About Our Lady Help of Christians · Sainte Genevieve, Missouri
Our Lady Help of Christians is a small, historic Catholic parish serving the unincorporated community of Weingarten in rural Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri, in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. The parish was founded in 1872 by about eighty families of German descent, who originally called their community 'Maria Weingarten' (Mary's Vineyard), and it remains a country parish set among vineyards and wineries roughly 62 highway miles south of downtown St. Louis. Today the parish is pastored together with nearby Ste. Genevieve and Sacred Heart–Ozora by Rev. Andrew Burkemper, with Rev. Anthony Gerber as Senior Associate Pastor and Rev. Jacob Wessel as Associate Pastor. The little stone church, its outdoor Marian shrine, and its cemetery anchor a faith community of around 455 Catholics (2009 figure) known for its deep German-Catholic roots and a notable 1872 sanctuary built of local stone.
- Established
- 1872
- Patron
- Our Lady Help of Christians (Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title Auxilium Christianorum)
- Rector
- Reverend Thomas Keller
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of St. Louis
Why belong here
Our Lady Help of Christians offers a deeply rooted, close-knit Catholic community in the heart of Weingarten's wine country, with Sunday Mass, weekday Masses, and the sacrament of Reconciliation available regularly. As a small historic country parish founded in 1872 by German Catholic families, it gives visitors and parishioners a chance to worship in the same local-stone church for nearly 150 years and to be part of a multi-parish cluster that also serves Valle Catholic Schools. It is a fitting spiritual home for those who value tradition, modest rural parish life, and a parish community that has served the same families across many generations.
Mass times at Our Lady Help of Christians
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 20 minutes before each Mass
- Sunday 9:30 am – 9:50 am (before the 10:00 am Mass)
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration is offered (times listed on the parish's Archdiocese of St. Louis page)
About Our Lady Help of Christians
Our Lady Help of Christians Parish is a community of Catholics in the Archdiocese of St. Louis endeavoring to live out the Joy of the Gospel and to bring others closer to Our Lord, Jesus Christ, through a commitment to being missionary disciples who know and live the Faith. Located in the unincorporated community of Weingarten in rural Sainte Genevieve County, the parish traces its roots to 1872 and serves a congregation of around 455 Catholics, faithful to its German-Catholic heritage and to the original stone church built by its founders.
- Parish type: Catholic parish (country/rural)
- Diocese: Archdiocese of St. Louis
- Founded 1872
- Address: 13370 Highway 32, Weingarten, MO 63670-9402
History and Heritage
The parish was founded in 1872 by roughly eighty families of German descent, who originally called the community 'Maria Weingarten' (Mary's Vineyard). The cornerstone of the present stone church was laid that same year, and a niche statue of the Virgin Mary was placed above the front door in 1903. The 1872 sanctuary and its grounds, including the parish cemetery and an outdoor shrine to Our Lady, are listed in the Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS MO-1628). The parish marked its sesquicentennial on July 6, 2013.
- Founded 1872 by about 80 German families as 'Maria Weingarten'
- Original stone church built 1872 — still in use
- Niche statue of the Virgin installed 1903
- Sesquicentennial celebrated July 6, 2013
- Named in HABS MO-1628, Library of Congress
The 1872 Stone Church and Its Furnishings
The little stone church is built of local cut stone in a simple, traditional rural-German style. The sanctuary is furnished with statues of the Resurrected Christ and of St. Joseph with the Christ Child, and a baptismal font depicting the baptism of Christ by St. John sits behind the sedilia for the presiding clergy. The church has non-representational stained-glass windows and a set of Stations of the Cross, with individual stations donated by local families such as the Henry Karl family and the Simon Schwent family. A parish cemetery and an outdoor Marian shrine are on the grounds.
- Local cut-stone construction (1872)
- Stained glass (non-representational) and donated Stations of the Cross
- Statues of the Resurrected Christ and St. Joseph with the Christ Child
- Baptismal font depicting the baptism of Christ by St. John
- Outdoor shrine to Our Lady and parish cemetery on the grounds
Weingarten: A 'Wine Garden' Community
Weingarten is an unincorporated community in Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri, whose name comes from the German for 'wine garden.' Surrounded by vineyards and wineries, the region is known for its scenic beauty. The most common ancestries in the surrounding township (per the 2000 U.S. Census) are German, French, and Irish — a heritage that shaped the parish's founding and still colors its identity.
- Unincorporated community in Sainte Genevieve County
- Surrounded by vineyards and wineries
- Predominantly German, French, and Irish ancestry
Notable Connections
Our Lady Help of Christians has produced at least one bishop: Most Reverend Robert Joseph Hermann, Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis, was baptized in this parish and grew up in Weingarten. The community also has an unusual World War II chapter — Weingarten hosted a large POW camp that held about 5,000 Italian soldiers, with two brief escapes (quickly recaptured) and five deaths in captivity, and the prisoners were hired out to local farmers at 80 cents a day. The parish's patron title itself, 'Our Lady Help of Christians' (Auxilium Christianorum), was extended to the universal Church by Pope Pius VII in thanksgiving to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary after his release from imprisonment by Napoleon.
- Most Reverend Robert Joseph Hermann, Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis — parishioner
- WWII Weingarten POW camp (~5,000 Italian soldiers)
- Patron title linked to the Battle of Lepanto and Pope Pius VII
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
The parish is currently served as part of a pastoral cluster by Reverend Andrew Burkemper (Pastor), with Reverend Anthony Gerber as Senior Associate Pastor and Reverend Jacob Wessel as Associate Pastor. Fr. Burkemper was assigned to this cluster (Ste. Genevieve, Sacred Heart in Ozora, and Our Lady Help of Christians in Weingarten, along with Valle Catholic Schools) by Archbishop Rozanski, effective October 15, 2024. The parish rectory can be reached for sacramental matters at (573) 883-3796.
- Reverend Anthony Gerber – Senior Associate Pastor
- Reverend Jacob Wessel – Associate Pastor
- Rectory: (573) 883-3796
Sacraments
Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Matrimony are arranged by contacting the pastor or rectory directly. The Anointing of the Sick is celebrated at the parish's Saturday 5:00 pm Mass. Visitors and parishioners with sacramental needs are encouraged to call the rectory at (573) 883-3796.
- Baptism – contact pastor/rectory
- Confirmation – contact pastor/rectory
- Holy Matrimony – contact pastor/rectory
- Anointing of the Sick – Saturday 5:00 pm Mass
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Reverend Andrew BurkemperAppointed effective October 15, 2024 (current)
Assigned by Archbishop Rozanski as pastor of a cluster that includes Ste. Genevieve, Sacred Heart in Ozora, and Our Lady Help of Christians in Weingarten, as well as President of Valle Catholic High School. Previously served fourteen months at Immaculate Heart of Mary, New Melle.