About St. Cletus · Saint Charles, Missouri
St. Cletus Catholic Church is an active parish in northern St. Charles County, Missouri, situated along the Zumbehl Road corridor in the City of St. Charles. Founded in 1965 to serve the booming Catholic population moving into this former semi-rural river town, St. Cletus has grown from a handful of families sharing a gymnasium to a thriving community of roughly 1,700 households, with its own parish school (Pre-K through 8th grade), a daily Eucharistic Adoration chapel, and a wide network of ministries. Today the parish is led by Fr. Chris Holtmann as pastor and belongs to the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
- Established
- 1965
- Patron
- St. Cletus (Pope Anacletus), the third Bishop of Rome, traditionally venerated as a martyr and named in the Roman Canon of the Mass
- Rector
- Reverend Christopher Holtmann (Fr. Chris Holtmann)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of St. Louis
Why belong here
St. Cletus offers the full rhythm of a large parish Catholic life without losing its family feel: three Sunday Masses plus a daily 7:00 AM Mass, a Eucharistic Adoration chapel open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and a Pre-K through 8th-grade parish school across the parking lot. New families are personally welcomed by the pastor, Fr. Chris Holtmann, who walks them through registration and matches their interests to ministries such as Small Faith Communities, Suppers 8 social dinners, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, life-teens youth ministry, and dozens of liturgical, formation, service, and administrative groups.
Mass times at St. Cletus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM (Day Chapel / Adoration Chapel)
Parish History
St. Cletus was founded in 1965 by Archbishop Joseph Ritter in the midst of St. Charles's explosive post-1960 population growth. The first pastor, Rev. Omar Brauner, celebrated the inaugural Mass at Duchesne High School's gymnasium on September 5, 1965, and within two years had built a parish school and a 'transformed gymnasium' church at an original site near Elm and Duchesne. After Archbishop May's 1981 redistricting left the original campus inside neighboring St. Peter's boundaries, Fr. John Kerber — assigned the same year — acquired the Zumbehl Road farmland and oversaw construction of the new church, school, and rectory, which Archbishop May dedicated on April 17, 1983. Under the third pastor, Fr. James P. Callahan (appointed November 1994), the parish built a basement parish center and made major church-and-school improvements in 2002. The fourth pastor, Fr. James J. Benz, arrived in July 2004 and led the 2005 40th-anniversary campaign that raised nearly $1.7 million for an endowment. Today the parish numbers close to 1,700 families and is pastored by Fr. Chris Holtmann.
- Founded 1965 by Archbishop Ritter
- First Mass: September 5, 1965, Duchesne High School gymnasium
- Relocation to 2705 Zumbehl Road completed by 1983
- Approximately 1,700 registered families
Parish School (Pre-K through 8th Grade)
St. Cletus School, located across the parking lot from the church at 2721 Zumbehl Road, is a Catholic coeducational elementary school founded in 1967 — just two years after the parish itself. It serves students from Pre-K through eighth grade and is accredited by the Missouri Chapter of the National Federation of Non-Public School State Accreditation Association. The school's mission is to provide an atmosphere of love and respect rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ and to motivate, challenge, and develop each child academically, socially, and spiritually.
- Pre-K through 8th grade, coeducational
- Founded 1967; Missouri-accredited
- Principal: Ms. Rosann Doherty
- School Secretary: Mrs. Sarah Arbuthnot
- Phone: (636) 946-7756 • Fax: (636) 946-6466
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation at St. Cletus spans cradle-to-grave. The parish school provides daily religious instruction for K–8 students, while Laura Henderson serves as Coordinator of Religious Education for parish-school-of-religion programming. Adults preparing to enter the Catholic Church work with Fabian Yanez, the Director of Adult Initiation (OCIA/RCIA), and ongoing adult formation is available through Small Faith Communities that explore the Sunday Gospel using Lectio Divina.
- PSR (Parish School of Religion) — Laura Henderson, Coordinator
- Adult Initiation (OCIA/RCIA) — Fabian Yanez, Director
- Small Faith Communities — parish-wide small-group fellowship using Lectio Divina (contact Paul Borgsmiller, 636-399-7268)
Youth Ministry — St. Cletus Life Teen
St. Cletus runs a robust Life Teen program for 7th through 12th graders, led by Director of Youth Ministry Bob Hamer and a Core Team of young adults and 'adults young at heart.' Life Nights meet every Sunday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM in the Parish Hall, blending catechesis with community. The program also runs three retreats each year: a fall retreat, a Luke 18 retreat held at Camp Trinity in New Haven, Missouri, and the summer Steubenville conference.
- Life Nights — Sundays, 7:00–9:00 PM, Parish Hall
- Luke 18 Retreat (annual, Camp Trinity, New Haven, MO)
- Fall retreat and Steubenville summer conference
- Instagram: @cletusyouth
- Contact: Bob Hamer, 314-623-5258
Liturgical & Music Ministries
St. Cletus offers a full complement of liturgical ministries for those who wish to serve at the altar or in the assembly. Lay volunteers serve as Greeters, Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Altar Servers, and Ushers, and the parish also fields Environment & Art committees and a Liturgy Committee that supports the prayer life of the assembly. Dr. Marc Strathman directs the parish's Music Ministries.
- Greeters
- Lectors
- Eucharistic Ministers
- Altar Servers
- Ushers
- Environment & Art committee
- Liturgy Committee
- Music Director: Dr. Marc Strathman
Service & Outreach
Service is a pillar of parish identity. The St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVdP) is one of the flagship service ministries: a Catholic lay organization that meets the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in the Parish Hall, distributing financial aid and person-to-person caring support to neighbors in need. SVdP members also participate in the Walk for the Poor, the St. Cletus Quilt Social, and the parish picnic. Smaller groups of parishioners also gather regularly through Suppers 8 social dinners and Small Faith Communities.
- St. Vincent de Paul Society — 3rd Tuesday, 7:00 PM, Parish Hall (President: Jim Streit)
- Suppers 8 social dinners
- Small Faith Communities
- School volunteers and office volunteers
Becoming a Parishioner
Newcomers are personally welcomed by the pastor. After filling out a registration form, families schedule a one-on-one meeting with Fr. Chris Holtmann at the Parish Office, where he walks them through the registration paperwork, learns about their interests, and recommends ministries and events that fit. The parish especially recommends joining a Small Faith Community and signing up for Suppers 8 social dinners as the fastest way to make friends and feel at home.
- Complete the online registration form on saintcletus.org
- Schedule a New Parishioner Meeting with Fr. Chris in the Parish Office
- Joined Small Faith Communities & Suppers 8 are recommended starting points
Parish Staff & Contacts
Parish operations are supported by a team of lay staff under the direction of the pastor. Maggi Rimel serves as Director of Operations; Mary Reich is full-time Parish Secretary; Cindy Clegg is part-time Parish Secretary; Joe Egerer is Facilities & IT Manager; Mary Peters is Safe Environment Coordinator; Laura Henderson coordinates Religious Education; and the parish office is reachable at (636) 946-6327.
- Pastor: Fr. Chris Holtmann (ext. 1711, [email protected])
- Part-Time Senior Associate: Fr. Rich Rath
- Pastoral Associate / Permanent Deacon: Rev. Mr. Mark McCarthy (ext. 1712)
- Permanent Deacon: Rev. Mr. Frank Olmsted
- Director of Operations: Maggi Rimel (ext. 1715)
- Director of Youth Ministry: Bob Hamer
- Director of Adult Initiation: Fabian Yanez
- Music Director: Dr. Marc Strathman (ext. 1718)
- Coordinator of Religious Education: Laura Henderson (ext. 1717)
- Safe Environment Coordinator: Mary Peters
- Facilities & IT Manager: Joe Egerer
- Full-time Parish Secretary: Mary Reich (ext. 1710)
- Part-time Parish Secretary: Cindy Clegg
- School Principal: Ms. Rosann Doherty
- School Secretary: Mrs. Sarah Arbuthnot
Visit & Contact Information
St. Cletus Catholic Church is located at 2705 Zumbehl Road, St. Charles, MO 63301, just northwest of St. Louis in St. Charles County. The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM and on Friday from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM (the office closes for school Masses from roughly 8:15 to 9:15 AM). Bulletin announcements, homilies, and Sunday 7:30 AM Mass are available via livestream at saintcletus.org.
- Parish Office: (636) 946-6327
- School Office: (636) 946-7756
- Email: [email protected]
- Mailing address: 2705 Zumbehl Road, St. Charles, MO 63301
- Office Hours: Mon–Thu 8:30 AM–4:30 PM; Fri 8:30 AM–1:00 PM
- Livestream homilies and 7:30 AM Sunday Mass at www.saintcletus.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Omar Brauner1965 (founding, September 5, 1965)
First pastor; celebrated inaugural Mass at Duchesne High School gymnasium; built the original school and 'transformed gymnasium' church.
- Rev. John Kerber1981–
Appointed in 1981; oversaw the relocation from Elm/Duchesne to the new 2705 Zumbehl Road campus; rectory completed 1982, church and school dedicated April 17, 1983.
- Rev. James P. CallahanNovember 1994–July 2004
Appointed third pastor by Archbishop Justin Rigali; built parish center in church basement; major church and school improvements in 2002.
- Rev. James J. BenzJuly 2004–
Appointed fourth pastor by Archbishop Raymond Burke; led the 40th-anniversary campaign that raised nearly $1.7 million for an endowment.
- Rev. Christopher Holtmanncurrent
Current pastor; personally meets with new parishioner families to help them register and find ministries.