About Sacred Heart · Bevier, Missouri
Sacred Heart is a Catholic mission parish in the small town of Bevier, Missouri, served as part of the four-parish North Central Missouri Catholic (NCM) cluster in the Diocese of Jefferson City. Founded in 1880, the parish has worshiped in its present clay-brick church since 1938 and is recognized as one of the few self-supporting mission parishes in the nation, a testament to the generosity of generations of Bevier's Catholic families. Today Sacred Heart is pastored by Fr. Bill Peckman alongside the cluster parishes of Immaculate Conception in Macon, St. Mary's in Shelbina, and St. Patrick's in Clarence, sharing clergy, staff, and a rotating weekly Mass schedule.
- Established
- 1880
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. R. William Peckman (Fr. Bill Peckman)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Jefferson City
Why belong here
Sacred Heart offers a small-town Catholic community rooted in more than 140 years of faith and built — literally — by the hands of its own parishioners. As part of the four-parish North Central Missouri Catholic cluster, Sacred Heart members share in daily Mass, devotions, faith formation, and sacramental life across Bevier, Macon, Shelbina, and Clarence, supported by a pastor, four deacons, a Director of Religious Education, and parish staff. It is an ideal home for Catholics in the Bevier area who want a welcoming mission church with deep local roots and the wider resources of the cluster.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- At least 20 minutes before Mass or by appointment
Sacred Heart Parish in Bevier
Sacred Heart is a Catholic mission parish located in the small Macon County town of Bevier, Missouri. Founded in 1880, it belongs to the Diocese of Jefferson City and is pastored as part of the four-parish North Central Missouri Catholic (NCM) cluster, which links Sacred Heart with Immaculate Conception in Macon, St. Mary's in Shelbina, and St. Patrick's in Clarence. The parish is listed in the Diocese of Jefferson City's history among a handful of self-supporting mission parishes in the nation, a tribute to generations of Bevier Catholic families who have sustained the church financially and through volunteer labor.
- Type: Mission (Diocese of Jefferson City)
- County: Macon County
- Deanery: North Deanery
- Pastor: Fr. Bill Peckman (Rev. R. William Peckman)
- Cluster partner parishes: Immaculate Conception (Macon), St. Mary's (Shelbina), St. Patrick's (Clarence)
History of Sacred Heart, Bevier
According to the Diocese of Jefferson City's published history, Sacred Heart was founded in 1880 and worshiped in its first church building for decades until it suffered severe storm damage. In 1938, in the depths of the Great Depression, the parish decided to build the church that stands today. Beginning on March 1, 1938, parishioners tore down the old church and, working as volunteers, dug the basement of the new structure by hand and hauled the dirt away with horse and wagon. The result is the present clay-brick Sacred Heart Church, paid for in full by the people of the parish — a fact the diocese highlights as the story of one of the few self-supporting mission parishes in the country.
- Founded: 1880
- Present church constructed: 1938, clay-brick, volunteer-built
- Depression-era project paid for entirely by parishioners
- Recognized by the Diocese of Jefferson City as one of the few self-supporting mission parishes in the United States
Pastoral and Parish Staff
Sacred Heart is pastored as part of the North Central Missouri Catholic cluster by Fr. Bill Peckman (Rev. R. William Peckman), who serves all four parishes. He is assisted by four permanent deacons and a lay staff that handles religious education, communications, and parish secretarial work across the cluster. Contact for Sacred Heart is handled through the shared Immaculate Conception rectory.
- Pastor: Fr. Bill Peckman
- Deacons: Rev. Mr. Lloyd Collins, Rev. Mr. Bruce Mobley, Rev. Mr. Greg Duffey, Rev. Mr. Larry Mitchell
- Director of Religious Education (DRE): Amanda Durbin
- Communications: Maria Durbin
- Church Secretaries: Beth Saunders, Sue Hall, Laura Edwards
North Central Missouri Catholic Cluster
Sacred Heart at Bevier is one of four parishes that together form North Central Missouri Catholic (NCM), a unified pastoral family in the northern part of the Diocese of Jefferson City. The cluster also includes Immaculate Conception in Macon (with Immaculate Conception School), St. Mary's in Shelbina, and St. Patrick's in Clarence. Combined, the cluster serves about 250 registered families. The parishes share a pastor, deacons, staff, a common Mass schedule, a common bulletin, and a common commitment to cultivating a strong Catholic future in north-central Missouri.
- Sacred Heart (Bevier) — (660) 385-3792
- Immaculate Conception (Macon) — (660) 385-3792
- Immaculate Conception School (Macon) — (660) 385-2711
- St. Mary's (Shelbina) — (573) 588-4540
- St. Patrick's (Clarence) — (573) 588-4540
- Cluster email: [email protected]
Faith Formation and Sacraments
Faith formation across the cluster is coordinated by Director of Religious Education Amanda Durbin. The parishes share resources for lifelong faith formation, sacramental preparation, and discipleship work in cooperation with the Diocese of Jefferson City. The four parishes also coordinate sacramental celebration, including the sacraments of Baptism, Marriage, and Reconciliation (Confession), with confessions heard at least 20 minutes before any scheduled Mass or by appointment through the parish office.
- Baptism — contact the parish rectory
- Marriage — contact the parish rectory
- Reconciliation — at least 20 minutes before Mass or by appointment
- Religious education — coordinated cluster-wide by Amanda Durbin
Visit Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart welcomes visitors and newcomers to its Bevier church for Wednesday evening Mass at 5:00 p.m. and to the wider cluster of NCM parishes for weekday and weekend Masses, devotions, and sacraments. Anyone interested in learning more is invited to call the parish office or send an email; staff will be glad to share information about Mass schedules, faith formation, and sacramental preparation.
- Address: 301 N Macon St, Bevier, MO 63532
- Phone: (660) 385-3792
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: ncmcatholic.diojeffcity.org/sacred-heart-bevier/