Jesuit Legacy In St. Louis, This Is The Kind Of Work That Has Ceased

Shrine of Saint Joseph, in Saint Louis, Missouri.

At one time the largest parish in Saint Louis, serving Germans, this is now a shrine. Originally built in 1844, it was dramatically enlarged in 1865-6 and again in 1881. The towers were originally much taller, but were truncated in 1954 for safety reasons. By the late 1970s this church was going to be demolished; but the lay organization, The Friends of the Shrine of St. Joseph, raised funds to restore the church to its former glory. The surrounding area was a dangerous industrial area, but now a neighborhood has grown up around it.

The altar dates from 1867, and its design is adapted from the Jesuit's Gesu
church in Rome.

It is inscribed with ITE AD JOSEPH, "go to Joseph". During the cholera epidemic of 1866, the parish had 10-15 funerals per day. Pledging to Saint Joseph to build a monument in his honor, the parish prayed for the end of the epidemic; being spared, they built this altar.

This is the site of the only authenticated miracle in the midwestern U.S. Ignatius Strecker, a German immigrant, who was diagnosed as having only two weeks to live, was immediately healed upon kissing the relics of Peter Claver here. Also in the high altar is this statue of Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), founder of the Society of Jesus. This church was originally staffed by the Society. The Jesuit's altar has statues of Saints John Berchmans (1599-1621), Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591), and Stanislaus Kostka (1550-1568), all of whom died young.

Inscribed in Latin is Patronus Juventutis — patron of youth. This altar was to inspire boys to the priesthood.At the top is Quam pulchra est casta generatio — How beautiful is the chaste generation (Wisdom 4:1).

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Mass times:

Sunday, 11 a.m.

First Friday, noon

2nd Sunday, Padre Pio devotion and rosary before Mass

3rd Sunday, Mass sung in Latin

Address:1220 North Eleventh StreetSaint Louis, Missouri 63106

Thank you Mark Scott Alben of Rome of the West (here) (tons of awsome pictures)