Cover photo: Happeners gather for a group photo in the courtyard of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral at Happening #100

On March 6, 2026, high school students from every corner of the Diocese of Mississippi convened at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in downtown Jackson for a weekend known as Happening.

Happening is a Christian retreat that has now inspired generations of Episcopalians all over the country to engage more deeply with their faith and explore their personal spirituality. For many who’ve been through the program, it remains one of the most profound experiences of their lives long into adulthood.

Happening is very special.

This particular Happening was extra special, however. The moving talks, faith walks, and super-secret surprises were all there, same as always. But, for Happening in Mississippi, this particular weekend marked a milestone. This was Happening #100, and this group of high school students were following in the footsteps of Happening #1, which took place in those same hallways February 22-24, 1980, 46 years earlier.

In the early years, what was then often referred to as “The Bishop’s Happening” came to Mississippi via the Rev. Robert G. Certain, rector of Trinity, Yazoo City, with the help of the Rev. Joseph D. Rowland of All Saints’, Grenada. Those priests served as the first spiritual directors of Happening in Mississippi, with Jo G. Prichard of Yazoo city as the lay coordinator.

The Happening movement originated in Dallas, Texas, and had only been around for 4 years, yet around a third of Episcopal dioceses had already joined. When Mississippi reached out, Certain, Rowland, and Prichard were invited to attend a weekend in San Antonio to observe. Once the program was approved by Bishop Duncan M. Gray, Jr., a team of teens and adults from the Diocese of Southwest Texas, led by teen Rector Curt Christian, came to Mississippi to lead that inaugural Happening weekend at the Cathedral.

In the years since, the Diocese of Mississippi has had the honor of providing that same service to the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast in the Florida Panhandle and south Alabama, the Mississippi United Methodist Conference, and the Lutheran Church in Mississippi. All of these groups still maintain active Happening movements today. The Gulf Coast is on #68 while the Methodists have reached a whopping #108!

In addition to Certain and Rowland, the Rev. Ernie Saik, the Rev. Meredith Spencer, the Rev. John Gibson, the Rev. Stennis Watson, the Rev. Rob Nichols and the Rev. (later to be Bishop) Kee Sloan were active as spiritual directors for these first Happening weekends. Among the lay adults helping orchestrate the early weekends were Prichard and his wife Mary Nell; Nell Temple and Barbara Pritchard of Trinity, Hattiesburg; Jim and Martha Petty of Laurel; Doug Singletary of St. Peter’s Gulfport; Nathan Duncan of Tupelo; Marian Dulaney (Fortner) prior to her ordination; Linda Nelson of All Saints’, Jackson; and a host of others.

Among the Mississippi teens who were active in leading the initial Mississippi Happening weekends were Steven and Lenzy Fisher; Charles Fowler; Mallory and Liz Yerger of St. James’ Jackson; Kyle Bennett and Nick Gault of Columbus; Karen and Kevin Baker of Tupelo; Tom Black of Yazoo City; Alice and Jim Pritchard and Tony Green of Hattiesburg; Elizabeth and Parker Wheatley; Charlie Deaton; Kristen and Guy Williams from Greenwood; Andrew Smith; Marty Nelson; Cindy Gavette; Lisa Dowdle; Chris McMillan and others from All Saints’, Jackson; Paul and Rhea Hill and Buddy Turpin of Brookhaven; Amanda Ellis and Jane Tetley of Grenada; Sheri Lee; Marine Bruner (Pace); Frank Burdette and Henry Furr from the Coast; Anne Workman and Reynolds Cheney from Greenville; the now Rev. Paige Ford (Fisher) of Jackson; Mundise Mortimer from Brandon; Bliss Joyner; Charley Belote; and the Guest family from Canton.

Prichard remained as coordinator for the first 16 Happenings in Mississippi, from 1980-1986, and still remembers that time fondly and enthusiastically.

“I believe that Happening has offered our teenagers the opportunity to be a part of extremely positive and affirming peer groups that have supported their journeys in faith and toward adulthood,” says Prichard. “It has been a great inspiration and blessing to work with so many Happeners and the parishes that hosted our Happening weekends! It’s something I’ll treasure forever!”

His son, Gibson Prichard, also got deeply into Happening.

“Since my father had been closely involved with Happening since its inception, I had some understanding about what to expect, but there were many things that came as a complete surprise to me,” says the younger Prichard. “I think I felt warm and loved and appreciated for who I was as a person, which was a new feeling for me at the time. Teenage years can be difficult and the joy and acceptance I found at Happening continues to illumine my life over 40 years later.”

Jo G. Prichard was the first in a line of devoted coordinators for Happening, which have through the years included Richard Lawrence, Chuck Culpepper (just prior to attending seminary), Cecil Fox, Jason Woodcock, Jennifer Deaton (also as a prelude to seminary), Nick Gault, Ann Marie Schott, Deanna Alford, and the Rev. Carrie Duncan.

The experiences of Happeners across the decades are strikingly similar and positive, highlighting the impact of the weekends. Lhay Browning Thriffiley, who attended #15 and #18 in 1986 and ’87, remembers them as profound.

“I was blown away by the love I felt there,” she says. “The focus was on showing love through action, rather than lecturing from a pulpit, which was how my religious experience had been up to then. I was also amazed that it seemed to be totally led and run by teenagers like me.”

Alongside the main Happening program, Happening Reunions, where past Happeners get together for fellowship as well as to offer clandestine support to the new Happeners, began occurring as early as 1983 or ’84.

In 1995, the demand for Happening grew so strong that a third weekend per year was added. In addition to providing opportunities for more young people to attend, the summer Happening was intentionally kept smaller to allow smaller parishes the chance to host. Over the years since, the summer Happening has been held some years and others not, in response to the number of youth hoping to attend.

Happening #50 came around in the fall of 2001, with St. Paul’s, Meridian, serving as host parish.

Happenings #90 and #91 found themselves sandwiched between two of the biggest obstacles the movement has faced. The 89th installment turned out to be the last for one of the program’s most devoted supporters, the Rev. Chuck Culpepper, who died unexpectedly in the summer of 2019. At Happening #90, the lack of Chuck’s presence was profoundly felt, though the spirit of Happening lived on. Only two weeks after the weekend of Happening #91, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Happening #92, scheduled for the fall of 2020, would not take place until the spring of 2022.

The post-COVID recovery was impressive, and much credit goes to Alford and Duncan, as well as to Diocesan Youth Coordinator Whitney Robinson. Smaller gatherings in 2022 and 2023 eased the program back into shape, and to make up for the loss of institutional knowledge, college-aged former youth were brought in to lead the weekends before turning them back over to the high schoolers. The weekends are now back to running at full capacity.

With 100 Happenings in the rearview mirror, the movement looks ahead toward the next 100, ready as ever to “Follow the Way,” in the words of the Happening song sung at closing services each weekend.

“I feel like Happening was where I met the spirit of God,” says Thriffiley. “Prior to that I had been in churches and I had learned about God, but it was so personal when I went to Happening. And several of those people have become deep, lifelong friends. I hope that many who came after me had the same experience that I had.”