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Mercy Cross Day CenterPlease help serve our community by offering a gift to Catholic Charities' Mercy Cross Center, in support of our brothers and sisters who are in great need.
CONTACT MERCY CROSS: 228-220-4629 -
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Thank you for sharing your gifts with our brothers and sisters in need of help in our communities.
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THE HISTORY OF THE MERCY CROSS
The Location of Mercy Cross Day Center was originally Mercy Cross High School, a private, Roman Catholic high school in Biloxi, Mississippi, founded in 1981. It was the merger of two other high schools in Biloxi, Sacred Heart High School and Notre Dame High School. The name, Mercy Cross, was derived from the Sisters of Mercy and the Brothers of the Holy Cross, who taught students at schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Biloxi for decades.
After receiving extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, classes at Mercy Cross High School were temporarily relocated while construction began on a new school. It was permanently replaced by St. Patrick Catholic High School in Biloxi in August 2007. All that remained of Mercy Cross was the gym and field house.
In 2017, when Bishop Kihneman was installed as Bishop of Biloxi he immediately recognized a need for a ministry to serve those without homes in the south Mississippi elements. The need for this center really hit home for Bishop in 2022 when eight members of our community died from heat exposure.“That was the final motivation for me to get this project up and going so that we do not lose any more members of our community due to excessive heat."
Planning began. Holding on to the history of it's location....the new project became known as the Mercy Cross Day Center.
Bishop Kihneman, alongside Catholic Charities Director Jennifer Williams, worked with the staff of the Diocese of Biloxi, Catholic Charities and many other volunteers to transform the Mercy Cross High School gym. Together, they developed operational plans, assembled a specialized staff, and secured the volunteers and resources necessary to bring the center to life. The original plan was for it to be a basic resource center with respite from the elements, meals, showers, and laundry.Before the center was even done, they began serving the community in any way they could. Welcoming them out of the elements and providing meals with the help of other non-profit organizations.The Mercy Cross Day Center officially opened on May 28, 2024.The team at Mercy Cross began their mission with a simple but powerful goal: to create a place that affirms the dignity of every person in our community. Today, they offer far more resources than they ever imagined possible, serving those in need with compassion, respect, and hope.
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Mercy cross Statistics526 Guests Registered
136 Guests moved off the streetsWhere are they now?56 Housed46 Moved out of State on their own18 Gone to Rehab16 Entered Inpatient or Institutionalized Care3 Have Passed Away
What on-site services does the Mercy Cross have available?- Breakfast and Lunch, third meal to-go
- Psychiatric Services
- Case management
- Medical Services
- Internet and Phone Access
- Addiction Recovery Groups
- Showers
- Mailing address
- Laundry
- Computer Skills and Other Job Training
- Safe Napping Place
- Bible Study
- Overnight Recovery from Surgery
- Opportunity to volunteer to serve others
- Meeting spaces for agencies to work with guests
- Counseling and Support groups
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"Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me"
Matthew 25:40
