the merged parishes of St. Paul and Our Lady of Lourdes in Pass Christian.  During this time, I served as the co-founding pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School in Long Beach, Mississippi.  I have assisted our three diocesan bishops in the work of Presbyteral Council membership, Vocations Director, membership on the Bishop’s Board of Consulters, Diocesan School Advisory Board, and Chair of the Priest Personnel Committee.  I have assisted Notre Dame Seminary in Spiritual Direction and I teach several classes for men in formation to the deaconate.
 
I give thanks to Almighty God for the gift of priesthood, delighting in sharing my service to the Lord with others.

DEACON JOHNNY WILLIAMS

My name is Deacon Johnny Williams and for the past 27 years, my wife Sondra and I have been parishioners here at the Cathedral.  For many of those years, we served primarily in music ministry in both the Cathedral Choir and with the Adult Contemporary Choir.  In 2015, I answered the call from God to discern for the Permanent Diaconate Program, and after a four year formation period, I received the Sacrament of Holy Orders on June 22, 2019 here in my home parish.  I was blessed to have been assigned to the Cathedral as a deacon and have begun to grow and to learn in this new role of service to the Church.
 
Sondra and I have two daughters and a son who received many of their sacraments at Nativity.  We have been blessed with two sons-in-law and a daughter-in-law, along with four grandsons, and I can truly say that being a grandparent is one of my greatest blessings!  I hold both a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Social Work and I am licensed by the State of Mississippi as a Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW).  Since 2001, I have been employed with Memorial Hospital at Gulfport as a medical social worker, Coordinator of Customer Relations, and most recently as Director of Patient/Customer Satisfaction.
 
Ministry in the Church is sometimes challenging, but always rewarding.  It is amazing to have the opportunity to share my faith with others, and so awesome to see them grow in faith and in love as they encounter the living God through the Scriptures, the Liturgy, and through their personal encounters with the individual members of the Mystical Body of Christ.  I thank God for placing me here at the Cathedral on my faith journey with a such a wonderful group of faithful and loving people. 

SISTER MARY JACQUELINE TARRANT, R.S.M., PASTORAL ASSOCIATE

A native of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Sister Mary Jacqueline Tarrant, R.S.M., was born in Biloxi and grew up just a block south of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  She attended Sacred Heart Academy/High School and upon graduation entered the Sisters of Mercy Novitiate on September 8, 1959.  Sr. Jackie professed her vows in 1962 and 1967.
 
Sr. Jackie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and a Master of Arts in Elementary Administration.  She attained her Certification of Spiritual Direction from Springhill College in Mobile, Alabama.  Putting her vocation, knowledge, and love of God in service to others, Sr. Jackie taught for five years at Holy Name of Jesus, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and St. Alphonsus, all located in New Orleans, Louisiana.  From there she spent time teaching at St. Joseph Junior/Senior High in Greenville, Mississippi before returning to Biloxi to teach at her alma mater, Sacred Heart Girls High School.  After a four-year stint in Biloxi, Sr. Jackie spent the next 10 years as an administrator at St. Patrick in Meridian, Mississippi.  She then moved to St. Francis Xavier in Vicksburg, John Carroll in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Immaculate Conception in Laurel before returning to the Coast in 2001. 

Upon her return, Sr. Jackie worked as Campus Minister/Pastoral Associate at St. Paul School/St. Vincent/Holy Family Parish.  She is the Director of the Mercy Associate Program for Mercy Community, and spent many years teaching parish CCD programs and Vacation Bible Schools.  Sr. Jackie has been involved in Faculty Staff retreats, children retreats and adult retreats for the Mercy Associate Program, Mercy Community, and RCIA. 
 
Sr. Jackie came home to Nativity B.V.M. in November 2015 and serves our cathedral parish in a number of capacities.  In a wonderful short story written to the parishioners upon her arrival, Sr. Jackie shared her mission:  “Together we can inspire each other, strengthen our faith, share our values, and bring hope into the lives of those we waken, worship with, and welcome.  This is what Christ impels all of us toward.”

TERRY MADDOX, M.M., MINISTER OF MUSIC & DIRECTOR OF FINE ARTS

A native of Indiana, Terry received his Bachelor of Science in Music and Religion with an emphasis in organ performance from the University of Evansville.  He also attended Harlaxton College of Grantham, England.  Mr. Maddox received a full fellowship and assistantship from Loyola University of New Orleans, Louisiana, where he earned a Masters of Music in Choral Conducting.  He is married to Rebecca Rasmussen Maddox, a former politician, a singer, jeweler, and artist.  

During a span of twelve years of his career, Mr. Maddox served as an educator for three private Christian school systems in the position of Director of Fine and Performing Arts.  He has directed the Honor Chorus for youth from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lower Alabama with his wife, Rebecca, for nine years.  For the past fifteen years, Mr. Maddox served as an Adjunct Professor of Spring Hill College’s Choral and Music Education programs, and conducts studio education programs of music instruction.  In the spring of 2007 and again in March of 2009, Mr. Maddox prepared and led a large choral group to Carnegie Hall.  The 2007 program was a presentation of Faure’s Requiem Mass.  In 2009, with nearly 100 area residents performing or sharing in the experience, Mr. Maddox conducted John Rutter’s Requiem Mass which was performed as the featured evening program in a near capacity Isaac Stern Auditorium.  

Mr. Maddox has led several “Choir Trips with Friends” to Europe, visiting and singing in Italy, Austria, France, and the Czech Republic.  During Mr. Maddox’s career he has had the privilege and opportunity to work with regional and national artists, including Marcia Ball, Kermit Ruffins, Jeremy Davenport, Teresa Anderson, John Boutte, Allen Toussaint, Irma Thomas, Dr. Michael White, Paul Schaefer of NBC’s David Letterman Show, the Walter Wolfman Washington Trio, and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band of New Orleans, LA.  In May 2017, Terry joined the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Minister of Music and Director of Fine Arts.

TRACI KESSLER, PRINCIPAL, NATIVITY B.V.M. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Traci Kessler is a Biloxi native and has been a Nativity Cathedral parishioner for many years.  She attended Nativity B.V.M. Elementary School as a child and graduated from Mercy Cross High School.  Traci holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Mississippi University for Women, a Master’s degree in Mild/Moderate Disabilities from William Carey College, and a Specialist Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Traci began her career in Columbus, Mississippi where she taught 3^rd and 5^th graders.  She then moved back home to Biloxi where she worked for Biloxi Schools for thirteen years as a 3^rd grade teacher and an Academic Strategist.

In 2011, Traci married Michael Kessler, also a Biloxi native.  Being married to an active-duty U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer, Traci had the opportunity to live in San Diego, Northern Virginia, and Hampton Roads Virginia.  She was blessed to be able to return to Catholic education in 2013 when she worked as a Kindergarten and then resource teacher at All Saints Catholic School, in Manassas, Virginia.  Upon Michael’s retirement in 2016, Traci and her husband returned to Biloxi.

Traci is an active member of Nativity Cathedral parish. Currently, she is an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist.  In the past, Traci volunteered at the rectory and was a substitute CCD teacher. She was an active volunteer at Naval Services FamilyLine in Washington, D.C. and Merit Health Hospital in Biloxi.  Traci is honored and blessed to be able to continue her career where her education began.
 
GREG & PENNY PAYNE, R.C.I.A. COORDINATORS

Greg and Penny Payne are residents of Biloxi and have been lifetime residents of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.   A program specialist at Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District, Greg is currently the State Director for the Mississippi Council of SHRM.  He is also on the Advisory Board for the Junior Leadership Program of Harrison County.  A nationally certified paralegal, Penny works for Walter Dukes of Dukes, Dukes, Keating & Faneca, P.A.  She is a graduate of the New Wine program and a former CCD teacher.



As converts, both Greg and Penny found a love for the RCIA Program.  They are currently the RCIA Coordinators for Nativity B.V.M. Cathedral Parish.  They also serve as Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, members of the Liturgical and Spiritual Life Committee, and are Ministers of the Sick.  

Greg and Penny are volunteers for the Gulf Coast Women’s Center for Non-Violence, the Harrison County Youth Court Children’s Shelter, and are very involved with local political endeavors, as well as other civic and professional organizations.

JACKIE HEWITT, OFFICE MANAGER

I was born and raised in the small town of Bassfield, Mississippi.  My family attended St. Peter’s Catholic Church throughout my childhood.  I was married to Arthur Hewitt (d.) and lived in Hattiesburg, Mississippi for over 20 years.  We had three wonderful children together and one adorable granddaughter.  In 2005, my husband was offered a wonderful job here on the Coast, helping the poor and under-privileged people with legal assistance.  I worked with the Biloxi Public School District for five years until my daughter was diagnosed with terminal cancer.  She lived with me for the next year and I was blessed to be able to stay home and care for her during her last year on earth.  I became secretary/office manager at Nativity B.V.M. Cathedral in June of 2014. It has been an honor and blessing to work with such devoted and giving people.