Father Jesus is selling his once-condemned Mississippi castle. The price? $1 million
A Gulfport man who legally changed his name to Father Jesus in 2018 has listed his home for sale on Facebook for close to $1 million. The house was recently renovated to include a plywood facade meant to resemble a castle.
Father Jesus is a figure with a controversial history on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and his house has been condemned previously due to multiple violations.
Father Jesus, born Harold Ray Laster, Jr. is originally from Detroit but now resides in Gulfport. After his name change, Father Jesus announced that he wanted to build a church in the shape of a castle on a vacant lot on Alabama Ave. in North Gulfport. The Gulfport Planning Commission originally denied his zoning request, but he was granted the necessary permits in 2020 to build a plywood castle facade over his own residence on 11th Street near Island View Casino.
The city condemned his home after additions were made to include castle-like battlements on both stories. Father Jesus was charged with operating a boarding house without a license in Dec. 2021. Gulfport police also cited unsafe living conditions as well as fire and building code violations.
The residence was condemned after police found a body of a 40-year-old man inside of his room in the castle. Gulfport Police Sgt. Jason DuCré said no foul play was involved, and Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer said the death was not suspicious.
It’s been about 10 months since then, and Father Jesus is now selling his five-bedroom, two-bathroom estate for $997,783. The listing hit Facebook on Sept. 23 and has garnered many shares and comments.
The photos show the plywood additions as well as some rooms inside of the home. Father Jesus himself is seen in the mirror in one of the photos.
The average home sale price for the week of October 10 was $215,000 in Harrison County, according to data from Redfin.
Father Jesus told the Sun Herald that he is giving people the option to buy him out, after which he will build somewhere else outside of Mississippi.
“People want to get us out of the city. I want to see if people will put their money where their mouth is,”’ Father Jesus said.
Father Jesus is selling his estate on his own, without the help of a Realtor, and said that he isn’t planning on coming down on the price. He said that the wealthy against him will follow him wherever he goes, and so having more money from the sale will give him the needed resources to rebuild in a bigger city.
“I’ve had about 20 people express interest in the castle and ask for more information,” Father Jesus said. “We will definitely rebuild the castle, likely in Atlanta, Georgia.”
Before controversy surrounding his house erupted in Gulfport, Father Jesus was known for founding a church called The Saints of the Most High, for which he has a Facebook fan page.
Some of his past YouTube videos have gotten over 1 million views and have prompted mixed reactions. His videos have shown scenes such as women kneeling and kissing his feet, and him petting women and dogs. He claims to have had a revelation when he was a child that he was the embodiment of Christ, which is why he underwent his name change and attempted to open his own church.
Sun Herald reporter Anita Lee contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 31, 2022 at 3:25 PM.