About St. Anne · French Village, Missouri
St. Anne Catholic Church is a rural mission parish in French Village, St. Francois County, Missouri, served from and dependent upon St. Joseph Church in nearby Bonne Terre. It is part of the Archdiocese of St. Louis and is currently administered by Rev. Rodger Fleming. Mass is offered on Sundays, with the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Mass and Eucharistic Adoration on first Tuesdays. The parish traces its roots to 1828, when it became the first permanent Catholic parish in St. Francois County, originally serving French-Canadian settlers in the historic village once known as Petit Canada.
- Established
- 1828
- Patron
- St. Anne (mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Rodger Fleming (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of St. Louis (Metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Louis)
Why belong here
St. Anne is a small, tight-knit rural Catholic community that has kept the faith alive in the historic village of French Village since 1828 — nearly 200 years. Sunday Mass, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and monthly Eucharistic Adoration are offered in a peaceful country setting, and worshippers are shepherded by the same clergy who serve the larger St. Joseph community in Bonne Terre. For Catholics in the eastern St. Francois County countryside, it is a place to receive the sacraments, stay rooted in their French-Canadian Catholic heritage, and belong to a parish family that has ministered to surrounding communities for two centuries.
Mass times at St. Anne
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:30 am
Adoration times
- Tuesday 8:30 am – 10:00 am (1st Tuesdays)
Welcome to St. Anne Mission
St. Anne Catholic Church is a small rural mission parish in French Village, Missouri, sharing its clergy and parish office with St. Joseph Church in nearby Bonne Terre. Although the church stands in the quiet countryside of eastern St. Francois County, its roots stretch back nearly two centuries to 1828, when it became the first permanent Catholic parish in the county. Today St. Anne continues that legacy by offering Sunday Mass, weekly Reconciliation, and monthly Eucharistic Adoration to the families of French Village and the surrounding Lead Belt.
Parish History
St. Anne's was established in 1828 as the first permanent Catholic parish in St. Francois County. A priest would ride in from Ste. Genevieve to celebrate Mass for 18 French-Canadian pioneer families in a humble log church. Twenty years later, Father John Anselm became the parish's first resident pastor, at a time when St. Anne was one of only 48 parishes in all of Missouri, serving 525 members. The present church was built between 1871 and 1874 and rebuilt after a fire in 1919. As mining shifted westward and French Village became a farming community, the parish's role reversed — St. Anne became a mission served successively from Bonne Terre, Bloomsdale, and Lawrenceton. Since 1964 it has once again been a mission of St. Joseph Parish in Bonne Terre.
- 1828 — St. Anne's established as first permanent parish in St. Francois County
- c. 1848 — Father John Anselm becomes first resident pastor
- 1871–1874 — Present church constructed
- 1919 — Church rebuilt after a fire
- 1964 — Returns as mission of St. Joseph, Bonne Terre (continues today)
Petit Canada and the French-Canadian Heritage
French Village was originally known as Petit Canada — a colony of French Canadians who settled in the area for fur trapping and lead mining. By 1797 some twenty furnaces around the village were smelting ore. The community's enduring French roots are reflected in the adjoining parish cemetery, where French and Acadian family names predominate, and in the state historical marker that stands at the church today.
Clergy and Staff
St. Anne Mission is currently administered by Rev. Rodger Fleming, who also serves as pastor of St. Joseph Church in Bonne Terre. Parish office hours, the office telephone, and the parish mailing address are all handled out of St. Joseph's rectory at 15 St. Joseph Street, Bonne Terre.
- Rev. Rodger Fleming — Administrator
- Parish office — 15 St. Joseph Street, Bonne Terre, MO 63628
- Office Telephone — (573) 358-2112
- Office Fax — (573) 358-4233
Visiting and Location
St. Anne Catholic Church sits at 5443 Brickey Road in French Village, St. Francois County. Travelers approach the parish off State Highway Y; a state historical marker at the intersection of Brickey Road and Highway Y directs visitors to the church and outlines the parish's pioneer history. The mailing address for the parish office, however, is c/o St. Joseph Church, 15 St. Joseph Street, Bonne Terre, MO 63628.
- Street address — 5443 Brickey Road, French Village, MO 63036
- Mailing address — C/O 15 St. Joseph St., Bonne Terre, MO 63628
- Phone — (573) 358-2112
Historical Significance
Beyond its role as a worship site, St. Anne is recognized as the founding Catholic community of St. Francois County. A state historical marker at the church grounds commemorates the establishment of the parish in 1828, the early French-Canadian settlers of Petit Canada, and the parish's two-century ministry to the surrounding Lead Belt communities.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father John Anselmc. 1848
First resident pastor of St. Anne Parish; took charge when it was one of only 48 parishes in Missouri.