About St. Bridget · Pleasant Hill, Missouri
St. Bridget Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph located at 2103 Lexington Road in Pleasant Hill, Missouri. Founded by Irish railroad families in 1870 and dedicated in 1871, the parish is now home to roughly 350 worshippers and is led by Father Curt Vogel, a Pleasant Hill native and St. Bridget alumnus who was ordained in 2015. The parish operates a School of Religion, weekly Mass on Saturdays, Sundays, and several weekdays, a full confession schedule, Eucharistic Adoration on Thursdays, and a range of sacramental and pastoral ministries serving Cass County.
- Established
- 1870
- Patron
- St. Bridget of Ireland
- Rector
- Father Curt Vogel
- Diocese
- Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph
Why belong here
St. Bridget offers a small, welcoming Catholic community where parishioners know one another by name. The parish anchors Pleasant Hill with a full sacramental life — daily and Sunday Mass, six weekly confession slots, Thursday Eucharistic Adoration, and parish-based preparation for First Reconciliation, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Baptism, and Anointing of the Sick. A School of Religion, dedicated Music Liturgy program, and a paid-off parish plant (the mortgage was burned in 2017) make this a stable, family-friendly home parish — and its current pastor is one of its own.
Mass times at St. Bridget
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:30 a.m. – 7:50 a.m.
- Tuesday 8:25 a.m. – 8:50 a.m.
- Thursday 8:25 a.m. – 8:50 a.m.
- Thursday 6:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. (prior to closing of Thursday Adoration)
- Wednesday 5:25 p.m. – 5:50 p.m.
- First Friday 5:25 p.m. – 5:50 p.m.
- Second Saturday after the 5:00 p.m. Mass
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Thursday Adoration (closes after the 6:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. confession window)
Our 150 Year History
St. Bridget began in 1867 with Irish railroad families settling in Pleasant Hill and gathering monthly for Mass in homes with priests from Independence or Holden. Archbishop Peter Kenrick purchased the South Jeffreys and Locust lot in 1868; the first church was built in 1870 and dedicated by Bishop John J. Hogan in 1871. After fire destroyed it about nine years later, the congregation rebuilt on the same site in 1885, and that second church served the mission for 114 years. The parish moved into its present sanctuary in 1999, became a freestanding parish under Bishop Boland in 2003, added an Education Building in 2007, and burned the last of its mortgage in 2017.
- 1867 – First Catholic Masses in homes; founding families: Brierly, Dwyer, Fitzgerald, Galvin, O'Connell, Worlen, Morrah, Marriott
- 1868 – Archbishop Peter Kenrick purchases church lot for $200
- 1870 – First church built
- 1871 – Dedicated by Bishop John J. Hogan (Diocese of St. Joseph)
- c.1879 – First church destroyed by fire
- 1885 – Second church built and rededicated by Bishop Hogan
- July 19, 1998 – Groundbreaking for the new church; Bishop Boland urges inclusion of the Brigidine cross
- January 27, 1999 – Excavation begins; foundation laid March 1999
- December 4, 1999 – Mass of Dedication; new 132' x 73' church seats ~350
- July 1, 2003 – Established as a freestanding parish by Bishop Boland
- October 1, 2006 – Education Building groundbreaking
- September 16, 2007 – Education Building dedicated by Msgr. Robert Murphy
- August 15, 2017 – Final mortgage payment sent to the diocese (Feast of the Assumption)
- November 5, 2017 – Mortgage-burning Mass; Tim Long burns the document in church
- July 1, 2018 – Father Curt Vogel assigned as pastor (also serving St. Patrick's, Holden)
Sacraments
St. Bridget prepares parishioners for every sacrament of the Church, from infant Baptism through Anointing of the Sick. Sacramental preparation follows diocesan policy, with the First Sacraments (Reconciliation and Holy Communion) ordinarily received in 2nd grade through the School of Religion, and Confirmation prepared for in a Wednesday program for 6th-graders-and-up.
- Baptism — parent preparation session required
- First Reconciliation & First Holy Communion — through SOR, typically 2nd grade
- Confirmation — Wednesday program, 6th grade+, per diocesan guidelines
- Marriage — nine-month preparation; downloadable Marriage Policy Handbook
- Anointing of the Sick — after Mass or by appointment
School of Religion & Faith Formation
The parish operates a School of Religion using a family-friendly format built on the Augustine Institute and Ignatius Press curriculum, with materials for children and parents. Classes begin each September and meet Wednesdays from 6:00 p.m. (opening with 6 p.m. in the church) through about 7:30 p.m. in the Education Building. First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion are conferred in 2nd grade.
- Curriculum: Augustine Institute / Ignatius Press
- Wednesdays, 6:00–7:30 p.m., Education Building
- Director of Religious Education: Natalie Sadler ([email protected])
- Confirmation preparation — Wednesdays, 6th grade and up
Parish Staff & Office
A small but dedicated staff runs the parish under Father Curt Vogel. The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. St. Bridget is also served by two deacons.
- Pastor — Father Curt Vogel
- Deacons — Corey Morgan and Timothy Long
- Director of Religious Education — Natalie Sadler
- Director of Music Liturgy — Henry Saubers
- Business and Operations Manager — (parish office)
- Parish Secretary / Administrative Assistant — Sara Kitchell and Kaitlin Long
- Parish Custodian — Bill Kennedy
- Office Hours — Mon–Thu 9 a.m.–4 p.m.; Fri 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
Architecture & Facilities
The present St. Bridget Church, dedicated in 1999, is a roughly 132' by 73' sanctuary seating about 350 with expandable capacity to 700. At Bishop Boland's request the design incorporates the Brigidine cross, and the solid walnut altar, ambo, and presider's chair are the Ledwidge Family Memorial. The 1885 mission church still stands on its original South Jeffreys and Locust site. The adjoining Education Building, dedicated in 2007, houses parish offices and the School of Religion classrooms, and there is also a rectory.
- 1999 church with incorporated Brigidine cross motif
- 132' x 73' footprint; ~350 seats, expandable to ~700
- Ledwidge Family Memorial — walnut altar, ambo, presider's chair
- 1885 mission church — still standing
- Education Building — dedicated Sept. 16, 2007 ($1.4 million)
- Parish rectory
Pastors & rectors through the years
- First resident pastor — Rev. Joseph I. Cisetti2003–
First resident pastor after Bishop Boland established St. Bridget as a freestanding parish on July 1, 2003; oversaw construction of the Education Building (groundbreaking Oct. 1, 2006; dedicated Sept. 16, 2007).
- Monsignor Robert Murphy
Dedicated the Education Building on September 16, 2007; later celebrant at the mortgage-burning Mass on November 5, 2017.
- Monsignor Bradley Offutt (formerly Reverend Bradley Offutt)
Led the parish through the new-church groundbreaking (July 19, 1998), construction, and dedication (December 4, 1999). Concelebrant at the mortgage-burning Mass.
- Reverend Donald Cleary
Former pastor; concelebrated the 1999 Mass of Dedication.
- Father Curt Vogel2018–present
Pleasant Hill native raised at St. Bridget; ordained May 24, 2015; assigned July 1, 2018, also serving St. Patrick's in Holden.