The History of the Catholic Church in Northwestern Jefferson County (House Springs Area):

The history of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish actual begins in the early 1800's with Irish Catholics settling in the area between the Meramec and the Big River. In 1844 the first parish to serve the settlers of this area was established by Bishop Kenrick, the first Archbishop of St. Louis. The first church built to serve the new settlers was St. Patrick's of Down, located on the Meramec river about four miles south of Pacific. As the population of the area increased, St. Patrick's was no longer centrally located. 

A new St. Patrick's was built, as well as the church of St. Columbkille (1850), which was a mission parish to St. Patrick, in the present House Springs area in Byrnesville. Initially, both churches were served and administered from St. Patrick's. 

In 1880 St. Columbkille received its first Pastor, Fr. William Gallagher; the House Springs area now was an independent parish.

The population of the area continued to grow and new parishes emerged. By the turn of the century, many Catholics from House Springs and High Ridge who had been attending Mass at St. Columbkille Catholic Church were now attending at St. John's Church in Rock Creek or St. Joseph's Church in Kimmswick.

In 1905, St. Philomena Catholic Church was built in House Springs as a mission of St. Columbkille Catholic Church. It remained a mission church until 1948.

During World War I (1918), Fr. Jeremiah Murphy Cawas was appointed to serve the two Byrnesville-House Springs parishes. He remained pastor until his retirement in 1955. Through the time of the two World Wars and the Great Depression, the population of St. Columbkille Catholic Church remained rather stable or decreased slightly, during the construction of Highway 30, giving easy access to St. Louis, which contributed to the development of subdivisions and a rapid expansion in the population of House Springs and St. Philomena Catholic Church.

Fr. Jeremiah Murphy remained at St. Columbkille Catholic Church until 1955, when Fr. Joseph O’Brien became pastor (in 1955). In 1957, Fr. O’Brien left for military service.

Fr. Joseph Dwyer came to St. Philomena Catholic Church, on April 23, 1948 and remained pastor until 1956. Therefore in 1948, there were Pastors at both St. Columbkille Catholic Church and St. Philomena Catholic Church. In 1956 Fr. James Curtin, became Pastor to St. Philomena Catholic Church. In 1957 he also became administrator of St. Columbkille, when Fr. O’Brien left for military service.

Fr. James Curtin remained resident pastor of St. Philomena's until the two parishes were merged in 1959.

On September 18,1959, it was announced that St. Philomena and St. Columbkille, would become one parish, the New St. Philomena Catholic Church.

On April 10, 1960, ground was broken for a new church. A new, larger church to accommodate the parishioners of the merged churches and intended to be the new St. Philomena's, was built on the present site. With the reorganization of the calendar of saints, the Church was dedicated by Joseph Cardinal Ritter on July 20, 1961 as Our Lady Queen of Peace.

On July 20, 1961 the dedication of the new Church with a new name - Our Lady Queen of Peace took place. In September 1961, Fr. Thomas Woracek, became the next pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church. 

Since its dedication in 1961, Our Lady Queen of Peace has served the needs of Catholics in a large area of Jefferson County. By the parish's Twenty Fifth Anniversary in 1986, an excellent parish school was operating and a large Parish School of Religion program was in place. Parish based service groups and faith formation groups were in place to nourish the spiritual needs of parishioners and take the spirit of Catholic faith at Our Lady Queen of Peace beyond our borders.

On March 30, 2003 the completion of the construction of the sanctuary added two wings onto the existing structure, which doubled the seating capacity from 300 to 600 people. Reverend Norb Ernst, Pastor, said the new sanctuary and other amenities generated a new spirit in the church as the parish prepared for Easter. The $2.2 million project was financed from a $300,000 gift from the St. Louis Archdiocese, $1.8 million raised by parish members and a loan.

There is a beautiful new gathering area which will also double as a cry room, a new elevator for the handicapped, a new restroom, a remodeled cafeteria below the church and new parking and landscaping outside. The baptismal font was made by a local artist, Todd Kinnikin of Byrnesville. It captures the surrounding environment. It is made from metal and rocks and has running water, which symbolizes life giving. The rocks and iron are in the shape of a tree and hills like there are in Jefferson County.

It is hard to discern the parts of the building that are new, and Ernst said that can be credited to the architect, who combined both elements flawlessly. “We love how the architect designed it. He added the new sections with the existing building. Many people say it looks like the original part of the building.” 

The lights are new and give artistic options with light which bring a beautiful prayerful atmosphere.

“We don’t just have a beautiful building” Ernst said. “The beautiful spirit of our congregation far exceeds the beauty of our building. The most important part of our parish or congregation is that we care about each other.” (Meramec Journal Vol. 36, Number 28; Sunday, April 6, 2003)

Our Lady Queen of Peace has moved into the new millennium and has celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2011.

Due to decreased enrollment, the parish school was forced to close its doors after the 2018-2019 school year.

The parish remains a vibrant community of faith, a caring family of believers, and a model of Christian Witness in Jefferson County and the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

Clergy at Our Lady Queen of Peace - Past & Present

Pastors

·      1961 Fr. James Curtin

·      1961-1972 Fr. Thomas Woracek

·      1972-1983 Fr. Robert L. Roedig

·      1983-1989 Fr Hubert E. Creason

·      1990-1990 Fr. Donald Heck

·      1991-2004 Msgr. Norbert A. Ernst

·      2004-2008 Fr. Ferdinand J. Wesloh

·      2008-2010 Fr. Patrick Christopher

·      2010-2016 Fr. Michael G. Murphy

·      2016-2023 Fr. Dennis C. Schmidt

       2023-Present Fr. Thomas C. Miller

Associate Pastors

·      1961 Fr. Raymond Kramer

·      1961-1964 No associate pastor

·      1964-1966 Fr. Albert Rehme

·      1966-1968 Fr. David Sullivan

·      1968-1972 Fr. George Garthoeffner

·      1972-1979 None - assisted by the Franciscan at Evergreen Hills

·      1979-1980 Fr. Donald Straub

·      1980-1986 Fr. Frederick Meyer

·      1986-1988 Fr. Donald R. Wester

·      1989-1995 Fr. Joseph G. Kempf

·      1995-2001 Fr. Larry T. Huber (1997-1999 Faculty at St.Pius X)

·      2001-2015 Rev. Donald F. Molitor (retired in 2009)

·      2009-2019 Rev. James T. Beighlie

       2023-Present Fr. John Reiker

Deacons

·      1986-1990 Deacon Fred Hirtz

·      1990-Present Deacon Thomas J. Gerling

·      2000-Present Deacon Paul J. Turek, Sr.

·      2001-2005 Deacon Frederick J. Mueller

July 9 is the feast of Our Lady of Peace

The original 500-year old statue of Our Lady of Peace enshrined in the Sacred Hearts Congregation’s convent chapel in Paris.

The story of Our Lady Queen of Peace begins with a certain Jean de Joyeuse, who presented the statue as a wedding gift to his young bride, Francoise e Voisins. Excluding its pedestal, the figure stands only 11 inches tall, and is fashioned in the Renaissance style of the period. Mary is depicted as a dignified Grecian matron with the Christ Child on her left arm and an olive branch in her right hand.

The statue was known as the “Virgin of Joyeuse” and became a cherished heirloom of the Joyeuse family through the years that followed. Our account of this little Madonna is derived from scattered historical conjectures.

In the 1570s, the statue was passed down to Henri Joyeuse, a grandson of Jean de Joyeuse. After Henri’s young wife Catherine died early in their marriage, Henri made a significant personal decision that would determine the destiny of the “Virgin of Joyeuse.” Around the year 1588, he joined the Capuchin Franciscans in Paris and, under the religious name Brother Ange, faithfully served this religious community for the remainder of his life.

When Henri entered the monastery, he brought the family statue with him. And here with the Capuchin community she would remain for the next 200 years.

Through these two centuries this sacred figure was venerated and invoked by the people of the region. With the olive branch in her hand and the Prince of Peace on her arm, she was acclaimed Notre Dame de Paix … Our Lady of Peace! Her popularity increased. In 1657 the Capuchin community erected a larger chapel to accommodate the growing number of faithful who sought her intercession. That year, before a large crowd which included King Louis XIV, the papal nuncio to France blessed and solemnly enthroned the Blessed Mother’s statue.

The date was July 9. Pope Alexander VII would later designate this date for the Capuchin community to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Peace.

The French Revolution, which erupted in 1789, added a major twist to the continuing saga of Our Lady of Peace. Amid the political upheaval the relentless attacks on the Catholic Church drove the Capuchin Franciscan monks from their monastery. They took with them their beloved Madonna to prevent her destruction by the ransacking rebels. Our Lady would quietly remain hidden throughout this chaotic period of France’s history.

When peace had been restored in the land, a certain pious woman, Madame Coipel, brought the statue out of hiding and entrusted it to her spiritual director, a priest in Paris. The priest gave the statue to a nun who, on May 6, 1806, enshrined it in a convent chapel in the Picpus district of Paris. The priest’s name was Father Marie-Joseph Pierre Coudrin and the nun was Mother Henriette Aymer de la Chevalerie. Together they were the co-founders, in the year 1800, of a community of sisters, brothers and priests — the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and the Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The members were also known more simply as the Picpus or Sacred Hearts religious.

The original statue of Our Lady of Peace was ceremonially crowned on July 9, 1906 by the Archbishop of Paris in the name of Pope Pius X. Every July 9 since then, the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary have celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Peace. During the troubled years of World War I, Pope Benedict XV added Our Lady of Peace to the Litany of Loreto, which is a sacred prayer. 

In 1954, during the Marian Year, another honor was bestowed on her. Our Lady of Peace, along with Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, both from Paris, were privileged to join the assembly of “crowned Virgins” of the world in a celebration at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Today the little Madonna continues to stand tall in a high niche of an elaborate shrine in the convent chapel on Rue de Picpus (Picpus Street) in Paris.

In 1989, Pope St. John Paul II dedicated a basilica to Our Lady of Peace in Cote d'Ivorie, which is the largest place of worship in Africa. Also of note is the EDSA shrine in the Philippines dedicated to Our Lady, Queen of Peace. Lastly, in the apparitions of Our Lady at Medjugorie, Our Lady assumes the title "Queen of Peace" through which she will help her Son to return the world to God.