About Immaculate Conception · Owensville, Missouri
Immaculate Conception Parish is a small Catholic community in Owensville, Missouri, situated in the Gasconade County area and served by the Diocese of Jefferson City. The parish has roots going back to 1830, when Jesuit missionary Father P.J. Verhagen first brought the faith to the Owensville area, and was formally established in 1892 by Polish and Bohemian immigrant families under Jesuit Father Alex Mathuasheck. It is associated with St. Alexander Parish in Belle and is part of the Southeast Deanery of the diocese. The parish offers traditional weekend and weekday Masses, Eucharistic Adoration, the sacrament of Reconciliation, and a Friday Night Fish Fry that serves as both fellowship and fundraiser for the community.
- Established
- 1892
- Patron
- Mary of the Immaculate Conception
- Rector
- Rev. Philip E. Niekamp
- Diocese
- Diocese of Jefferson City
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception is a welcoming small-town parish where generations of Polish and Bohemian Catholic immigrants built a unified faith community that still thrives today. Parishioners gather for weekend and weekday Masses, participate in Eucharistic Adoration on first Saturdays, and join together for beloved local traditions like the Friday Night Fish Fry. As part of an associated-parishes grouping with St. Alexander in Belle, Immaculate Conception offers the warmth and familiarity of a tight-knit rural parish while still being served by a resident pastor and associate pastor.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM
- Wednesday: 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM (at St. Alexander in Belle, or call the rectory)
Adoration times
- Saturday: 4:00 PM – 4:55 PM (every first Saturday)
About Immaculate Conception Parish
Immaculate Conception is a Catholic parish in Owensville, Missouri, part of the Diocese of Jefferson City. Located in the Gasconade area, the parish is associated with St. Alexander Parish in Belle and falls within the Southeast Deanery of the diocese. The parish serves the small-town Owensville community and the surrounding rural area of central Missouri, drawing on more than a century and a half of Catholic presence in the region.
- Diocese of Jefferson City
- Gasconade County area
- Associated with St. Alexander Parish in Belle
- Southeast Deanery
Parish History
The first seeds of Catholicism in Owensville were planted in 1830 by the Jesuit missionary Father P.J. Verhagen. Generations later, under another dedicated Jesuit, Father Alex Mathuasheck, the Polish and Bohemian immigrant communities of the area agreed to put aside their separate ethnic identities and build a single, united Catholic parish in 1892, taking Mary of the Immaculate Conception as their patron. The current church was dedicated on May 14, 1950, and a new parish building followed in 1985, both of which have sustained Catholic life in Owensville into the present day.
- 1830 — Jesuit Father P.J. Verhagen brings the Catholic faith to the Owensville area
- 1892 — Polish and Bohemian immigrants found Immaculate Conception Parish under Father Alex Mathuasheck, SJ
- May 14, 1950 — Current church building dedicated
- 1985 — New parish building constructed
- Source: *Proclaiming the Good News in the Heart of Missouri* by Loretta Pastva, SND
Pastoral Leadership & Clergy
The parish is currently served by Pastor Rev. Philip E. Niekamp and Associate Pastor Rev. Philip M. Kane, who together also serve the associated parishes of St. George in Hermann, Church of the Risen Savior in Rhineland, and St. Alexander in Belle. Diocesan personnel announcements have tracked rotations of associate pastors in and out of this cluster of parishes in the Gasconade region.
- Rev. Philip E. Niekamp — Pastor
- Rev. Philip M. Kane — Associate Pastor
Parish Life & Fundraisers
Like many small-town Missouri parishes, Immaculate Conception sustains community life through shared meals and seasonal events. The Friday Night Fish Fry — a carry-out and dine-in parish fundraiser — is a popular tradition, with the menu historically including fish and a wide range of sides.
- Friday Night Fish Fry (carry-out and dine-in)
- PSR Christmas Performance
- Seasonal parish fellowship events
Faith Formation & Youth
Faith formation for the parish's children is offered through the Parish School of Religion (PSR) program. The PSR students put on an annual Christmas Performance for the parish, a highlight of the parish year and a sign of the parish's investment in passing the faith to the next generation.
- Parish School of Religion (PSR)
- Annual PSR Christmas Performance
Sacraments
Immaculate Conception offers the standard sacraments of the Catholic Church. Families seeking Baptism, Marriage, First Communion, Confirmation, or Anointing of the Sick should contact the parish rectory for preparation and scheduling.
- Baptism
- First Communion / Confirmation preparation (via PSR)
- Marriage preparation (call rectory)
- Anointing of the Sick (call rectory)
Visit & Contact
Visitors and parishioners can reach the parish office by phone or email during the week. The parish's primary contact details, as listed by the Diocese of Jefferson City, are below.
- Address: 404 S 1st St, Owensville, MO 65066
- Phone: 573-437-3086
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocesan page: https://diojeffcity.org/immaculate-conception-owensville/