About Immaculate Conception Chapel · Kaskaskia, Illinois
Immaculate Conception Chapel sits on Kaskaskia Island, a tiny sliver of Illinois on the west bank of the Mississippi River, and traces its roots to the Mission of the Immaculate Conception established by French Jesuit missionaries among the Kaskaskia Indians in 1675 — one of the oldest continuous Catholic presences in the American Midwest. Originally a mission church and later a brick parish, the building was moved and rebuilt on its present site in 1894 after floods reshaped the river, and in 1994 the Diocese of Belleville formally designated it a chapel. Today it is open mainly for Saturday Mass at 3:30 p.m., cared for by a small committee of lay parishioners and served by retired priests.
- Established
- 1675
- Patron
- Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Diocese
- Diocese of Belleville
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception Chapel is one of the oldest continuously worshipping Catholic congregations in the United States, and its small Saturday Mass still draws more than 100 people on a typical weekend — including visitors whose ancestors came from the original French settlements. The chapel is cared for by a dedicated lay committee that has preserved 300-year-old artifacts and welcomes travelers from across the country, making it a uniquely intimate place to pray where the same community has worshipped since Marquette's day.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception Chapel
Weekly Mass schedule
History of Immaculate Conception Mission & Chapel
The Mission of the Immaculate Conception was established in 1675 by the Jesuit missionary and explorer Father Jacques Marquette among the Kaskaskia Indians near Starved Rock. By 1700, the tribe and its missionary, Father Marest, migrated south down the Mississippi and on April 13, 1703, Marest offered a Mass of thanksgiving at the new settlement near the confluence of the Mississippi and Kaskaskia rivers — founding the village of Kaskaskia. The mission built its first stone church in 1714 and became an established parish by 1720.
- 1675 — Marquette founds the mission near Starved Rock, Illinois
- April 13, 1703 — Marest celebrates the founding Mass at the new Kaskaskia settlement
- 1714 — First stone church built
- 1720 — Mission becomes an established parish
- 1741 — King Louis XV sends a 650-pound bronze bell cast in La Rochelle, France
- July 4, 1778 — The bell is rung to celebrate George Rogers Clark's capture of Kaskaskia
- 1843 — Brick church completed in the squared-off French style
- 1894 — Church moved brick-by-brick to its present location on Kaskaskia Island
- 1962 — Church and relics restored
- 1994 — Designated a chapel by the Diocese of Belleville after the 1993 flood
The Liberty Bell of the West
In 1741 King Louis XV of France sent the mission a 650-pound bronze bell cast in La Rochelle, inscribed "Pour Leglise des Illinois par les Soins du Roi D'outre L'eau" ("For the Church of the Illinois, by gift of the King across the water"). On July 4, 1778, the bell was rung to celebrate George Rogers Clark's capture of Kaskaskia for the American colonies during the Revolutionary War — earning it the name "Liberty Bell of the West." The bell is older than its Philadelphia counterpart and was rung every Independence Day until floodwaters in 1973 and 1993 worsened a crack that had developed over the years. It is now preserved in the Kaskaskia Bell State Memorial across the street and viewed through a gated entrance, with a one-minute audio recording available.
The Building & Its Treasures
The chapel is a brick church in the squared-off French style, moved brick-by-brick to its present location on Kaskaskia Island in 1894 with the bell spire built over the side entrance. The original beams and bricks remain part of the structure, and it houses an extraordinary collection of mission-era and 19th-century artifacts gathered over more than 300 years.
- Wooden altar carved from native black walnut and cottonwood around 1736, joined with wooden pegs
- Altar crown carved from a single tree trunk
- Altar stone said to have been brought from France by Father Marquette, embedded with a relic of an early Christian martyr
- Brass sanctuary lamp from the mission period
- Walnut pulpit built in 1860, restored after the 1993 flood
- 14 lithograph Stations of the Cross painted in Germany in the 1800s
- Hand-carved butternut-mahogany Stations frames restored in 1962 and cleaned in 1999
- The Immaculata oil painting, brought by Jesuits in the early 1700s and returned in 1980
- Jackson Organ built in Chester, Illinois in the 1800s — one of only three surviving
Floods and the Move to Kaskaskia Island
Flooding has shaped the chapel's story again and again. The 1881 flood created Kaskaskia Island and nearly obliterated the village; the 1893 flood convinced parishioners to physically move the church, brick by brick, along with the village to the new island, where it was rebuilt in 1894 with the bell spire over the side entrance. The 1973 flood destroyed the wood floor and reached almost to the Stations of the Cross on the wall, and the 1993 flood reached the fifth windowpane. In 2019, members were cut off from the church for more than three months as floodwaters covered the main road; the first Mass back was celebrated on August 17, 2019 by Father Leo Hayes.
Parish Life & Preservation
Since 1994 the chapel has been cared for by a small lay Preservation Committee that maintains the building, cemetery, and grounds and brings in retired priests to celebrate weekly Mass. Members include Emily Lyons, curator of the Randolph County Museum and Archives, who has spoken publicly about the chapel's stewardship. The chapel typically draws more than 100 people to Saturday Mass and welcomes travelers from across the country whose ancestors came from the original French settlement.
Catholic Clergy Connected to the Parish
Father Leo Hayes, a retired priest, regularly celebrates Saturday Mass at the chapel. He has spoken warmly about the parish community: "I've fallen in love with the parish. There are three women who keep that parish running and they do an excellent job. Sacraments are administered, people love their parish."
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Jacques Marquette, S.J.1675–
French Jesuit missionary and explorer who founded the Mission of the Immaculate Conception among the Kaskaskia Indians near Starved Rock.
- Father Marest, S.J.c. 1700–
Jesuit missionary who traveled with the Kaskaskia tribe down the Mississippi and offered a Mass of thanksgiving on April 13, 1703 at the new settlement.
- Father Pierre Gibault1768 onward
Missionary to the Illinois frontier ordained in 1768; supported George Rogers Clark during the 1778 capture of Kaskaskia when the bell was rung for American independence.