About Holy Family · Mount Sterling, Illinois
Holy Family Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois located in Mount Sterling, Brown County, Illinois. The parish is the modern continuation of two of the oldest Catholic communities in the county — St. Mary's, founded in 1862, and St. Joseph's, founded in 1868 — which today worship together as Holy Family under one pastor. Mass is offered daily Tuesday through Saturday and Sunday morning, with the parish supporting about 300 parishioners across 212 families and operating the parish school, St. Mary's, in town. The same pastor, Rev. Aaron Kuhn, also shepherds St. Thomas the Apostle in nearby Camp Point and serves as chaplain at the Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mount Sterling.
- Established
- 1862
- Patron
- The Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph)
- Rector
- Rev. Aaron T. Kuhn
- Diocese
- Diocese of Springfield in Illinois
Why belong here
Holy Family is a small but active Catholic parish with deep roots in Brown County — the modern continuation of St. Mary's (founded 1862) and St. Joseph's (founded 1868) — and a tradition of strong family life and devotion that has endured for more than 125 years. Parishioners gather for daily Mass Tuesday through Saturday, a Vigil Mass on Saturday evening, and Sunday morning Mass, with Eucharistic Adoration on the first weekend of the month and a flourishing Nocturnal Adoration Society. The parish also operates St. Mary's School, offers PSR religious education on Wednesdays and a Ladies' Bible Study, runs a Women's Guild, supports the Community for Christ Assistance Center, and shares its pastor with St. Thomas the Apostle in Camp Point — a real sense of community that a visitor feels immediately.
Mass times at Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 4:30–5:00 p.m. (or anytime by appointment)
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration: First weekend of the month (First Saturday of the month per the diocesan directory)
- Nocturnal Adoration Society (ongoing)
Welcome to Holy Family Catholic Church
Holy Family Catholic Church is the Catholic parish serving Mt. Sterling, Illinois and the surrounding Brown County area, and is part of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. The parish welcomes visitors and returning Catholics alike, with Mass offered throughout the week and a community rooted in more than 125 years of Catholic life in Brown County. The parish office is reachable at [email protected] or (217) 773-3233.
- Pastor: Rev. Aaron T. Kuhn
- Deacon: Paul E. Koch
- Secretary: Tammy McKeown
- Bookkeeper: Ashley Guthrie
- Liturgical Music Coordinator: Cheryl Dillard
- Coordinator of Religious Education (CRE): Ann O'Sullivan
History of Holy Family
Holy Family is the modern continuation of two pioneer Catholic parishes of Brown County. St. Patrick's was the first Catholic church in the area, built under the direction of the first resident pastor in the late 1840s on what is now the Brown County Farm Bureau site. As Irish and continental European immigration swelled Catholic numbers after 1846, a much larger church was needed, and in 1862 St. Mary's Church was built — the largest in Brown County — with its first Mass celebrated on Christmas Day, 1864. In 1868 the German-speaking families formed their own parish, St. Joseph's, which built its present church in 1885. Over the decades the two parishes grew together, sharing school facilities (St. Mary's Academy, founded 1908) and ministries like the Nocturnal Adoration Society, and today worship together as Holy Family.
- 1847 — First resident pastor assigned by Bishop Kendrick of the Alton diocese; St. Patrick's brick church built the next two years (~$400).
- 1862 — St. Mary's Church built and parish formed; cost $10,000; then-largest church in Brown County.
- 1864 — First Mass at St. Mary's celebrated on Christmas Day.
- 1868 — German-speaking families form St. Joseph's parish; frame church built in 1869.
- 1873 — School expanded; rectory added 1878; convent added 1884.
- 1885 — Present St. Joseph's church erected.
- 1898 — Victorian brick rectory built for St. Joseph's.
- 1899 — St. Mary's rectory badly damaged by fire; Fr. Ryan dies of injuries months later.
- 1908 — St. Mary's Academy founded under Fr. Wm. Hefferman; dedicated by Bishop James Ryan.
- 1912 — First high school class graduates; enrollment reaches 200 by the 1920s.
- 1922 — St. Joseph's grade school closes; students join St. Mary's Academy.
- 1927–1929 — Msgr. Fox renovates St. Mary's.
- 1939–1956 — Fr. Burtle renovates St. Joseph's and founds the Nocturnal Adoration Society.
- 1953 — Academy renovated; gym added 1956.
- 1964 — Wicks pipe organ added from Fr. Marley's estate.
- 1969 — High school program discontinued; school continues as eight-year grade school.
- 1970–1977 — Fr. Louis Shea leads major renovation of St. Mary's.
- Today — Combined parishes worship together as Holy Family Catholic Church.
St. Mary's School
Holy Family parishioners operate St. Mary's School, the modern continuation of St. Mary's Academy (founded 1908). Located just down the street from the church at 408 W. Washington Street, St. Mary's serves PK and K–8 with a strong tradition of academic excellence and personal discipline. The school shares a website with the parish at smseagle.org.
- Address: 408 W. Washington St., Mt. Sterling, IL 62353
- Phone: (217) 773-2825
- Website: www.smseagle.org
- Principal: Melissa Obert
- Enrollment: ~124 students, PK–8
- Lineage: St. Mary's Academy (1908) → high school discontinued 1969 → current eight-year grade school
Religious Education & Faith Formation
Faith formation at Holy Family is coordinated by CRE Ann O'Sullivan and takes several forms: the Parish School of Religion (PSR) for grade-school children, sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist, Confirmation preparation through the diocese, a weekly Ladies' Bible Study, and the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) for adults seeking to enter or return to the Catholic Church.
- PSR classes — Wednesday 6:30 p.m.
- Ladies' Bible Study — Wednesday 9:30 a.m.
- First Reconciliation and First Eucharist preparation (via PSR)
- Confirmation preparation (diocesan)
- RCIA — contact the parish office
- Coordinator of Religious Education: Ann O'Sullivan
Parish Ministries & Groups
Holy Family's small size belies a busy parish life of lay-led ministries and devotional societies that have served the community for generations. The Nocturnal Adoration Society, founded by Fr. Burtle in the 1930s/40s, is still active today; the Holy Family Women's Guild serves the parish in many capacities; and the Liturgical Music Ministry, under Cheryl Dillard, prepares the music for Mass.
- Nocturnal Adoration Society (founded 1939–1956)
- Holy Family Women's Guild
- Liturgical Music Ministry (Cheryl Dillard)
- Parish Pastoral Council — meets 2nd Thursday, 6:00 p.m.
- Community for Christ Assistance Center (parish board participation)
Linked Parish: St. Thomas the Apostle, Camp Point
Holy Family shares its pastor, Fr. Aaron Kuhn, with St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Camp Point, Illinois (109 E. Spring, Camp Point, IL 62320; phone 217-593-6685). The two parishes cooperate closely and are listed together in the diocesan pastoral directory, with St. Thomas holding its own Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m. and other devotions like First Friday Adoration of the Eucharist (12:00–6:00 p.m. with 6:00 p.m. Mass following Reconciliation 5:00–5:45 p.m.).
- St. Thomas the Apostle, 109 E. Spring, Camp Point, IL 62320
- Sunday Mass: 10:00 a.m.
- First Friday Adoration: 12:00–6:00 p.m.; Mass 6:00 p.m.
- Phone: (217) 593-6685
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.stthomascp.org
Vocations & Religious Life
The combined parishes of St. Mary's and St. Joseph's have given a remarkable harvest of priestly and religious vocations to the Church, a point of great pride in the parish's published history. Father Terrance Brady, a son of St. Mary's parish, lost his life on the Solomon Islands during World War II; Father Robert Borenkircher, O.P., also came from the parish, as did a long list of teaching and religious sisters.
- Priestly vocations from St. Mary's: Fathers George Gannon, Terrance Brady (KIA Solomon Islands, WWII), and Robert Borenkircher, O.P.
- Religious sisters from St. Mary's: M. Sara Koch, M. Marcille Koch, M. Consolata Franklin, M. Robert Armstorg, M. Marcelline Redmond, M. Mildred Gosche, M. Clarissa Higgins, M. Pius McGuire, M. Clare Neylon, M. Cronin, M. Ceslaus O'Conner, M. Marie Weigan, M. Vincentia Factor, M. Andrea Cullivan, M. Constance Cronin, M. Geraldine McEntee.
- Priestly vocations from St. Joseph's: Fathers Schneider, Wm. J. Weigand (who built St. Alexis Church of Beardstown), Anton L. Kunkle, Cyril Wagner.
- Religious sisters from St. Joseph's: M. Bonaventure, M. Vincentia, M. Jovita, M. Alodias, M. Samuella, M. Joan, M. Adelia.
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed at Holy Family. The parish office is open during regular hours; voicemail and email are checked regularly, and Fr. Aaron Kuhn can be reached at the rectory for emergencies at (217) 242-9669.
- Address: 401 W. North St., P.O. Box 252, Mt. Sterling, IL 62353-0252
- Phone: (217) 773-3233
- Email: [email protected]
- Pastor's emergency line: (217) 242-9669
- Pastor's email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.smseagle.org/hf-church/holy-family-church/
- Parish bulletin: published weekly on the website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Aaron T. Kuhn2020–present
Also pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle, Camp Point; chaplain at Western Illinois Correctional Center, Mt. Sterling (2023–present).
- Fr. Louis Shea1970–1977
Led major renovations of St. Mary's Church.
- Msgr. Fox1927–1929
Led renovations of St. Mary's Church during his pastorate.
- Fr. Burtle1939–1956
Founded the Nocturnal Adoration Society, which still flourishes; oversaw second renovation of St. Joseph's.
- Fr. O'Donoghue1939–1942
Extensive renovation of St. Joseph's church during his pastorate.
- Fr. Wm. Hefferman1907–
Founded St. Mary's Academy; ground broken St. Patrick's Day 1908, dedicated by Bishop James Ryan in September 1908.
- Fr. Ryan—1900
Severely burned attempting to salvage records during the November 1899 rectory fire; died of his injuries a few months later.