The old church dates from 1930, the new one from 2005. Note that the new church has a tower, roof, and façade similar to the old church. Saint Charles County is growing rapidly, putting much pressure on existing parishes. One new parish has been formed lately, some more are planned, and many parishes in the county will have to build new, larger churches to keep up with growth. Three priests and three permanent deacons serve the parish.
The old church, which is still in use. I was told that this church is popular for weddings. On Tuesdays, this church has Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
ECCL. ASSVMPTIONIS
B.V.M.
A.D. 1930
A. M. D. G.
B.V.M.
A.D. 1930
A. M. D. G.
Exposition in the old church.
The monstrance with the Body of Christ.
Baptismal font is located near the sanctuary.
Altar of Saint Joseph.
Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, as it is known in the United States, or Our Lady of Perpetual Succour as it is known in other English-speaking countries. The original icon is in Rome, under the care of the Redemptorists, and is at least 500 years old in its current form, and may date back a thousand or more years before that.
Stations of the cross; note the blue mosaic backgrounds.
The new Assumption church. It is of Postmodern design.
CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION
OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
PARISH FOUNDED: 1871
NEW CHURCH DEDICATED: FEBRUARY 26, 2005
MAY YOU FIND CHRIST HERE...
MAY YOU BRING CHRIST TO THE WORLD
MOST REV. RAYMOND BURKE, ARCHBISHOP OF ST. LOUIS
REV. JOSEPH G. KEMPF, PASTOR
OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
PARISH FOUNDED: 1871
NEW CHURCH DEDICATED: FEBRUARY 26, 2005
MAY YOU FIND CHRIST HERE...
MAY YOU BRING CHRIST TO THE WORLD
MOST REV. RAYMOND BURKE, ARCHBISHOP OF ST. LOUIS
REV. JOSEPH G. KEMPF, PASTOR
The new church was locked when I visited, but I was able to photograph the rose window in the nave through the glass doors. The window shows various Marian symbols.
Address:
403 North Main Street
O'Fallon, Missouri 63366
This parish is across the street from the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood.
Fr. Kempf was an associate at my parish for a while. He's a good priest; on fire with holy zeal! I've never met a priest so excited about being a priest -- in love with Christ -- and so able to excite the same in others. He's a real gift.
ReplyDeleteExcellent pictures, Mark! You do such good work in this apostolate of yours. I had many comments from the people on the building committee who checked out your blog (looking for pictures of their old parishes as well as the new St Gianna parish...Keep up the good work. I hope someone at the chancery recognizes the wonderful job you are doing!
ReplyDeleteIs there no end to the number of parishes in your archdiocese to photograph? I hope not. Always, great work, Mark.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliments, but credit is due to the parishes themselves, the Archdiocese, and the architects who designed these magnificent structures.
ReplyDeleteI still haven't visited many dozens of churches in the Archdiocese: and some really great ones are only a few miles from me, and I've yet to photograph them.
I live only a few miles from the Mississippi River, and there are hundreds of good churches beyond it in Illinois. Also, there are plenty of religious orders who have chapels that ought to be visited, not to mention Catholic nursing homes, hospitals, and schools. And then there are some shrines, too. And then there are Eastern Christian churches, some of them quite outstanding. And Catholic art in museums. I could be kept very busy.
Probably one of the better post-modern churches, although, first time I've ever seen an outdoor narthex.
ReplyDeleteLarry,
ReplyDeleteI plan on posting the photos of Saint Gianna church soon.
Mike,
The new church has large inside narthex: it just has an enormous drive-through overhang.
My family is a member of Assumption in O'Fallon. I'll echo the comment above about Fr. Kempf being a wonderful priest - he is great! I still enjoy hearing his sermons when I visit home. When we first moved to O'Fallon, we were still in the old church, and it was packed to the rafters at every mass.
ReplyDeleteI stumbled upon your blog while searching for photos of St. Louis on Flickr. Great job!
It is nice to see that the old church remains and hopefully it will be cared for and appreciated for many years to come.
ReplyDelete