About Epiphany of Our Lord · Saint Louis, Missouri
Epiphany of Our Lord is a Roman Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, located at 6596 Smiley Avenue in the Lindenwood Park / South Side (Dogtown) area of the city. The parish has been a worshiping community since 1911 and today shares a pastor and unified staff with its companion parish, St. James the Greater, under the joint digital ministry called "Seeking Christ. Sharing His Gospel." Its mission, in its own words, is to "live out the Joy of the Gospel" by offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and forming "missionary disciples who know and live the Faith."
- Established
- 1911
- Patron
- Epiphany of Our Lord
- Rector
- Rev. Thomas M. Pastorius
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of St. Louis (Metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Louis)
Why belong here
Epiphany of Our Lord is a small, welcoming neighborhood parish with more than a century of Catholic life on St. Louis's south side. It offers weekday and Sunday Mass in the intimate setting of its historic Smiley-and-Ivanhoe church, regular Eucharistic Adoration and First-Sunday Reconciliation, and a robust formation program through Family of Faith (K–8 religious education) and sacramental preparation. By sharing a pastor and staff with St. James the Greater, parishioners also benefit from a wider community of fellow disciples — adult faith offerings like Covenant Nights and Called to Greatness Wednesdays, a working Parish Council and Finance Council, and a Blessing Program that celebrates life's milestones (engagements, anniversaries, pregnancies).
Mass times at Epiphany of Our Lord
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- First Sunday of the month, 11:30 AM (until 12:00 PM)
- Fourth Wednesday of the month, 6:15–7:15 PM at Epiphany of Our Lord Parish
Adoration times
- First Fridays (Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec), 6:00–7:00 PM
Parish Identity & Mission
On the Archdiocese of St. Louis directory, Epiphany of Our Lord describes itself as 'a community of Catholics in the Archdiocese of St. Louis endeavoring to live out the Joy of the Gospel, offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as an act of prayer and love for the world.' Its stated mission is to bring others closer to Jesus Christ 'through our commitment to being missionary disciples who know and live the Faith.' The parish is rooted in the traditional Catholic understanding of evangelization — prayer, the Eucharist, formation, and outreach — and frames its work around five 'faith catalysts' taught in its Grow in Faith programming: Orthodox (Practical) Teaching, Private and Communal Prayer, Acts of Service, Holy Friendships (Providential Relationships), and Pivotal Circumstances (Holy Moments).
- Mission: to live out the Joy of the Gospel and form missionary disciples
- Five Faith Catalysts framework for adult formation
- Joint pastoral branding: "Seeking Christ. Sharing His Gospel."
History of Epiphany of Our Lord
Epiphany of Our Lord was founded in 1911 to serve the Catholics of St. Louis's near-south side. Parish sacramental records on file with the Archdiocese and listed by the St. Louis Genealogical Society date from 1911 onward. The parish built and has worshiped in the brick church at the corner of Smiley Avenue and Ivanhoe for the better part of a century — a building that local Catholic commentators have singled out as one of the visually distinctive neighborhood churches on the south side. For much of the 20th century the parish also operated a Catholic elementary school adjacent to the church at 6576 Smiley Avenue; that school closed in the spring of 2010, and the Archdiocese of St. Louis leased the building to Gateway Science Academy, a charter school, at a reported $10,000 per month — the sixth former Catholic school building the Archdiocese had leased or sold to a charter operator at that time.
- Parish founded 1911; sacramental records date 1911–present
- Historic church at Smiley & Ivanhoe
- Former parish school (6576 Smiley) closed 2010; now Gateway Science Academy
Pastoral Partnership with St. James the Greater
Epiphany of Our Lord now shares a pastor (Rev. Thomas M. Pastorius), a unified staff, and a single parish website (stlseekingchrist.org) with neighboring St. James the Greater. Although the two parishes remain canonically separate, they function as 'companions on the journey of faith,' praying, worshiping, and celebrating together. The shared ministry name — 'Seeking Christ. Sharing His Gospel.' — deliberately weaves together the two patron feasts: the Magi's search for the newborn King in the Epiphany story, and the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage that leads to the Cathedral of St. James in northern Spain.
- Single pastor: Fr. Thomas M. Pastorius
- Joint parish council and finance councils
- Unified staff (business, engagement, music, custodial)
Clergy, Deacons & Staff
Leadership for the combined Epiphany of Our Lord / St. James the Greater parishes is published on stlseekingchrist.org. The pastor is Rev. Thomas M. Pastorius. In residence are Very Rev. Scott Jones, V.E., and retired priest Fr. Tim Foley. Permanent deacons serving the parishes include Deacon Larry Nations, Deacon Leonard (Len) Sisul, and Mark Miller, who is in training toward the diaconate.
- Fr. Thomas M. Pastorius — Pastor
- Very Rev. Scott Jones, V.E. — In Residence
- Fr. Tim Foley — Retired, Priest in Residence
- Deacon Larry Nations — Permanent Deacon
- Deacon Len Sisul — Permanent Deacon
- Mark Miller — Deacon in Training
Lay Staff & Councils
Both parishes share a unified staff team that supports the pastor and equips the councils. Administration is led by Business Manager Crystal J. Phillips, Parish Secretary / Office Managers Ashley Hackmann (on site at St. James) and Trish Nerviani (on site at Epiphany), and Engagement Director Liz Henning. Custodial engineers Orvelia "O.T." Thomas and Vickie Tolie maintain the buildings, and the parishes even boast a four-legged staff member, 'Hope,' who serves as the Pawject Manager. Governance is shared through a joint Parish Council and separate finance councils for each parish.
- Crystal J. Phillips — Business Manager
- Trish Nerviani — Office Manager (Epiphany)
- Ashley Hackmann — Office Manager (St. James)
- Liz Henning — Engagement Director
- Parish Council members include Lucas Allen, Terry Daugherty, Dan Dirnberger, Kay Hannon, Jan Holmes, Kathleen Kelley, June Laschober, Bill Miller, Christina Milloshewski, Susie Morgan, Amy Tighe, and Armeen Williams
- Epiphany Finance Council: Amy Tighe (chair), Sharon Brown, John Toney, Lucas Allen
- St. James Finance Council: Mark Morgan (and others)
Faith Formation & Family of Faith
Faith formation for children in grades K–8 who do not attend Catholic school is delivered through the parish's 'Family of Faith' program. Parents attend a once-monthly catechetical session (September through May) on the month's topic, then take age-appropriate activities home to share with their children; later in the month the entire family gathers for a whole-parish community session that reinforces what was learned at home. The program is designed to help parents live out their baptismal promise to be their children's first and primary catechists. Sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation is coordinated through the same office.
- Family of Faith — K–8 parish religious education
- Monthly parent sessions + monthly community family sessions
- Sacramental preparation: Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation
- Registration open each spring for the following academic year
Adult Faith & Discipleship
The combined parishes intentionally favor 'pathways over programs,' hosting a small number of adult-formation experiences rather than a packed calendar. Adults can grow through 'Called to Greatness Wednesdays,' through 'Covenant Nights' (subtitled 'Visible Signs of God's Invisible Love'), and through the Blessing Program, which celebrates life's milestones — engagement, wedding anniversaries, and the expectation of a child or grandchild — with parish blessings offered after Sunday Mass.
- Called to Greatness Wednesdays
- Covenant Nights — 'Visible Signs of God's Invisible Love'
- Blessing Program (engagements, anniversaries, pregnancies)
- Five Faith Catalysts framework
Music & Liturgy
Liturgical music at Epiphany of Our Lord is led by a dedicated pair of music leaders working in tandem with the music leaders at St. James the Greater. The Epiphany music directors coordinate with the pastor to support the sung parts of the Mass, holy days, and the parish's devotional life (including Eucharistic Adoration).
- Dennis Keller — Epiphany of Our Lord Music Leader
- Elizabeth Wildman — Epiphany of Our Lord Music Leader
- Andrew Donovan — St. James the Greater Music Leader
- Catherine Stupp — St. James the Greater Music Leader
Parish Boundaries & Geography
Epiphany of Our Lord sits in the Lindenwood Park / Dogtown corridor on St. Louis's south side, just west of Hampton Avenue and south of Arsenal Street. The Archdiocese of St. Louis published an updated parish boundary description effective July 1, 2005. The boundary roughly follows Oleatha, Ivanhoe, Winnebago, Prather, Bancroft, the River Des Peres, the former St. Louis & Frisco Railroad tracks, Elizabeth Avenue, Hampton Avenue, Scanlan, Clifton, Arthur, and Watson Road.
- Parish boundary description effective July 1, 2005
- Adjacent parish: St. Gabriel the Archangel
- Companion parish: St. James the Greater
Visiting & Contact
The parish office is at 6596 Smiley Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63139, at the corner of Smiley and Ivanhoe. The main parish number is (314) 781-1199, with an additional line at (314) 645-8760. The parish secretary on site at Epiphany is Trish Nerviani ([email protected]). Mass is celebrated in English; the parish's primary digital presence is the shared stlseekingchrist.org website, with the historic epiphanystl.org site remaining an additional entry point and the parish active on Facebook at facebook.com/EpiphanyOfOurLordParish.
- Address: 6596 Smiley Ave., St. Louis, MO 63139
- Phone: (314) 781-1199 / (314) 645-8760
- Website: epiphanystl.org and stlseekingchrist.org
- Facebook: /EpiphanyOfOurLordParish