About Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Posen) · Nashville, Illinois
Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a small Roman Catholic parish in the rural hamlet of Posen, Washington County, Illinois, established in 1901 to serve the Polish farming families who settled this corner of southern Illinois. It is partnered with St. Ann Catholic Church in nearby Nashville under a single administrator, with shared clergy, staff, and ministries. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Belleville and remains a quiet, faith-rooted country church — its original building replaced in the late 1960s — surrounded by the historic graveyard of its parishioners and pioneers.
- Established
- 1901
- Patron
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help
- Rector
- Rev. Benny George Ayathupadam, CMI (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Belleville
Why belong here
Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a country parish with deep roots — a 1901-founded Polish Catholic community still gathering every Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. for Mass in the heart of Washington's Polish Hill. Worshippers here are known by name, supported by a Ladies' Altar Sodality and Holy Name Society, and pastored alongside St. Ann in Nashville by Fr. Benny George Ayathupadam, CMI and Deacon Fred Sterns. It's the kind of place where generations return, confession is offered before Mass, and a quiet mission church keeps a 120-year-old Polish Catholic tradition alive.
Mass times at Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Posen)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. (OLPH, Posen), or by appointment
- Saturday 3:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. (St. Ann, Nashville), or by appointment
Adoration times
- 1st Thursday of every month, 2:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., closing with Benediction (at partnered parish, St. Ann, Nashville)
Parish Identity & History
Our Lady of Perpetual Help was established in 1901 as the Catholic church of Posen, a Polish farming hamlet in Washington County, Illinois. The parish grew up with the Polish immigrants who settled the surrounding countryside — many of them from families that had earlier been secular Polish Jews before embracing the Catholic faith. The original 1901 church served the community for more than six decades before being replaced in the late 1960s by the present sanctuary.
- Founded 1901 by Polish Catholic settlers of Washington County
- Named after its hamlet: Posen (echoing Poznań, Poland)
- Original church replaced by the present building in the late 1960s
- Historic parishioners' and pioneers' cemetery surrounds the parish grounds
Diocese & Parochial Partnership
The parish is a member of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville. For pastoral and administrative purposes it is partnered with St. Ann Catholic Church in Nashville — the two share a single administrator, a deacon, a parish secretary/DRE, a faith-formation program, and several societies. The St. Ann rectory and office at 631 S. Mill Street, Nashville, serves as the combined parish office, while Mass and other services continue to be celebrated at both churches according to their own schedules.
- Diocese of Belleville (Southern Illinois)
- Partnered parish: St. Ann, Nashville (established 1874)
- Combined parish office: stannolph.org
- Office hours: St. Ann Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri 9:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m.; OLPH Wed 8:30–11:00 a.m.
Clergy, Staff & Trustees
Our Lady of Perpetual Help is served jointly with St. Ann by a Carmelite of Mary Immaculate (CMI) priest as Administrator and a permanent deacon, supported by a parish secretary who also acts as Director of Religious Education.
- Administrator — Rev. Benny George Ayathupadam, CMI ([email protected])
- Deacon — Fred Sterns, Jr. ([email protected])
- Parish Secretary / DRE — Juliann Zyk ([email protected])
- OLPH Parish Council President — Jill Stein
- OLPH Trustees — Art Matecki, Brenda Spenner
- PSR Director for OLPH — Amanda Timmermann
Mass & Sacrament Schedule
Our Lady of Perpetual Help keeps a country-church schedule: one Sunday morning Mass, a midweek evening Mass, and a bi-monthly Thursday Mass, with Reconciliation offered right before Sunday Mass. Holy Day and special schedules are announced. The partnered St. Ann, Nashville site adds a Saturday vigil and weekday morning Masses.
- Sunday Mass — 8:30 a.m. (OLPH, Posen)
- Wednesday Mass — 6:00 p.m. (OLPH, Posen)
- Weekday Mass — 2nd & 4th Thursday, 5:30 p.m. (per diocesan directory)
- Confession — Sunday 8:00–8:15 a.m., or by appointment
- Saturday Vigil — 4:30 p.m. (at St. Ann, Nashville)
Parish Ministries & Organizations
Our Lady of Perpetual Help retains the classic Catholic men's and women's societies typical of Polish-heritage country parishes, alongside a parish council, religious education program, music ministry, and joint youth ministry and Knights of Columbus council shared with St. Ann, Nashville.
- Ladies' Altar Sodality (women's service society) — President Joyce Bauza
- Holy Name Society (men's society) — President Ben Niedbalski
- Parish Council — President Jill Stein
- PSR / Religious Education — Director Amanda Timmermann
- Organist — Mary Niedbalski
- Joint Catholic Youth Ministry (with St. Ann) — Sarah Kozuszek
- Joint Knights of Columbus, Nashville Council — Grand Knight Dale Hentges
Visiting & Location
OLPH sits on Posen Road in the hamlet of Posen, southeast of Nashville in Washington County. There is no town to speak of — just the church, the parish cemetery, and farmland — so visitors are encouraged to use the directions below and to confirm Mass times before traveling.
- Street address: 19824 Posen Road, Nashville, IL 62263
- From Nashville: south on Mill Street / IL-127 ~6.4 miles, then east on Posen Road ~3 miles — church on the right
- Phone (OLPH): 618-327-3556
- Phone (St. Ann office): 618-327-3232