MS Moments 306 Father Peter Quinn - Deacons of Defense

Father Peter Quinn was the priest of Hattiesburg’s only black Catholic Church, Holy Rosary, during the Civil Rights movement.  Taking a leadership position in the movement made him a frequent target. He was protected by a group called the Deacons of Defense.

 Quinn recalls being shot at as he left Vernon Dahmer’s house one evening. He also recounts when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. took a nap at his home ten days before his assassination.