About St. Anthony · Lively Grove, Illinois
St. Anthony is a small rural Catholic parish in the Lively Grove community of Washington County, southern Illinois, established in 1868 by Low German immigrant families. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Belleville and is currently partnered with neighboring St. Barbara Parish in Okawville, sharing clergy and staff between the two communities. Today the parish is served by Parochial Administrator Rev. Christopher Anyanwu, Deacon Andrew Lintker, and secretary/business manager Carol Sweet, and offers weekend Mass on a rotating seasonal schedule.
- Established
- 1868
- Patron
- St. Anthony (of Padua)
- Rector
- Rev. Christopher Anyanwu (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Belleville
Why belong here
St. Anthony offers the experience of a small, historic rural Catholic community rooted in more than 150 years of Low German immigrant faith in southern Illinois. Parishioners gather around a beloved 1887 brick church framed by two linden trees that Fr. Wendelin Gillen brought from Germany, share weekend Mass with neighbors, and are part of a partnered community that reaches across Lively Grove and Okawville through shared clergy, staff, and sacramental life. It is a quiet, family-sized parish where every household is known and where Catholic life in rural Washington County continues much as it has for generations.
Mass times at St. Anthony
Weekly Mass schedule
History of St. Anthony Parish
St. Anthony Parish was established in 1868 when Low German Catholic families who had been settled in the Lively Grove area since 1860 petitioned for their own church. Their pastor at St. Libory, Rev. Henry Jansen, supported the move because the road to St. Libory was so poor it made Sunday Mass travel a hardship for the immigrant families. With the help of St. Libory parish, the 17 founding families built their first small wooden church in 1868; it served the community for about twenty years. The parish has been continuously served by Catholic priests ever since, and through its first century it remained a remarkably stable community of about 45 families.
- Founded 1868 by 17 Low German Catholic families
- Rev. Henry Jansen of St. Libory recommended the new parish
- Fr. Rosmueller became the first resident pastor in 1869
- Sophie Maxander (d. 1870) is the earliest known burial in the parish cemetery
The Present Church and the Linden Trees
The brick church that stands at Lively Grove today was built in 1887 during the pastorate of Rev. Longinus Quitter, replacing the original wooden structure. It rises above the surrounding corn fields and remains the visible heart of the parish community. In front of the church are two linden trees that have become the parish's most distinctive natural landmark: Fr. Wendelin Gillen brought the seedlings from Germany and planted them himself at the church. Those lindens still thrive today, more than a century later.
- Present brick church built 1887 under Rev. Longinus Quitter
- Quitter and Rev. A. Busch are both buried in the adjacent parish cemetery
- Two linden trees planted by Rev. Wendelin Gillen from German seedlings
- Current rectory built in 1902 by Fr. Gillen
Parish School and Religious Education
A Catholic school was built at St. Anthony in 1912 during the pastorate of Rev. Wendelin Gillen, along with a sisters' residence. Sisters of the Ruma Motherhouse taught there on and off through the decades. The school closed in 1963 and both the school building and the sisters' home were removed in 1965, the same year the present air-conditioned parish hall was built under Rev. Paul W. Stauder.
- Catholic school built 1912 under Rev. Wendelin Gillen
- Sisters' residence built alongside the school
- Taught by Sisters of the Ruma Motherhouse on and off
- School closed 1963; buildings demolished 1965
- New parish hall built 1965 under Rev. Paul W. Stauder
Clergy and Staff
St. Anthony is currently led by Parochial Administrator Rev. Christopher Anyanwu, who also serves as Parochial Administrator of partner parish St. Barbara in Okawville. He is assisted by Deacon Andrew Lintker. The parish's secretary and business manager is Carol Sweet, who likewise serves St. Barbara, Okawville.
- Parochial Administrator: Rev. Christopher Anyanwu — 618-824-6271
- Deacon: Deacon Andrew Lintker
- Secretary / Business Manager: Carol Sweet — 618-824-6271
Parish Partnership with St. Barbara, Okawville
St. Anthony is partnered with St. Barbara Parish in Okawville (established 1867) — the two parishes share clergy and staff and alternate weekend Mass responsibilities. Rev. Christopher Anyanwu serves as Parochial Administrator of both communities, and Carol Sweet serves as secretary for both. This partnership is part of a broader pattern in the Diocese of Belleville of pairing smaller rural parishes for sustainable ministry.
- St. Barbara, Okawville (est. 1867) — 305 N. Front St., Okawville, IL 62271 — 618-243-6236
- Shared Parochial Administrator: Rev. Christopher Anyanwu
- Shared Secretary: Carol Sweet
Diocese and Wider Church
St. Anthony belongs to the Diocese of Belleville, the southern Illinois diocese created in 1887 when the old Alton Diocese was divided into the Diocese of Springfield and the Diocese of Belleville. The first Bishop of Belleville was Bishop John Janssen (distinct from Rev. Henry Jansen, the founding priest of Lively Grove). Over its history the parish has been served under Popes Pius IX, Leo XIII, St. Pius X, Benedict XV, Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII, and Paul VI. Through its early decades the parish fell under Bishop Henry Junker of the Alton Diocese, and by the late 1960s Bishop Albert R. Zuroweste was the ordinary of Belleville.
- Diocese of Belleville (created 1887)
- First Bishop of Belleville: Bishop John Janssen
- Parish has been served under eight different Popes from Pius IX to Paul VI
Visiting St. Anthony
St. Anthony is a small rural parish in Washington County, Illinois, and a visit typically means coming to one of the weekend Masses listed above. The parish grounds include the church, the rectory, the parish hall, and the adjoining cemetery where several of the early pastors and pioneers are buried, including Rev. Longinus Quitter, Rev. A. Busch, and Sophie Maxander (d. 1870).
- Address: 6101 St. Anthony Church Rd., Oakdale, IL 62268
- Phone: 618-824-6271
- Listed as established 1868 by the Diocese of Belleville and by GCatholic
- On-site parish cemetery adjacent to the church
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Henry Jansen (pastor of St. Libory)1868 (first year, with assistant Fr. Tuerk)
Recommended that the Lively Grove families build their own parish; served the new mission its first year.
- Rev. Rosmueller1869
First priest to reside at Lively Grove; built the first small frame pastoral residence.
- Rev. A. Busch
Early pastor; buried in the parish cemetery.
- Rev. Carl Roesner
Early pastor.
- Rev. Longinus Quitter
Built the present brick church in 1887; buried in the parish cemetery.
- Rev. B. Reusch
Succeeded Quitter.
- Rev. Wendelin Gillen
Built the present rectory in 1902 and the Catholic school in 1912; brought two linden seedlings from Germany and planted them in front of the church.
- Rev. Clemens Bellmann
- Rev. Henry Alberg
- Rev. John Jantzen
Served two separate terms.
- Rev. Bernard Kunkel
- Rev. Edwin Arentsen
- Rev. Melvin Haas
- Rev. Paul W. Stauder1963-
Built the present air-conditioned parish hall in 1965.