About Most Pure Heart of Mary · Chamois, Missouri
Most Pure Heart of Mary is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the town of Chamois, Missouri, in the heart of Osage County. The parish was formed in 1865 and is part of the Diocese of Jefferson City, clustered in the Southeast Deanery with its sister parish, the Church of the Assumption in nearby Morrison. Today the parish is pastored by Fr. David A. (Dave) Means, who also serves Assumption, and who is well known throughout the diocese for his woodturning ministry and as the creator of the 'Open Hands, Open Hearts' sculpture for the Catholic Charities Center in Jefferson City. With a long-standing tradition of lay involvement — altar ministers, lectors, rosary leaders, greeters, ushers and a dozen standing committees — Most Pure Heart of Mary is a tight-knit rural parish that keeps a weekly Sunday Mass, a vibrant fundraising calendar (including its famous Lenten Seafood Buffets), and an active youth/PSR religious education program.
- Established
- 1865
- Patron
- Most Pure Heart of Mary
- Rector
- Fr. David A. (Dave) Means
- Diocese
- Diocese of Jefferson City (Osage County, Southeast Deanery)
Why belong here
Most Pure Heart of Mary is a small, family-sized Catholic community where nearly every parishioner has a job — rosary leader, lector, altar minister, greeter, usher, committee chair — and where the same faces wave you in the door week after week. The parish keeps a faithful Sunday Mass schedule (rotating seasonally with sister parish Assumption in Morrison), offers a Parish School of Religion (PSR) for the children, and gathers the whole community several times a year around signature events like the Lenten Seafood Buffets. It is the kind of place where the pastor knows your name, the secretary answers the phone, and there is a real, concrete way to put your time, talent and treasure to work — exactly what the parish's 'Time – Talent – Treasure – MPH' motto celebrates.
Mass times at Most Pure Heart of Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Welcome to Most Pure Heart of Mary
Most Pure Heart of Mary is the Roman Catholic parish of Chamois, Missouri, a small river town in Osage County in central Missouri. The parish identifies itself simply: 'We are the Roman Catholic parish in Chamois Missouri.' It belongs to the Diocese of Jefferson City and is part of the Southeast Deanery, paired with the Church of the Assumption in nearby Morrison. Worshippers visiting the parish are greeted at the door by a long-serving group of greeters and gift bearers, and inside they find a faith community that prides itself on putting time, talent and treasure to work in equal measure.
- Parish motto on the website: 'Time – Talent – Treasure – MPH'
- Part of the Southeast Deanery of the Diocese of Jefferson City
Parish History
Catholic life in the Chamois area predates the parish by a generation. According to the diocesan history page, as early as 1838 — long before the town of Chamois was established — Jesuit Fr. Ferdinand Helias visited the area, planting the seeds of the community that would become Most Pure Heart of Mary. The parish was formally organized in 1865, and a former store building served as the first Catholic church in Chamois, blessed in 1871. From 1875 to 1908 the parish had no resident priest; during those thirty-three years it was attended by the Franciscan Fathers from Hermann, Missouri, who traveled in to celebrate the sacraments. A new, purpose-built church was dedicated on May 30, 1912, and that building — substantially remodeled in 1980 — continues to serve the parish today. The standard written account of the parish's history is found in Sr. Loretta Pastva's Proclaiming the Good News in the Heart of Missouri.
- 1838: Fr. Ferdinand Helias, SJ, first visits the area
- 1865: Most Pure Heart of Mary parish is formed
- 1871: First church (a former store building) is blessed
- 1875–1908: No resident priest; attended by the Franciscan Fathers from Hermann, MO
- May 30, 1912: A new church is dedicated
- 1980: The 1912 church is remodeled
Mass & Worship Schedule
The parish keeps a faithful weekend Mass schedule that rotates seasonally with its sister parish, the Church of the Assumption in Morrison. According to the parish and the Diocese of Jefferson City, the Saturday Vigil Mass is at 6:00 PM, and Sunday Mass is at 9:00 AM. Mass times shift between the two parishes by season: Saturday-evening Mass in Morrison runs April through September, and 9:00 AM Sunday Mass in Chamois runs October through March, with the schedule flipping each year. The full current calendar is published on the parish's Calendar page.
- Sunday Mass — 9:00 AM (Oct through Mar)
- Saturday Vigil Mass — 6:00 PM (Apr through Sept, at Assumption in Morrison)
- A Rosary is prayed before Mass, led by a rotating parish Rosary Leader
- Full schedule and seasonal changes posted on the parish Calendar
Sacraments & Devotions
The parish website does not publish a dedicated sacraments page, but the parish clearly celebrates the regular sacramental life of a Catholic community: Sunday and Vigil Mass, the praying of the Rosary before Mass, altar ministry, lay ministers of Holy Communion, and (through the associated parish) baptism, marriage and funeral preparation. The parish is part of the Diocese of Jefferson City, which provides diocesan-wide sacramental norms and marriage preparation, and Fr. Dave Means is the sacramental minister for both Most Pure Heart of Mary and Assumption, Morrison.
- Sunday / Vigil Mass (see schedule above)
- Rosary before Mass (parish-organized, rotating leader)
- Lay Ministers of Holy Communion (rotating)
- Funerals, baptisms, and marriages through the pastor's office (no dedicated web page)
Parish Committees & Ministries
Most Pure Heart of Mary runs on a deep bench of lay-led committees. The parish's Committees page lists standing groups with named chairs, regular quarterly meeting dates, and a working philosophy — 'If you are unable to keep your assignment, please find someone else to take your place.' In addition to the standing committees, a weekly Ministries Schedule assigns liturgical roles — Rosary Leader, Reader/Commentator, Altar Ministers, Lay Ministers, Greeters/Gift Bearers and Ushers — so that Mass is prepared and served by the people of the parish.
- Parish Council — meets 4th Thursday of Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct
- Liturgy Committee — meets 4th Thursday of Feb, May, Aug, Nov
- Social Activities Committee
- Fundraising Committee
- Maintenance Committee — meets 4th Thursday of Mar, Jun, Sep
- Finance Committee — meets 3rd Thursday of Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct
- Adult Education Committee
- Youth / Parish School of Religion (PSR) Committee
- Liturgical roles assigned weekly: Rosary Leader, Reader/Commentator, Altar Ministers, Lay Ministers, Greeters/Gift Bearers, Ushers
Faith Formation — Youth & PSR
Religious education for the children of the parish is coordinated through a dedicated Youth / PSR (Parish School of Religion) Committee, with nine named members responsible for the program. As a small rural parish sharing its pastor with Assumption in Morrison, PSR is the main vehicle for ongoing faith formation for school-age children, complementing what the family and Sunday Mass provide.
- Youth / PSR Committee coordinates religious education
- Adult Education Committee coordinates formation for adults
Sister Parish: Assumption, Morrison
Most Pure Heart of Mary is twinned with the Church of the Assumption in Morrison, Missouri. The two parishes share a pastor, Fr. Dave Means, and a parish secretary, Mrs. Evelyn Dudenhoeffer, and they are listed as 'Associated Parishes' on the diocesan directory. The Most Pure Heart of Mary website even hosts a separate section (mostpureheart.org/assumption/) for Assumption, complete with its own ministry schedule, its own calendar, and links to old Assumption baptism records. The weekend Mass schedule rotates between the two churches by season, so a Catholic in this part of Osage County can attend either parish and always find a Mass.
- Shared pastor: Fr. David A. Means
- Shared secretary: Mrs. Evelyn Dudenhoeffer
- Shared phone (573) 763-5345 and mailing address (P.O. Box 156, Chamois, MO 65024)
- Weekend Mass schedule rotates between MPH (Chamois) and Assumption (Morrison) by season
Fundraising & Community Life
Fundraising and shared meals are central to parish life. The parish website prominently advertises its signature LENTEN SEAFOOD BUFFETS — Friday-evening all-you-can-eat fish dinners in Lent, 4:00–7:00 PM, with multiple Fridays scheduled. The sister parish in Morrison runs its own Lenten Fish Fry, and the Fundraising Committee and Social Activities Committee are standing ministries of the parish. The parish calendar page is the authoritative source for the full slate of events, including seasonal bazaars, socials and committee meetings.
- Lenten Seafood Buffets (Fridays in Lent, 4:00–7:00 PM)
- Lenten Fish Fry at sister parish Assumption, Morrison
- Fundraising Committee coordinates the parish's annual giving events
- Social Activities Committee coordinates parish socials and gatherings
Pastor: Fr. David A. Means
Fr. Dave Means is the current pastor of both Most Pure Heart of Mary in Chamois and Assumption in Morrison. He is widely known in the diocese not only as a pastor but also as a woodturner: a 2022 feature in The Catholic Missourian highlighted his workshop near the Chamois rectory, where he turns local wood into devotional and artistic pieces. His most prominent public work is the 2021 sculpture 'Open Hands, Open Hearts,' created for the Catholic Charities Center in Jefferson City, carved from a large maple log with two branches. Outside his workshop hangs a sign with a quote from St. Francis of Assisi — a fitting detail for a small-town Missouri pastor who also sculpts the wood of his parish's home.
- Pastor of Most Pure Heart of Mary (Chamois) and Assumption (Morrison)
- Cell: (573) 301-0350
- Email: [email protected]
- Woodturner; created 'Open Hands, Open Hearts' (2021) for the Catholic Charities Center in Jefferson City
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone, email, or mail. The parish's mailing address and the sister parish's mailing address are the same P.O. box, and the phone number is shared between the two parishes. The parish's Calendar page is the best place to check weekly Mass assignments, committee meetings, and upcoming fundraising events.
- Phone: (573) 763-5345 (parish office; shared with Assumption, Morrison)
- Parish Secretary: Mrs. Evelyn Dudenhoeffer — [email protected]
- Pastor: Fr. Dave Means — [email protected] / cell (573) 301-0350
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 156, Chamois, MO 65024
- Physical address: 106 W 2nd Street, Chamois, MO 65024
- Website: http://www.mostpureheart.org/
- Diocese: Diocese of Jefferson City — diojeffcity.org