About St. Barbara · Okawville, Illinois
St. Barbara Parish is a small Catholic mission parish in the village of Okawville, in Washington County, southern Illinois, established in 1867. It belongs to the Diocese of Belleville and is currently in a parish partnership with St. Anthony in nearby Lively Grove, sharing pastoral staff and alternating weekend Mass coverage. The parish is served by a Parochial Administrator, Rev. Christopher Anyanwu, along with a PSR Director and parish secretary. Visitors and parishioners gather in Okawville at 305 N. Front Street, a block off Interstate 64 (Exit 41), for weekend Masses that follow a unique alternating schedule between the two partnered parishes.
- Established
- 1867
- Patron
- St. Barbara
- Rector
- Rev. Christopher Anyanwu (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Belleville
Why belong here
St. Barbara is a long-standing rural Catholic community in Washington County, founded by German and Irish families in 1867 and still serving Okawville more than 150 years later. As a smaller parish it offers a close-knit, family-style congregation in a quiet small-town setting, with PSR religious education for children, weekend Mass in an alternating Saturday-evening / Sunday-morning rhythm, and a working partnership with the neighboring St. Anthony community in Lively Grove. Anyone passing through southern Illinois on I-64 (Exit 41) or living in the Okawville area will find a welcoming place to pray and belong.
Mass times at St. Barbara
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish History & Heritage
St. Barbara Parish was established in 1867 in the village of Okawville, Washington County, Illinois. According to genealogical records compiled from the parish's own sacramental registers, the earliest Catholic families in the Okawville area were German and Irish settlers who had previously made the journey to St. Libory parish for worship; once the local community was large enough, they organized their own congregation, and St. Barbara's baptismal register begins that year (with marriage records beginning in 1872). The parish was mission-served for its first decades; its first resident pastor was not appointed until 1904. The parish has remained a continuous presence in Okawville ever since and today is in formal partnership with nearby St. Anthony in Lively Grove.
- Founded 1867 — among the early Catholic parishes of Washington County, southern Illinois
- German and Irish founding families, originally served from St. Libory
- First resident pastor installed 1904
- Baptismal registers begin 1867; marriage registers begin 1872
Parish Partnership with St. Anthony, Lively Grove
St. Barbara, Okawville is formally partnered with St. Anthony Parish in Lively Grove (est. 1868), about ten miles to the southwest. The two parishes share their pastor (currently Rev. Christopher Anyanwu as Parochial Administrator for both), as well as a parish secretary and a deacon (Deacon Andrew Lintker). They also alternate weekend Mass coverage: on odd-numbered months (January, March, May, July, September, November) the Saturday 5:00 p.m. vigil Mass is offered at St. Barbara in Okawville; on even-numbered months that vigil is offered at St. Anthony. The Sunday morning Mass schedule is similarly split between the two communities. Each parish keeps its own parish office.
- Partnered parish: St. Anthony, Lively Grove (established 1868)
- Shared Parochial Administrator: Rev. Christopher Anyanwu
- Shared secretary: Carol Sweet
- Shared deacon: Deacon Andrew Lintker (serves the partnership)
Parish Staff & Contacts
The parish is led by a Parochial Administrator rather than a resident pastor, reflecting the rural-cluster model many small Diocese of Belleville parishes share. Day-to-day parish life is supported by a PSR (Parish School of Religion) Director and a parish secretary who also serves the partnered St. Anthony parish. Inquiries about Mass intentions, sacraments, religious education, parish records, or visiting the church should go through the parish office at the number below.
- Parochial Administrator: Rev. Christopher Anyanwu — (618) 243-6236
- PSR Director: Elizabeth Overmann — (618) 243-6236
- Secretary: Carol Sweet — (618) 243-6236
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Mailing: P.O. Box 494, Okawville, IL 62271
Religious Education (PSR)
St. Barbara Parish offers a Parish School of Religion (PSR) program for the faith formation of its children, in the common Diocese of Belleville model for parishes without a parish school. The PSR program is coordinated by Elizabeth Overmann, who can be reached through the parish office.
- Parish School of Religion (PSR) for grade-school-age children
- PSR Director: Elizabeth Overmann
- Contact via the parish office: (618) 243-6236
Visit, Directions & Parish Office
St. Barbara sits on the north side of Okawville at 305 N. Front Street, the same road as Illinois Route 177, where it meets 1st Street. The church is easy to reach from Interstate 64 via Exit 41 (Okawville), which puts drivers directly onto N. Front Street / Route 177. The parish office is normally open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; visitors are encouraged to call ahead to confirm hours before stopping in.
- Address: 305 N. Front Street, Okawville, IL 62271
- Phone: (618) 243-6236
- Email: [email protected]
- From I-64: take Exit 41 (Okawville) to Route 177 / Front Street; church is at the intersection with 1st Street
- Office hours typically Tuesday and Wednesday — call to confirm
Genealogical & Sacramental Records
Because the parish was founded in 1867 and its sacramental registers begin that year, St. Barbara is a valuable resource for Washington County Catholic genealogy. Original registers (baptisms, marriages, confirmations, communions, and deaths) are preserved on microfilm through the Diocese of Belleville and have been transcribed in part by local genealogists, with baptism entries from 1864–1907 and marriages from 1872–1931 published online through Genealogy Trails.
- Baptisms: 1867 – 1930 (microfilm)
- Marriages: 1872 – 1929 (microfilm)
- Confirmations and Communions: 1874 – 1924 (microfilm)
- Deaths: 1868 – 1923 (microfilm)