Rome of the West: Photos of Saint Ignatius of Loyola Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri

Monday, July 23, 2007

Photos of Saint Ignatius of Loyola Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri

HERE ARE PHOTOS of Saint Ignatius of Loyola Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri. The church is in Warren County, and is about 63 highway miles west of downtown Saint Louis.

The hamlet of Concord Hill is unincorporated, and it gets its mail out of Marthasville. This is a rural region of the state, and is the westernmost county in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Roman Catholic Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri, USA - exterior

This church was founded by Jesuit missionaries and is named after the founder of their order. This church was built in 1930, but Jesuit mission activity here dates from at least 1838; a mission church was built on this land in 1840; it became a diocesan parish in 1857.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Roman Catholic Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri, USA - banner

Celebrating 150 years
Saint Ignatius
1857-2007
For the Greater Glory of God

September 2, 2007
Sesquicentennial Celebration Mass
Parish Center Dedication and Dinner

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Roman Catholic Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri, USA - cornerstone

✝AMDG✝
1930
MOST. REV. J.J. GLENNON D.D. ARCHBISHOP
✝REV. A.H. PVETTER PASTOR✝

AMDG = Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, Latin for "To the Greater Glory of God", a motto of Saint Ignatius.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Roman Catholic Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri, USA - nave

According to a pamphlet in the church:

A tract of land was purchased by Rev. Peter J Verhagen, Provincial of the Jesuits, from the St. Louis Land Office On October 1, 1840. He deeded this land to Archbishop Peter Kenrick on July 18, 1857. The original lot of 40 acres thus became the property of the St. Louis Diocese.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Roman Catholic Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri, USA - sanctuary

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Roman Catholic Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri, USA - Christ the King

Above the sanctuary is Christ the King, an image from the Apocalypse.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Roman Catholic Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri, USA - tabernacle

The tabernacle.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Roman Catholic Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri, USA - apse

The ceiling of the apse has nice decoration; click on the photo to see more detail.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Roman Catholic Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri, USA - statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Roman Catholic Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri, USA - statue of Saint Joseph

Flanking the altar are statues of Mary and Joseph.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Roman Catholic Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri, USA - stained glass window

As might be expected in a church built in 1930, most of the windows are abstract and modern, like this one to the left, and the following rose window. The window on the right is one of four in the sanctuary, and they represent the four creatures in the Apocalypse, interpreted as being symbols of the four evangelists.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Roman Catholic Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri, USA - rose window

Rose window above the choir loft.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Roman Catholic Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri, USA - statue of Saint Ignatius of Loyola

Statue of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, born as Inigo Lopez de Loyola (1491-1556) and founder of the Society of Jesus.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Roman Catholic Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri, USA - door in narthex

Door in the narthex.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Roman Catholic Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri, USA - flowers

The church grounds have many flowers.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Roman Catholic Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri, USA - cemetery crucifix

Crucifix in the church's new cemetery is dated 1957. Burials in the old cemetery predate the parish and date from at least 1818. Since the locations of many of the early graves are now unmarked, the old cemetery can no longer be used, leading to the opening of a new cemetery in 1946.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Roman Catholic Church, in Concord Hill, Missouri, USA - school

The parish school, which started in 1872. Behind this building is a parish hall, now under construction. In the great Catholic tradition, the tuition of this school is negotiable.

Mass times:
Monday, Wednesday - Friday: 8:00 a.m.
Tuesday: 7:30 p.m.
Saturday (Vigil): 7:00 p.m.
Sunday: 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.

Address:
701 Mill Road
Marthasville, Missouri 63357