One parish with three places of worship. That is what the former Sacred Heart and St. Patrick parishes in Sedalia and the former St. John the Evangelist mission in Bahner have become. At the request of the people, Bishop W. Shawn McKnight united all three into a new parish, known as St. Vincent de Paul.…

It was as close to the sidewalk as the babies could get. The Memorial to the Unborn, which usually adorns a grassy area near St. Andrew Church in Holt Summit, had been moved temporarily to a concrete walkway near the door while repairs were being made to the building. The stone memorial reminds people to…

Ss. Peter & Paul parish in Boonville is in the middle of a substantial reconstruction project. It has nothing to do with bricks and mortar, only the spiritual foundations. “We’re looking at radically transforming the parish,” said Father William Peckman, pastor of the Boonville parish and of St. Joseph parish in Fayette. “We’re looking far…

The tight family of Secular Franciscans in the Jefferson City diocese has grown by three. Deacon Joseph and Mary Ann Puglis of Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Columbia and Rebecca Bouck of Our Lady of the Lake parish in Lake Ozark made their profession this summer in the Secular Order of Franciscans (O.S.F.). They…

Catholics traditionally observe October as the Month of the Rosary. For the first time, the Diocese of Jefferson City will join with many dioceses across the country for the National Rosary Congress (www.rosarycongressusa.org) the week of Oct. 5-11. Parishes and Catholic organizations throughout the diocese are being encouraged to host Adoration of the Most Blessed…

They filled the heavens with sweet accord. Pilgrims from Chicago sang “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” while gathered at the place of Venerable Father Augustus Tolton’s baptism. “It was his favorite hymn,” Bishop Joseph N. Perry pointed out. “It was played by a band and sung when he arrived in Quincy after his ordination,…

As part of an effort to solidify the Catholic presence in northeastern Missouri, Bishop W. Shawn McKnight issued a decree folding the Notre Dame mission in LaGrange into neighboring St. Joseph parish in Canton, effective Aug. 23. He did so in response to a written request signed by Father Robert Fields, canonical administrator of the…

Bishop W. Shawn McKnight has summoned five men of the Jefferson City diocese to become permanent deacons. He plans to ordain them during Mass at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13, in the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Jefferson City. Four of the men and their wives have been preparing for the diaconate since 2015.…

The bishop and priest raised their eyes and hands toward heaven, gathering the prayers of the people and imploring the Father to receive them. “Truly this is an exalted place,” Bishop W. Shawn McKnight prayed, “where the sacrifice of Christ is ever offered in mystery, where perfect praise is rendered to You, and redemption flows…

They sat outside McDonald’s, eating fish sandwiches. The young woman had something to tell the young man she had been dating the last couple of years.  They had thought about getting married, buying a home and having children. She had recently told her parents that God might be calling her to be a School Sister…