About Holy Rosary · Fairmont City, Illinois
Holy Rosary is a Catholic parish in Fairmont City, Illinois, established in 1922 to serve the Catholic families of this small industrial community in St. Clair County, just across from St. Louis. It is part of the Diocese of Belleville and is staffed by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI). Today the parish is notably bilingual, offering Mass in both English and Spanish, and is partnered with Holy Trinity in Fairview Heights and St. Stephen in Caseyville. The parish community reflects more than a century of waves of immigrant and migrant families who have called Fairmont City home.
- Established
- 1922
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Holy Rosary
- Rector
- Rev. Harold Fisher, OMI
- Diocese
- Diocese of Belleville
Why belong here
Holy Rosary offers a warm, bilingual Catholic home for families in the Fairmont City area, with two Sunday Masses in Spanish (10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.) and an English Mass at 9:00 a.m., plus a daily 8:00 a.m. weekday Mass and Saturday confessions. A religion coordinator (Mrs. Fatima Gonzalez) runs faith formation for children, and the parish is supported by a parish secretary/business manager (Guadalupe Hernandez) — a small but active staff that knows its people. Because the parish is part of a three-parish Oblate partnership with Holy Trinity and St. Stephen, parishioners also have access to broader regional ministries and Oblate formation opportunities.
Mass times at Holy Rosary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 2:30–3:30 p.m.
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Monday 7:00 p.m. (listed by Catholic Charities Southern Illinois Hispanic Ministry directory)
Parish Identity and History
Holy Rosary Catholic Church was established in 1922 in Fairmont City, a small industrial village in St. Clair County, Illinois, just across the Mississippi from St. Louis. From its founding, the parish was envisioned as a home for a remarkably diverse working-class community: according to diocesan and genealogical records, the area it served originally included 17 national groups, and roughly 90% of the residents were Catholic. The earliest members were largely Bohemian, Croatian, Lithuanian, Mexican, Polish, and Spanish families — a heritage still echoed in the parish's continuing bilingual (English/Spanish) Mass schedule more than a century later. The first pastor, Rev. Joseph Pico, led the parish from its founding in 1922 until 1930, and the original sacramental registers (baptisms, marriages 1922–1931, burials 1922–1956) survive and are preserved through the St. Clair County Genealogical Society.
- Founded 1922, Diocese of Belleville
- Originally served 17 national groups (~90% Catholic)
- Founding heritage: Bohemian, Croatian, Lithuanian, Mexican, Polish, Spanish
- Oldest registers: Marriages 1922–1931; Burials 1922–1956
Parish Staff
The parish is currently led by Fr. Harold Fisher, OMI, and assisted by Fr. Jim Fee, OMI, both members of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Lay staff includes Guadalupe Hernandez, who serves as parish secretary and business manager, and Mrs. Fatima Gonzalez, who serves as the religion coordinator for faith formation. Contact for all staff is through the parish office at 618-274-3486.
- Rev. Harold Fisher, OMI — Pastor
- Rev. Jim Fee, OMI — Assistant to the Pastor
- Guadalupe Hernandez — Parish Secretary / Business Manager
- Mrs. Fatima Gonzalez — Religion Coordinator
Hispanic Ministry (Ministerio Hispano / Santo Rosario)
The parish is officially listed as 'Iglesia Santo Rosario' in the Catholic Charities Southern Illinois Hispanic Ministry directory, which serves as a regional hub for Spanish-speaking Catholic life in the Belleville diocese. Two of the three Sunday Masses (10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.) are celebrated in Spanish, as is the 7:00 p.m. Holy Day Mass, and a Monday evening 7:00 p.m. adoration is offered. The presence of Spanish-speaking staff — including Parish Secretary/Business Manager Guadalupe Hernandez and Religion Coordinator Fatima Gonzalez — reflects the parish's ongoing commitment to welcoming and forming Hispanic families in the Fairmont City area.
- Recognized as 'Iglesia Santo Rosario' by Catholic Charities SI
- Two Spanish Sunday Masses plus Spanish Holy Day Mass
- Monday evening 7:00 p.m. Adoration
- Spanish-speaking parish staff
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Faith formation for the parish's children and families is coordinated by Mrs. Fatima Gonzalez, the parish religion coordinator, who can be reached through the parish office (618-274-3486). As a small parish, Holy Rosary does not operate its own parish school, but it does provide religious-education programming for the community, in both English and Spanish, through the parish office.
- Religion Coordinator: Mrs. Fatima Gonzalez
- No parish school listed in the diocesan directory
- Religious education coordinated through the parish office
Parish Partnership (Holy Rosary, Holy Trinity, St. Stephen)
In keeping with a diocesan pastoral plan, Holy Rosary is partnered with two other Missionary-Oblate-served parishes: Holy Trinity in Fairview Heights and St. Stephen in Caseyville. Although the partnership allows the three parishes to share resources and coordinate pastoral care, each parish retains its own priest, its own bulletin, its own website or Facebook page, and its own parish office. Fr. Harold Fisher, OMI, is the resident pastor at Holy Rosary, and Fr. Jim Fee, OMI, serves as assistant across the partnership.
- Partner parishes: Holy Trinity (Fairview Heights) and St. Stephen (Caseyville)
- Each parish keeps its own priest, bulletin, and parish office
- Served by Oblate Fathers Harold Fisher and Jim Fee
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI)
Holy Rosary is one of several Illinois parishes entrusted to the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the religious congregation founded in France in 1816 by St. Eugene de Mazenod. The Oblate US Province maintains a significant presence in the Belleville area, including the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, and also staffs parishes in Godfrey, Caseyville, and Fairmont City. The Oblate charism of evangelization and service to the poor shapes the parish's outreach and its bilingual Hispanic ministry. In 2024–2025, Holy Rosary and St. Stephen together served as the pastoral-internship parish for Oblate seminarian Mateusz Garstecki, who was ordained a priest in September 2025.
- Staffed by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI)
- Part of the OMI US Province's Illinois ministries
- Pastoral internship site for Fr. Mateusz Garstecki, OMI (2024–2025)
Visit, Contact, and Location
Holy Rosary Catholic Church is located at 2716 N. 42nd Street, Fairmont City, IL 62201, in St. Clair County, Illinois. The parish office can be reached by phone at 618-274-3486. As the parish does not maintain a standalone website, news and announcements are shared through its official Facebook page. The church sits at the intersection of Virginia Avenue, easily accessible from the East St. Louis metro area.
- Address: 2716 N. 42nd Street, Fairmont City, IL 62201
- Phone: 618-274-3486
- Diocese: Belleville (East St. Louis Deanery)
- Official Facebook page is the parish's primary online presence
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Pico1922–1930
Founding pastor of the parish
- Rev. Herman Freese1930–1938
- Rev. August Giesen1938–1962
Longest-tenured pastor in published list
- Rev. Timothy Foley1969–1973
- Rev. Lloyd Misho1973–1980
- Rev. Eugene Wojcik1980–1986