About St. Cecilia · Bartelso, Illinois
St. Cecilia is a small Roman Catholic parish in the rural village of Bartelso, Clinton County, Illinois, established in 1885 within the Diocese of Belleville. It was carved from the territory of St. Boniface in Germantown and St. Mary in Carlyle by Bishop P.J. Baltes and remains a parish of largely German-American heritage. Today St. Cecilia is partnered with its mother parish, St. Boniface of Germantown, sharing one pastor (Rev. Thomas Lugge), one deacon (Deacon John Mote), and a rotating weekend Mass schedule between the two churches, with the 8:00 a.m. Sunday Mass held at St. Cecilia every week and livestreamed on Facebook.
- Established
- 1885
- Patron
- St. Cecilia of Rome (patron saint of music and musicians)
- Rector
- Reverend Thomas Lugge
- Diocese
- Diocese of Belleville
Why belong here
St. Cecilia offers a tight-knit, rural Catholic community with deep roots in the German Catholic heritage of Clinton County. Worshippers can attend the dependable weekly Sunday Mass at 8:00 a.m., follow along from home via the parish Facebook livestream, and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before each Saturday Mass the parish hosts. Shared ministry with neighboring St. Boniface, Germantown — under one pastor and one deacon — gives parishioners the resources of a larger partnership while keeping the small-parish feel of Bartelso intact.
Mass times at St. Cecilia
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays on which St. Cecilia has Mass: 3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
History of St. Cecilia Parish
St. Cecilia Parish was created in 1884 by Bishop P.J. Baltes from territory that had belonged to St. Boniface of Germantown and St. Mary of Carlyle. The brick church was built that same year by the future Msgr. William Cluse at a cost of about $25,000, and the first Mass was offered on January 19, 1885. The original name of the congregation was 'Santa Fe.' The parish grew steadily as a community of German-American farmers and tradesmen, and by 1913 it numbered 134 families — about 800 souls.
- Parish established: 1884–1885
- First Mass: January 19, 1885
- Original congregation name: Santa Fe
- Built a brick church of ~500 seats for ~$25,000
Parish School & Religious Formation
St. Cecilia opened its first parish school in 1885 with about thirty pupils, initially taught by lay teachers. In 1894, Father Keim built the present school building for $7,000, and in 1906 two additional rooms were added at a cost of $3,000. From the congregation's earliest days, the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood (based in Ruma, Illinois) served as teachers. By 1913 the school had 160 pupils. Today, faith formation is coordinated through the parish's partnership with St. Boniface, Germantown, under Coordinators of Religious Education Jill Daughtery and Jean Kreke.
- School opened 1885
- Present school building erected 1894
- Sisters of the Most Precious Blood as teachers
- Coordinators of Religious Education: Jill Daughtery and Jean Kreke
Liturgical Ministries
Parishioners serve the parish's worship life as lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, ushers, and leaders of the Children's Liturgy of the Word. Sign-ups and schedules are coordinated through the stbonifacechurch.net website.
- Lector
- Eucharistic Minister
- Usher
- Children's Liturgy
Parish Staff
St. Cecilia shares its pastoral staff with St. Boniface, Germantown. The Administrator is Reverend Thomas Lugge (based at St. Boniface, 618-523-4271). Deacon John Mote assists both parishes. The Coordinators of Religious Education (CRE) are Jill Daughtery and Jean Kreke, and the Administrative Assistant is Donna Schroeder. Seminarians Grant Fender and Kyle Kellerman have served summer assignments at the parishes.
- Administrator: Rev. Thomas Lugge
- Deacon: Deacon John Mote
- CRE: Jill Daughtery and Jean Kreke
- Administrative Assistant: Donna Schroeder
- Seminarians (summer): Grant Fender, Kyle Kellerman
Partnership with St. Boniface, Germantown
Following the Diocese of Belleville's 2013 Pastoral Plan for Parish Renewal and Restructuring, St. Cecilia of Bartelso was formally partnered with St. Boniface of Germantown — Clinton County's historic 'Mother Church.' Together the two share one pastor, one deacon, and one religious-education program, alternating weekend Masses so that each community retains a regular weekly presence of the Eucharist while drawing on shared resources.
- Partnered since 2013 by decree of the Diocese of Belleville
- One priest serves both parishes
- Weekend Masses alternate between Bartelso and Germantown
- Sunday Mass schedule: 8:00 a.m. at St. Cecilia, 10:00 a.m. at St. Boniface
Parish Community Life & Annual Picnic
Like many rural German-Catholic parishes of southern Illinois, St. Cecilia and St. Boniface sustain community life through an annual summer parish picnic. The 2025 picnic, for example, was held on Tuesday, July 29, with a large chicken dinner, quilt and raffle stands, a beer garden, games, and rides, all run by dozens of volunteer parishioners organized into stand chairpersons. The picnic is a defining moment of parish identity each year.
- Annual chicken-dinner picnic with bingo, raffle, beer stand, games, and rides
- Volunteer stand chairpersons from the parish
- Quilt stand — a traditional part of the picnic
Visiting & Contacting St. Cecilia
St. Cecilia is located at 304 S. Washington Street, Bartelso, Illinois 62218. The parish mailing address is P.O. Box 176, Bartelso, IL 62218. The parish office can be reached at 618-765-2162. The shared website for the partnered parishes is http://stbonifacechurch.net, and the Sunday 8:00 a.m. Mass is livestreamed on Facebook.
- Street: 304 S. Washington St., Bartelso, IL 62218
- Mailing: P.O. Box 176, Bartelso, IL 62218
- Phone: 618-765-2162
- Website: http://stbonifacechurch.net
- Facebook livestream of Sunday Mass
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Spaeth1885–spring 1888
First pastor; first Mass in the new church celebrated January 19, 1885.
- Rev. B. BartelsApril 1888–May 4, 1894
Donated the land for the church, school, and cemetery; the village of Bartelso is named after him. Buried in the parish cemetery.
- Rev. Conrad Jansenassistant, c. 1890
Served as assistant to Father Bartels; later became pastor of St. Lawrence, Sandoval, IL.
- Rev. Cornelius Hoffmans1890–November 18, 1891
Came from Fayetteville, IL; assisted Father Bartels; died November 18, 1891.
- Rev. John H. Keimassistant July 16, 1892; administrator September 1893; pastor October 1894 – at least through 1935
Born 1865 in Neidermunster, Rhenish Prussia; ordained 1892 at St. Henry's, East St. Louis; author of the parish's 1885–1935 jubilee history; built the 1894 school.