About Immaculate Conception · Augusta, Missouri
Immaculate Conception Parish is a small Catholic church nestled in the foothills just north of Augusta, Missouri, with sweeping views of the Missouri River Valley. Founded by German immigrant families in the mid-1800s and first served by Jesuit missionaries who visited from St. Vincent de Paul in Dutzow, it grew from a modest wooden chapel into a Gothic-inspired frame church topped by a six-foot gilt cross, completed in 1901. Today the parish serves approximately 106 families and shares its pastor, Fr. Dennis Doyle, with sister parish St. Vincent de Paul in Dutzow, and they collaborate with neighboring St. Ignatius of Loyola in Marthasville. As one of the 178 parishes of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Immaculate Conception continues to gather for Sunday Mass, devotions to Our Lady, faith formation through PSR, and the sacramental life of the Church.
- Established
- 1851
- Patron
- Immaculate Conception (the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Dennis M. Doyle, J.C.L.
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of St. Louis
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception is a small, family-sized parish where everyone knows each other and where the liturgy, devotions, and parish life still center on the rhythms of the Church's calendar. Mass is offered on Sunday morning, Monday and First Saturday, with monthly Eucharistic Adoration and a weekly devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and confessions are heard after the First Saturday Mass. Children are welcomed either at the long-established St. Vincent de Paul School or in the parish's own PSR (Parish School of Religion) program, and the parish's mission — worshipping together, sharing faith, and serving others in the name of Jesus — is lived out by a tight-knit congregation of around 106 families.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- First Saturday: 8:30 AM (following the 8:00 AM Mass)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Second Thursday of the month: 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
From Humble Beginnings: A Brief Parish History
The history of Immaculate Conception begins in the mid-1800s in the village then known as Mount Pleasant, later Augusta. A plot of land was donated in the late 1840s and a small wooden church was erected — modest enough that only the aisle had a floor and the pews sat on bare ground. The first Mass was celebrated in early November 1851. For years the local Catholics were served by Jesuits riding out from St. Vincent de Paul in Dutzow, but in 1865 a resident pastor arrived at St. Vincent and the circuit visits ended. As the community grew, parishioners replaced the original structure with a Gothic-inspired, wood-frame church crowned by a six-foot gilt cross on its steeple; that building was completed in the fall of 1901. In 1904, Immaculate Conception received its own resident pastor. The parish traces its origins largely to German immigrant families from the village of Holdorf, near Damme in Oldenburg — and many of the family names still appear in today's parish rolls.
- Parish proposed: 1846
- First wooden church built and first Mass: early November 1851
- Jesuit circuit visits ended: 1865
- Gothic-inspired current church completed: fall 1901
- First resident pastor: 1904
- Founding families largely from Holdorf, near Damme, Oldenburg (Germany)
Our Church Today
Today Immaculate Conception is a small but active Catholic community of approximately 106 families in the foothills north of Augusta, sharing its life and clergy with sister parishes St. Vincent de Paul in Dutzow and St. Ignatius of Loyola in Marthasville. The parish keeps a traditional devotional rhythm, gathering for Sunday Mass, Monday and First Saturday Masses, and the Mother of Perpetual Help devotion after Monday morning Mass. Children of the parish are welcomed either at St. Vincent de Paul School or at the parish's own PSR program. Parish life is supported by an active Parish/Finance Council, music ministry, and lay ministries in lectoring, Eucharistic ministry, stewardship, and the parish quilters.
- Approximately 106 families
- Sister parishes: St. Vincent de Paul (Dutzow) and St. Ignatius of Loyola (Marthasville)
- One of 178 parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Louis
Devotions
Immaculate Conception keeps several traditional Marian and Lenten devotions. The Mother of Perpetual Help devotion is prayed after Monday morning Mass, and Lenten Stations of the Cross are observed in coordination with sister parish St. Vincent de Paul on Tuesdays (after the Perpetual Help devotion) and Thursdays (after morning Mass).
- Monday — Mother of Perpetual Help after morning Mass
- Lenten Tuesdays — Stations of the Cross at St. Vincent de Paul after the Perpetual Help devotion
- Lenten Thursdays — Stations of the Cross after morning Mass
Faith Formation & PSR
Children of the parish receive religious education either at the long-established St. Vincent de Paul School in Dutzow or through the parish's own Parish School of Religion (PSR). The PSR program is led by a small team of volunteer catechists under Director MaryAnn Kluesner.
- PSR Director: MaryAnn Kluesner
- Catechists: Virginia Mattera, Judy Ditch, Judy Struckhoff
- St. Vincent de Paul School also welcomes IC children (Preschool through Grade 8, all denominations)
Sacraments
The parish prepares its members for each of the seven sacraments in the usual way. Parents expecting or with a newborn are asked to contact the Parish Office for a pre-Baptismal instructional session; Baptisms are typically celebrated on Sundays. Confirmation is normally conferred in the spring on students in 7th and 8th grade, with adults confirmed either at the parish or at the St. Louis Cathedral following a course of instruction. Confessions are heard after the First Saturday Mass and by appointment. Couples should contact Fr. Doyle directly to begin marriage preparation.
- Baptism — contact Parish Office for instruction; usually celebrated on Sundays
- Confirmation — 7th–8th graders in spring; adults by program of instruction
- Reconciliation — after First Saturday Mass and by appointment
- Eucharistic Adoration — Second Thursday, 5:30–7:00 PM
- Marriage — contact Fr. Doyle
Parish Staff & Leadership
Immaculate Conception is served by a small team of clergy and lay staff. Pastor Fr. Dennis M. Doyle, J.C.L., is shared with sister parish St. Vincent de Paul and has served since 2021. Day-to-day parish operations are handled by an Administrative Assistant, a Bookkeeper, and a Music Coordinator, with the school principal and parish/finance councils providing additional leadership.
- Pastor: Rev. Dennis M. Doyle, J.C.L. (since 2021)
- Administrative Assistant: Connie Struckhoff
- Bookkeeper: Doug Paule
- Music Coordinator: Mary Ann Kluesner
- PSR Director: MaryAnn Kluesner
- Parish/Finance Council Chair: Connie Struckhoff
Parish/Finance Council
The Parish/Finance Council advises the pastor on the temporal affairs and stewardship of the parish.
- Chair: Connie Struckhoff
- Lori Aholt
- Mary Ann Kluesner
- Doug Paule
- Tom Aholt
- Guy Middleton
- Carroll Struckhoff
Getting Involved & Ministries
Immaculate Conception encourages parishioners to get involved in the life of the parish through liturgical, educational, and service ministries. Lay men and women serve as lectors and Eucharistic Ministers, support the parish school and PSR program, contribute to the music ministry, and gather in smaller groups such as the parish quilters and stewardship committee. Many of these ministries are shared with sister parishes St. Vincent de Paul and St. Ignatius of Loyola.
- Lectors
- Eucharistic Ministers
- Music Ministry
- Stewardship
- Quilters
- Alumni
- PSR catechists
- Parish/Finance Council
Visiting Immaculate Conception
The parish is open and welcoming of guests. Those visiting will find a small, family-sized Catholic community that worships in a striking Gothic-inspired frame church with views of the Missouri River Valley. The parish shares facilities and clergy along the Highway 94 corridor with sister parishes St. Vincent de Paul (Dutzow) and St. Ignatius of Loyola (Marthasville), so a visit can easily include all three communities in a single afternoon.
- Address: 5912 S. State Hwy. 94, Augusta, MO 63332
- Phone: (636) 482-4455
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: sv-ic.org
- Parish is part of the Archdiocese of St. Louis
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Jesuit missionariesThrough 1865
Jesuits from St. Vincent de Paul in Dutzow visited Augusta (then Mount Pleasant) every few weeks before a resident pastor was installed at St. Vincent de Paul.
- First resident pastor of Immaculate Conception1904
Immaculate Conception received its own resident pastor in 1904, three years after the Gothic-inspired church was completed in 1901.
- Rev. Dennis M. Doyle, J.C.L.2021–
Current pastor; serves both Immaculate Conception in Augusta and St. Vincent de Paul in Dutzow.