By Joanna Puddister King
CANTON – Father Guy Wilson, ST, has been nominated by the Diocese of Jackson for Catholic Extension Society’s 2026-2027 Lumen Christi Award, the organization’s highest honor.
Since 1978, the annual award has recognized individuals, groups and institutions whose service radiates and reveals the light of Christ in the communities they serve. This year, bishops from 46 dioceses across the United States submitted nominations highlighting spiritual care, compassionate service and self-sacrifice.
“The Lumen Christi Award is a real-time window into the incredible impact of people of faith in America,” said Father Jack Wall, president of Catholic Extension Society. “Born out of their love for God, the dedication of these nominees to the good of the Church and the good of their neighbors should make us all proud to be Catholic.”

Father Wilson, 74, has served as a priest for 47 years in a variety of cultures and communities. He currently serves as pastor of two historically Black Catholic parishes in Camden and Canton – Sacred Heart and Holy Child Jesus – where his ministry brings together pastoral care, community development and outreach across racial, cultural and denominational lines.
Music remains a defining part of parish life at both churches, whose choirs carry forward a tradition shaped in part by Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, a Canton native whose cause for canonization is under consideration by the Vatican. Father Wilson is also collaborating with the Diocese of Jackson as it prepares for a future shrine honoring Sister Thea.
His ministry extends to Canton’s growing Latino population through bilingual programming and diocesan gatherings, including youth activities and three-day retreats for Spanish-speaking men and women.
Father Wilson has also developed ecumenical partnerships in a region where Catholics make up a small percentage of the population. His “Pray and Play” initiative brings together Catholic, Baptist and evangelical communities through a faith-based youth basketball program. Participants commit to attending Sunday worship, and tournaments begin and end with prayer.
Through the Sacred Heart Family Center in Camden, Father Wilson oversees food distribution programs, daily meals for seniors and adults with special needs, and summer nutrition assistance for children.
Other community efforts on parish property include a health clinic serving an aging population with limited access to care and the Theresa Day Care Center, the only childcare facility within 30 miles. Father Wilson is also working to address the area’s shortage of affordable housing, with a long-range vision of building 40 homes on church-owned land.
The nomination describes a ministry encompassing the liturgical, cultural, social and developmental needs of the community – work that strengthens faith while building relationships among historically divided communities.
“Please keep Father Guy in your prayers throughout this process,” said Rebecca Harris, director of Stewardship and Development for the Diocese of Jackson. “We are grateful for his faithful ministry and the many ways he serves the people of our diocese. We pray that God will continue to bless his work and guide him in the days ahead.”
Catholic Extension Society expects to announce the award finalists later this summer and select the national honoree in the fall. Each finalist will receive $15,000 to support and expand their ministry. The national recipient will receive $50,000, with an additional $50,000 awarded to the nominating diocese.