About St. Agatha · Saint Louis, Missouri
St. Agatha Church is a Polish Roman Catholic parish located at 3239 South 9th Street (at Utah) in the Soulard neighborhood of south St. Louis, Missouri, in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Founded in 1871 as a German-immigrant parish carved off from SS. Peter and Paul Church, it has served south-side Catholics for more than 150 years. On July 1, 2005, Archbishop Raymond Burke designated St. Agatha as the only official Polish-language parish in St. Louis, and it is now commonly known as the Polish Roman Catholic Parish of St. Louis. Mass is offered in both English and Polish, the parish runs the St. John Paul II Polish Saturday School and a Polish Library, and the Society of Christ Fathers for Poles Abroad (Towarzystwo Chrystusowe) provides pastoral leadership.
- Established
- 1871
- Patron
- St. Agatha of Sicily
- Rector
- Rev. Stanisław Poszwa, SChr (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of St. Louis
Why belong here
St. Agatha is the only official Polish Roman Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, so it is a natural home for Polish-American Catholics in the region — and anyone drawn to Polish devotional life. The parish offers Mass in both Polish and English, weekly Eucharistic Adoration (Friday evenings in Polish), a Polish Library, a Living Rosary group, and the choir ministry, all gathered in a single historic Gothic Revival campus in Soulard. It also runs the St. John Paul II Polish Saturday School, the St. Agatha Center food pantry and social-service outreach, and is pastored by the Society of Christ Fathers, a religious order dedicated to the spiritual care of Poles abroad. A weekend visitor can hear the Polish Mass at 10:00 am Sunday, join a Living Rosary devotion, and pray in a church that has served south-side St. Louis Catholics without interruption since 1871.
Mass times at St. Agatha
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 7:35 am
- Sunday: 9:20 am (Polish)
- Saturday: 3:45 pm
Adoration times
- Friday: 6:00 pm (Polish)
Parish History — From German Roots to Polish National Parish
St. Agatha Parish was founded in 1871 to serve Catholics of German descent in the growing south side of St. Louis who lived too far from SS. Peter and Paul Church. The first church-school-rectory was built at 9th and Utah in 1871, replaced by the present Gothic Revival church dedicated by Bishop Joseph Rademacher on September 27, 1885. A major fire gutted the interior on New Year's Eve 1921, but the parish rebuilt and continued to expand its school, convent, and rectory through the 20th century. The most recent chapter began on July 1, 2005, when Archbishop Raymond Burke named St. Agatha the only official Polish Roman Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, transforming its identity into the Polish national parish it remains today.
- 1871 — land purchased at 9th & Utah; cornerstone laid October 29, 1871
- 1872 — parish school opens with the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood
- 1885 — present Gothic Revival church dedicated by Bishop Joseph Rademacher
- 1893 — Sisters move into the convent (still standing)
- 1896 — current rectory built
- 1899 — transept and new sanctuary added
- 1909 — present school building erected
- 1921 — devastating fire, repairs completed October 1922
- 1983–2005 — Latin Tridentine Masses celebrated with Vatican permission
- 2005 — designated Polish national parish by Archbishop Burke
- 2011 — Blessed John Paul II Polish School founded
- 2014 — school renamed St. John Paul II Polish Saturday School after canonization
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
Since 2012 the parish has been served by the Society of Christ Fathers for Poles Abroad (Towarzystwo Chrystusowe), a religious order whose specific mission is the pastoral care of Polish emigrants. The current parochial administrator is Father Stanisław Poszwa, SChr, who took over in 2020 after Father Hubert Zasada, SChr (2012–2020).
- Fr. Stanisław Poszwa, SChr — Parochial Administrator (2020–present)
- Society of Christ Fathers (Towarzystwo Chrystusowe) — pastoral order since 2012
- Pastoral contact: [email protected], (314) 772-1603
The Church Building — 1885 Gothic Revival
The present church is a French- and German-inspired Gothic Revival building of red brick with gray stone and terracotta accents. Built in 1885 and enlarged with a transept and new sanctuary in 1899, it has changed little in outward appearance since the 1890s. Distinctive features include mass-produced terracotta rosettes used as banded courses beneath the window lintels and a clock tower whose bells were replaced in September 1928.
- Style: French/German Gothic Revival
- Materials: red brick with stone and terracotta trim
- Cornerstone laid April 12, 1885; dedicated September 27, 1885 by Bishop Joseph Rademacher
- Transept and new sanctuary added 1899
- Clock tower with bells (replaced 1928)
St. John Paul II Polish Saturday School
Founded in 2005 (with lessons beginning in October 2005) and re-structured in September 2011 as the Blessed John Paul II Polish Saturday School, this parish catechetical and language school was renamed again in 2014 — after the canonization of Pope John Paul II — to the St. John Paul II Polish Saturday School. The school is recognized by the Archdiocese of St. Louis and operates under St. Agatha's tax-exempt status.
- Founded 2005; first lessons October 2005
- Renamed 'Blessed John Paul II Polish Saturday School' September 2011
- Renamed 'St. John Paul II Polish Saturday School' in 2014 after canonization
- Principal: Agnieszka Lass-Napiórkowska
- Address: 3239 South 9th Street, St. Louis, MO 63118
- Phone: 314-772-1603
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: polishschoolstl.org
Polish Library
The parish operates a Polish Library founded in 2005 to serve Polish-speaking parishioners and the wider Polish-American community in the St. Louis area. It is housed on the parish campus.
- Founded 2005
- Contact: Marek Waniolka
- Phone: 314-772-1603
St. Agatha Center — Outreach to the Near South Side
St. Agatha Center is the parish's social-service arm, striving to address the material, educational, and emotional needs of residents of the near South Side within the historic geographic boundaries of St. Agatha Parish (Pestalozzi–Gasconade, Jefferson to the river). Its primary work is a food pantry, supported by neighborhood advocacy, budgeting help, tutoring, GED and literacy services, and seasonal programs.
- Food pantry and emergency food assistance
- Neighborhood advocacy and resource referrals
- Educational help: GED, literacy, tutoring
- Christmas adoption program
- Fall 8-session educational program
- Budgeting assistance and occasional utility help
- Emergency help with medicine, bus tickets, job resources
- Phone: 314-772-4491
Parish Ministries & Groups
Beyond the school, library, and outreach center, St. Agatha sustains several active spiritual and liturgical groups that any parishioner or visitor can join by contacting the parish office.
- Parish Choir — contact Mary Pettis
- Living Rosary — contact Joanna Susovica and Jadwiga Skrzypczyńska
- Polish Library
- St. Agatha Center (food pantry / social services)
- St. John Paul II Polish Saturday School
Sacraments
St. Agatha offers the full range of Catholic sacraments. Schedules for Mass, Reconciliation, and Eucharistic Adoration are published on the parish website and the Archdiocese of St. Louis parish page; arrangements for Baptism, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick are made through the parish office.
- Mass (English and Polish, daily)
- Reconciliation (Confession)
- Eucharistic Adoration (Friday evenings)
- Baptism — contact the parish office
- Marriage — contact the parish office
- Anointing of the Sick — contact the parish office
Visit, Contact & Directions
St. Agatha is located in the Soulard neighborhood of south St. Louis, at the corner of South 9th Street and Utah. The parish office is open by phone and email, and the parking lot is on the campus.
- Address: 3239 South 9th Street (at Utah), St. Louis, MO 63118-2629
- Phone: (314) 772-1603
- Fax: (314) 772-3979
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.polishchurchstlouis.org/
- Archdiocese page: archstl.org/parish/st-agatha-st-louis/
- On-campus parking (resurfaced and expanded 1993, renovated 2012–2014)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. J. A. Stroombergen1871
First rector; organized the parish canvass, raised $5,000, then retired for health.
- Fr. Herman Leygraaff1871–1874
Bought the 9th & Utah lot for $1,800; built first church/school/rectory; later taught at Salesian Seminary, Milwaukee.
- Fr. William Hinssen1874–1883
Beautified the church with high altar, bells, organ, statues; parish grew to 300 families by 1879.
- Fr. Henry Schrage1883–1911
Built the present 1885 Gothic Revival church, the 1896 rectory, and oversaw the 1899 transept enlargement.
- Fr. James Ehlenz1941–1951
Born in Trier, Germany; appointed by Archbishop Glennon; oversaw improvements to parish buildings.
- Fr. James Rodisto 2004
Retired from service to the Archdiocese in December 2004.
- Fr. Michael Schmitz2005
Served during the transition to the Polish apostolate.
- Fr. Adam Hurbańczuk2005
Brought the Polish Apostolate from St. John Apostle and Evangelist to St. Agatha in July 2005.
- Fr. Czesław Litak2005–2012
First Polish-language pastor; officially installed January 15, 2006; died in St. Agatha rectory December 15, 2014, during a visit from Poland.
- Fr. Hubert Zasada, SChr2012–2020
Society of Christ Father; arrived September 1, 2012, after ministry in Chicago and Hamtramck, MI.
- Fr. Stanisław Poszwa, SChr2020–present
Born 1956; joined Society of Christ October 17, 1976; ordained May 17, 1983; has served in Poland, U.S., and Canada.