Following the example of our patron Saint Stephen, we are called to be witnesses of God's love and to be a faith-filled, reconciling parish.
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| Brief History of Saints Mary and Joseph Parish |
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In 1767, when Clement Delor de Treget founded the village of
Carondelet, the majority of settlers were French Catholics
and Mass was said in private homes. Although a plot of ground
(the hill top at Holly Hills and Minnesota) had been set aside
for religious use, it was not until 1818 that the first mission
log church was built by Father Felix de Andreis. This log building
was made of materials from the old wooden cathedral in St. Louis,
when it was torn down and replaced by a brick cathedral.
In 1835 a church was built, when Father Edmond Saulnier was Pastor, and in 1859 a brick church was erected, when Father Philip Hendricks was Pastor. Due to exensive wind damage to the church of 1859, the present church structure was built in 1941 when Monsignor George Keating was Pastor. Originally the parish was named "Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Joseph of the Angels". In 1841 it was shortened to Sts. Mary and Joseph. Sts. Mary and Joseph is the oldest religious congregation in Carondelet, with records dating back to 1821. Baptism, marriage, and funeral records were written in French until 1858. Afterwards, they were written in Latin until 1868, when they then recorded in English. In 2005, the Sts. Mary and Joseph parish was folded into the Saint Stephen Protomartyr parish as a result of parish mergers in the south St. Louis city and North county areas of the diocese. The Sts. Mary and Joseph church now serves as a chapel to the Saint Stephen Protomartyr parish. |
| History of Saints Mary and Joseph Church Buildings |
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1818
In 1818 the first Church was erected. "The Church was a log cabin built on the northeast corner of the west half of the block. In this Church the Reverend Felix de Andreis, the first Vicar General of St. Louis, placed the first post. A touch of romance is found in this early Carondelet structure, for it was built from the material of the old wooden Cathedral in St. Louis that was torn down to be replaced by a brick church on the Cathedral site. The wood was brought down the river to Carondelet and the staunch timbers and siding were still strong enough to endure several decades". 1835 "Situated on the highest ground in the village. The Church is of stone, and was built about six years ago, to replace a former one of logs, which fell down. It is surmounted by a belfry, containing the first 'Church going bell the valleys and rocks ever heard,' in the county of St. Louis; the bell having originally belonged to the first Catholic house of worship ever built in the city of St. Louis. The Church is simple in the extreme; its white-washed walls are adorned with scriptural engravings in black frames; and its unpainted pews are numbered in chalk; but the very simplicity of its appearance, and the solemn murmurs of its eighty humble worshippers, all kneeling at once in prayer, filled us with a holy reverence, which all the pomp and display of a most majestic cathedral has failed to inspire". (Description of the Church by J. C. Wild - 1841) 1858 On May 29, 1858, the cornerstone of a third church was laid, the great orator, Father Patrick J. Ryan, later Archbishop of Philadelphia, preaching the sermon. Father Ryan was then the Vicar General of St. Louis and Pastor of the Old Cathedral. The priest who built this church was Father Philip Lawrence Henrick. The third church was built of brick and for 78 years served the spiritual needs of Carondelet. 1940 The present Sts. Mary and Joseph's church building is considered one of the most beautiful and thoroughly constructed churches in the city of St. Louis. It is the British village chapel type with a touch of Norman leaning toward Gothic architecture. The columns and arches are of bedford Indiana limestone and this item alone makes it one of the few churches of the Archdiocese of St. Louis with stone columns and stone arches. The entire ceiling of the inner church is of exposed timber. The entrance has been built of Wisconsin Lannon stone trimmed with Bedford limestone. Archbishop John J. Glennon laid the cornerstone on September 22, 1940. |
| Recent Bulletins |
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· November 16 |
| New to the Site |
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· PTO Trivia Night: 09/14 |
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Saint Stephen Protomartyr Catholic Church 3949 Wilmington Avenue St. Louis, Missouri 63116 (314) 481-1133 www.saintstephenstl.org |