Diocese mourns sudden passing of Father Martin J. Gillespie, 68
Father Martin Gillespie, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Woolmarket, died unexpectedly
on September 5 at the age of 68. Photo/Kelly Brody
By Terry Dickson
BILOXI – The Diocese of Biloxi is mourning the unexpected passing of Father Martin J. Gillespie, 68, whose death on September 5 sent shockwaves throughout the diocese.
A visitation will be held from 4 pm to 6 pm on Monday, September 14, 2026 at St. Mary Catholic Church. A Rosary Vigil will follow at 6 pm. On Tuesday, September 15, 2026 a Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 am at St. Mary Catholic Church. Friends are invited to visit one hour prior. Interment will follow at Biloxi City Cemetery. Bradford O’Keefe Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.
Just a few weeks before his death, Father Gillespie, who was affectionately known as “Father G,” had visited the offices of the Gulf Pine Catholic, where he reflected on the future and what life might look like when he reached the retirement age of 70.
At the time, there was no indication his life and ministry would soon come to an unexpected end. His recent conversation now carries poignant significance to those who knew him and experienced his faithful service to the Church.
“Father Gillespie served the Church in the Diocese of Biloxi faithfully as a native son for 26 years,” said Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III, who visited St. Mary Parish on the morning of Father Gillespie’s passing. “He loved serving the Church as a priest and had a deep love of Christ and a special devotion to Mary, the Mother of God.
“His work with the special needs community was a great witness of Christ’s love,” Bishop Kihneman continued. “He gave of himself to the whole faith community and especially to fostering the faith among the youth through encouraging devotion to prayer, sacramental life and devotion to our Lady. We lift Fr. G. Up in prayer. May he rest in the Peace of Christ.”
The shock of Father Gillespie’s death weighed heavily on his parish as its faithful gathered for the Saturday Vigil Mass on the evening of his death, remembering a priest who had accompanied them through many of life’s most important moments.
“We are all shocked with the passing of Father Marty,” said Father Adam Urbaniak, vicar general of the Diocese of Biloxi, who celebrated the Mass. “Every tear is a demonstration of that love for a caring pastor.”
Father Urbaniak reminded parishioners just how deeply Father Gillespie had become part of their lives.
“You heard his voice from this ambo. You saw him standing at this altar,” he said. “He celebrated your Masses, heard your confessions, and anointed the sick. He baptized your children, witnessed marriages, and buried your loved ones. He prayed with you. He accompanied you in your faith.”
While acknowledging the pain of Father Gillespie’s death, Father Urbaniak reminded the congregation that grief is not contrary to Christian faith.
“Grief is not a failure of faith, nor are your tears,” he said. “We grieve precisely because we love.”
But death, he added, does not have the final word. “Jesus Christ does. He is the resurrection and the life.”
Reflecting on the priesthood, Father Urbaniak said its heart is a life offered in love and service. Each time a priest celebrates Mass, he speaks Christ’s words, “This is my Body, given up for you.” Over time, he said, those words are meant to become the pattern of a priest’s own life.
“They (those words) become ours: given for you,” Father Urbaniak said. “That was the life of Father Marty: given up for you.”
As the parish begins life without its familiar pastor, Father Urbaniak encouraged its congregants to remember that Christ remains at the center of the community.
“Father Marty served Him. I serve Him. The next priest who comes here will serve him, too,” he said. “But Christ is in the center.”
The best way to honor Father Gillespie’s legacy, he concluded, is by living the faith he proclaimed.
“Perhaps the greatest tribute you can offer your pastor is not simply to say that he was a great priest,” Father Urbaniak said. “The greatest tribute would be to allow something he preached, something he taught, something he did in his ministry, to draw you one step closer to Jesus Christ.”
Father Gillespie was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Joseph Lawson Howze on May 20, 2000.
He served as parochial vicar of St. Alphonsus Parish in Ocean Springs and St. Paul Parish in Pass Christian.
One of the most, if not the most, defining chapters of Father Gillespie’s priesthood came during his brief time at St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland. He had been assigned to St. Clare only a few months before Hurricane Katrina struck the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005. The storm devastated Waveland and destroyed St. Clare’s church, elementary school and rectory.
In the difficult months that followed, Father Gillespie helped lead his parish through uncertainty and devastation. He worked to secure assistance and supplies for the parish and its school, including helping arrange a donated school bus and school supplies for St. Clare’s children.
When Bishop Thomas Rodi gave permission for St. Clare to rebuild on its original beachfront site, Father Gillespie spoke of the decision as a sign of faith and hope. The parish, he said, had deep roots in Waveland.
His ministry there came at a time when the community had lost so much. Yet amid the destruction, Father Gillespie helped remind his parishioners that what mattered most could not be washed away by the storm: their faith, their community and their hope for the future.
In January 2006, Father Gillespie was appointed pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Columbia and St. Paul the Apostle Mission in Tylertown.
“My daddy, who had not been to church in 30 years, came to church to hear Father Gillespie,” Jessica Martin, who attended Holy Trinity from 2005 to 2021, said. “My sister drove over an hour every Sunday to come to Mass because of Father Gillespie.
“Father Gillespie baptized my daughter, and she received first communion from him. They had a close bond. Father Gillespie visited my daughter in the hospital and bought her a bear with a Notre Dame t-shirt on.”
Martin further recounted how Father Gillespie always answered the phone and was always there if you needed him.
“Father Gillespie had a great knowledge of the Church and was always willing to teach,” Martin continued. “He also came to the hospital when my brother died to anoint him. Father Gillespie was a great priest, and I am honored to have had him as my priest and friend.”
In January 2020, Father Gillespie was appointed pastor of St. Mary Parish in Woolmarket. Throughout his priesthood, Father Gillespie was a staunch supporter of youth ministry, accompanying youth groups to Washington D.C. for the March for Life and other events, such as Steubenville South.
While at St. Mary, Father Gillespie became heavily involved with the International Order of Alhambra, an international Catholic fraternal organization dedicated to assisting persons with intellectual disabilities. He served a term as its Supreme Chaplain.
Sharon Poulette, Grand Commander for Oran Caravan 67, said Father Gillespie “Loved Alhambra, our members, and all our Special Friends.”
“Father Gillespie was a tremendous blessing to our Alhambra Family,” Poulette continued. “He was always there for us with his spiritual guidance, wisdom, kindness, encouragement, a helping hand, and his beautiful, joyful spirit and loving heart.
“We loved him dearly and will carry his memory in our hearts, forever grateful for the gift of his priesthood, his deep faith, his friendship, and his loving service to Alhambra. And we will certainly miss him as our beloved Bingo Caller on Activity Days. No matter how busy Father was, he always found time to help, to encourage, to pray, or simply to be there for someone who needed him.”
Poulette believes Father Gillespie will be remembered most for having “such a wonderful way of making everyone feel loved and valued.”
“He celebrated Masses for our Special Friends with such love and dedication. Each Mass he celebrated with joy as if it were his first, and he lived each day as if it were his last.”
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