Photos of Saint Joseph Church, in Bonne Terre, Missouri

HERE ARE PHOTOS of Saint Joseph Church, in Bonne Terre, Missouri.  The church is located about 59 highway miles south-southwest of downtown Saint Louis, in Saint Francois County.



The town was settled by the Kingdom of France in 1720 upon discovery of lead ore in the area. Its original name, La Bonne Terre, French for "the Good Earth", refers to the richness of its mineral deposits.  Saint Francois County, originally a colonial district, is named after Saint Francis of Assisi.

Large piles of mine tailings are seen in the area, and you can tour and scuba dive in the vast mines underneath Bonne Terre.

These photos were taken on January 13^th, 2008.

LAUS DEO

HONOR

BEATAE MARIAE VIRGINI

ET

SANCTO JOSEPHO

A.D. 1916

According to a history of the church:

The St. Joseph Church is the house of worhip for Catholics in the St. Joseph Parish. The parish and a church were established in Bonne Terre in 1872 as a mission of Old Mines. Before the Civil War the congregation was housed in a small church just north of town. It was assigned priests from nearby parishes.

The first church in Bonne Terre was built by Father Daily in 1873. This structure burned down in 1879 and was reconstructed in 1881. 1879 is also the year St. Joseph became an independent parish. The Desloge Lead Company donated the land for the second church and contributed to its construction. Rev. E. J. Dempsey, the first resident priest, supervised construction of this church. To the church were added a school building in 1885 and a priest's residence in 1888.

In 1908 the parish began construction of a building to replace the wooden frame church. It was not finished until 1916. During that time the congregation worshipped in the basement of the new church under a temporary roof.

A combination school and convent were built at the site in 1906. This was staffed by the Ursuline Sisters until its closing in 1969. A new parochial school was built in 1922.

According to the 2008 Status Animarum or ecclesiastical census, this parish has approximately 807 Catholics.

I am always surprised at the exceptional quality of the churches in our Archdiocese.

Painting of the holy death of Saint Joseph.

Crucifix and tabernacle in the high altar.  In this photo I managed to digitally subtract the yellow lighting behind the crucifix, as seen in the previous photo.

The processional crucifix.

Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help.

The Altar of Mary.

Tabernacle in Mary's altar.

Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Altar of Saint Joseph, patron of this church.

Holy water fonts; the stained glass window appears to be of the Prodigal Son.  "I will arise and will go to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee." — Luke 15:18

Statue of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower; and the baptismal font.

DONATED BY FRANK MARCHAND

The pipe organ.

The Kingdom of heaven, the Church, is like a mustard seed... that grows into a large shrub where all the birds of the air can find a home.  MT 13:31

GRATEFULLY DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY

OF THE MEMBERS OF THIS PARISH

WHO HAVE MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE

MAY THEY REST IN PEACE

1917-1918 ANDREW AUBUCHON, NORMAN R. JACKSON, THEODORE STEINMETZ, CLARENCE J. THOMURE

1941-1945  RALPH L. AUBUCHON, LOUIS J. FENTON, JOSEPH M. KOHUT, ANTHONY KULASZA, CLARENCE H. RANDLE, HAROLD G. THOMURE

The parish school.

The church's former rectory.  According to sign posted next to the building:

The Old Rectory was built around 1880 as a home for St. Joseph parish priests and served as their residence until 1980 when, desperately in need of repair, it was closed and a new Rectory was built... 

Parishioners purchased the building from the Archdiocese and restored it 1996-1999.  The first floor houses a church museum, and the second floor is a luxury rental apartment.

Mass times:
Monday-Friday: 8:00 a.m.
Saturday Vigil: 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 7:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m.
Holy Days of Obligation: 8:00 a.m., 5:00 p.m.

Address:
15 Saint Joseph Street
Bonne Terre, Missouri 63628