About Old St. Vincent de Paul · Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Old St. Vincent's Church (Old St. Vincent de Paul) is the 1853 English Gothic Revival sanctuary at 131 South Main Street in downtown Cape Girardeau, Missouri — the original home of what is now St. Vincent de Paul Parish, the oldest Catholic congregation in southeast Missouri. Designed by Irish-born architect Thomas Waryng Walsh on the native-stone foundation of an earlier 1838 church that a tornado leveled in 1850, the brick church was consecrated by Bishop Peter Richard Kenrick of St. Louis and served as the parish church for more than a century. When the parish relocated to a new church on Ritter Drive in 1976–77, a small group of parishioners saved the old building from demolition; it was declared a Religious / Cultural Center and a Chapel of Ease by Bishop Bernard Law on December 1, 1977, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and lovingly restored over the following two decades. Today it continues as a place of worship (Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m.), a small museum of Cape Girardeau Catholic history, and a venue for concerts, devotions and cultural events.
- Established
- 1838
- Patron
- St. Vincent de Paul
- Rector
- Rev. Allan Saunders (Pastor of Old St. Vincent Chapel of Ease and Rector of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Annunciation, assigned 2025)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau
Why belong here
Old St. Vincent's remains a living piece of Cape Girardeau's Catholic history where visitors and parishioners can worship in the same consecrated walls where Cape Girardeau Catholics have prayed since 1853. The chapel offers a peaceful, intimate Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m. — perfect for downtown residents, travelers, and anyone who treasures the beauty of a traditional English Gothic sanctuary with hand-painted ceilings, restored stained glass, and historic wrought-iron work. It is also a cultural venue hosting concerts, the Holy Rosary, seasonal devotions, the small historical museum in the rear, and pilgrimages including documented visits by Catholic relic tours — a rare chance in southeast Missouri to experience a National Register-listed, actively-restored 19th-century church in continuous use.
Mass times at Old St. Vincent de Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment (contact the Church Office at (573) 334-9347); parish-wide confessions also heard Saturdays 3:30–4:30 p.m. at the new St. Vincent de Paul Church on Ritter Drive
Adoration times
- Seasonal / occasional First Friday Eucharistic Adoration with closing Benediction (held at the parish; check bulletin for Old St. Vincent schedule)
Old St. Vincent's Church — A Snapshot
Old St. Vincent's is the 1853 Gothic Revival sanctuary at 131 S. Main Street that anchored Cape Girardeau Catholicism for more than 120 years. Saved from demolition in 1977 and painstakingly restored over the following two decades, it now operates as a Chapel of Ease under the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish, three blocks to the west. A Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m., a small historical museum in the rear, and a steady calendar of concerts and devotions keep this National Register landmark in continuous use.
- Built 1853 on the foundation of the 1838 church
- English Gothic Revival by Thomas Waryng Walsh
- Declared Chapel of Ease December 1, 1977
- National Register of Historic Places, April 12, 1982
- Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m.; Rosary and special devotions as scheduled
History
Catholic life in Cape Girardeau stretches back to 1821. For two decades Vincentian missionaries from Perryville — most notably Father John Timon, C.M., from 1825 — traveled the area on horseback. The first Mass on the present site was in 1833, in a warehouse belonging to Don Louis Lorimier. In 1838 Bishop Rosati of St. Louis laid the cornerstone of the first St. Vincent's Church; that building was destroyed by a tornado on November 27, 1850. The present brick church was erected on the same native-stone foundation by 1853, designed by Irish-born architect Thomas Waryng Walsh and built by Joseph Lansmon; Bishop Peter Richard Kenrick of St. Louis consecrated it on July 27, 1853. The Vincentians ministered the parish continuously, with the Sisters of Loretto staffing the school from 1877. Mid-20th-century westward migration led to the 1976 move to a new church on Ritter Drive — and to the 1977 rescue, declaration as a chapel of ease, and 1982 National Register listing of Old St. Vincent's.
- 1821 — First Mass celebrated in the home of D.F. Steinback
- 1825 — Rev. John Timon, C.M., begins riding Cape Girardeau and Perry counties
- 1833 — Mass at Lorimier's warehouse; riverfront land purchased
- 1838 — Bishop Rosati lays cornerstone of first St. Vincent's
- November 27, 1850 — Tornado destroys the first church
- 1851 — Reconstruction begins; same native-stone foundation reused
- July 27, 1853 — Bishop Peter Richard Kenrick consecrates the present church
- 1877 — Sisters of Loretto arrive to staff the parish school
- 1956 — Parish purchased 13-acre Ritter Drive site under Father Joseph Dyra, C.M.
- December 8, 1976 — Bishop Bernard F. Law dedicates new St. Vincent de Paul on Ritter Drive
- December 1, 1977 — Old church declared Religious / Cultural Center & Chapel of Ease
- April 12, 1982 — Placed on the National Register of Historic Places (Ref. 82003131)
Architecture & Interior
Classified by the National Register as English Perpendicular Gothic Revival, the brick church is laid up on a reused native-stone foundation and is sometimes described as resembling 15th-century Italian Renaissance churches with Gothic arches and Roman-influenced arches. Restoration architect Ted Wofford's archival research showed that the building is very much like churches of the 1850s in England and Ireland, and the restoration followed that mid-19th-century ideal. The result is one of a small handful of Gothic churches of this magnitude and design in the United States — an unexpected treasure in 1850s Cape Girardeau.
- Architect: Thomas Waryng Walsh (Kilkenny, 1827 – St. Louis, 1890)
- Builder: Joseph Lansmon of Cape Girardeau
- Massive hand-carved doors, 3.25 inches thick
- Hand-painted walls and ceiling trimmed in gold leaf
- Stained-glass windows reproduced from the original designs, with St. Vincent de Paul in the center
- Original communion rail with wrought-iron design; pews and altars original
- More than 100 medieval-design plaster masks of Mystery- and Miracle-play characters
- New copper roof (1990–95) replacing the original slate
- Wrought-iron chandeliers; etched-glass vestibule doors
The 1977 Rescue and Restoration
When the new St. Vincent de Paul Church opened in 1976, the old building was slated for demolition. About fifteen parishioners approached Bishop Bernard F. Law and the Vincentian provincial to save it; on December 1, 1977, the bishop declared it a Religious / Cultural Center and a Chapel of Ease. Phase one focused on waterproofing the exterior; phase two, beginning in 1985, closed the church for a year while walls and ceilings were painted and gold leaf applied, and stained-glass was reproduced. Between 1990 and 1995 the slate roof was replaced with copper, carpet and ceramic tile installed in the sanctuary, Stations of the Cross, statues, and the baptismal font were restored, and wrought-iron chandeliers and etched-glass vestibule doors were added. In 1996 the small historical museum was created at the rear of the church, and additional artifacts were preserved and added in 2014.
- Exterior waterproofing and restoration first
- 1985 interior closure — hand-painted ceiling, gold-leaf trim, reproduced stained glass
- 1990–95 copper roof, carpet, ceramic tile, restored Stations and baptismal font
- 1996 opening of the historical museum at the rear of the church
- 2014 additional artifacts preserved and added to the museum
Liturgical Ministry & Church Council
Old St. Vincent's depends on a small but committed group of liturgical volunteers from across the Old St. Vincent's and St. Mary Cathedral communities. Servers, Cantors, Lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion all help celebrate the Sunday Mass. Cantors must generally be members of the Old St. Vincent's congregation; guest cantors may be invited by the music coordinator. The Church Council — presided over by Helen Porter with Chuck Ross as Vice President — provides governance and stewardship alongside Father Allan Saunders, pastor.
- Servers, Cantors, Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
- Cantor coordinator: Ellen Seyer, (573) 334-6407
- Church office: (573) 334-9347
- Church Council: Helen Porter (President); Charles 'Chuck' Ross (Vice President)
The Historical Museum
Opened in 1996 with additional artifacts added in 2014, the small museum in the rear of Old St. Vincent's preserves material culture from the long Vincentian and Sisters of Loretto heritage of Cape Girardeau Catholicism. It complements the parish's 256-page coffee-table history, 'Old St. Vincent Church: A Pictorial and Historical Sketch of Catholicism in Cape Girardeau,' dedicated to Monsignors Joseph Gosche and Richard Rolwing, the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) and the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross.
- Open seasonally with the church
- Preserved artifacts illustrating 1853–1977 parish life and the 1977–1997 restoration
- Companion volume published by the Old St. Vincent's community lists pastors and parishioners
Cultural & Community Use
Beyond weekly Mass, Old St. Vincent's hosts concerts, lectures and seasonal devotions, supporting the parish mission of evangelization through the artistic beauty of a restored 19th-century sanctuary. The parish language is careful: 'We participate in the apostolate of the church to evangelize (tell the Good News of Jesus) through the religious services at the chapel and the artistic beauty of the building.' The chapel also welcomes tourism visitors as a Mississippi riverfront landmark on South Main Street.
- Concerts and recitals in the nave
- Lent and Advent devotional events
- Visitor drop-in during open hours; appointment-only tours at other times
Pastoral Lineage & Affiliations
The Catholic congregation that built Old St. Vincent's became St. Vincent de Paul Parish on April 9, 1836, when Father John Mary Odin, C.M., was named its first resident pastor. The Vincentians (Congregation of the Mission) staffed the parish for generations, until diocesan reconfiguration placed Old St. Vincent's under the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Annunciation in 1977. The 2025 diocesan pastoral assignments name Rev. Allan Saunders as Pastor of Old St. Vincent Chapel of Ease and Rector of the Cathedral; the mother parish of St. Vincent de Paul (now on Ritter Drive) continues under Rev. Rick L. Jones.
- Originally staffed by the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians)
- Chapel of Ease under the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Annunciation since 1977
- Parent parish St. Vincent de Paul: Rev. Rick L. Jones, pastor; Rev. Alex Sutachan, associate
- Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau (dioscg.org)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John Timon, C.M. (Vincentian)1825–
Newly ordained Vincentian in 1825; first traveling missionary to Cape Girardeau and Perry counties; celebrated first Mass on the future site in 1833 inside Don Louis Lorimier's warehouse; secured the riverfront land and petitioned the bishop for a permanent church; first cornerstone laid 1838 by Bishop Rosati.
- Rev. John Mary Odin, C.M. (Vincentian)1836–
Appointed first resident pastor of the Cape Girardeau parish on April 9, 1836, transferring from St. Mary of the Barrens Seminary in Perryville; later Archbishop of New Orleans.
- Rev. Joseph Dyra, C.M.1950s
Led the parish westward under his tenure, purchasing the 13-acre Ritter Drive site in 1956.
- Monsignor Joseph Gosche
Monsignor honored in the dedication of the 2008 'Old St. Vincent Church: A Pictorial and Historical Sketch of Catholicism in Cape Girardeau' coffee-table book.
- Monsignor Richard Rolwing
Directed the restoration of Old St. Vincent Church; co-honoree of the 2008 parish history book.
- Monsignor Normand G. Varone2021
Celebrated Mass at Old St. Vincent's on November 14, 2021, when he was named a Chaplain to His Holiness (Monsignor) by papal honors announced through Bishop Edward Rice.
- Rev. Allan Saunders2025–present (assignment)
Named Pastor of Old St. Vincent Chapel of Ease and Rector of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Annunciation in 2025 diocesan assignments; native of Wisconsin; priest of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau for over 30 years.