About St. Edward · Fairfield, Illinois
St. Edward Catholic Church is a small, family-oriented Roman Catholic parish located at 300 NW 5th Street in Fairfield, Wayne County, Illinois. It belongs to the Diocese of Belleville and is currently administered by Rev. Slawomir Ptak, who also serves the partnered parish of St. John the Baptist in Piopolis. Established as a mission in 1878 and canonically erected as its own parish in 1946, St. Edward's is named for St. Edward the Confessor, the eleventh-century King of England. The community gathers weekly for Sunday Mass and weekday liturgies, supports a Parish School of Religion (PSR) program, runs an OCIA/RCIA process for adults seeking initiation, and operates a food pantry that serves both local residents and neighbors from surrounding towns.
- Established
- 1878 (established as a mission); 1881 (first church dedicated); 1946 (canonically erected as a parish)
- Patron
- St. Edward the Confessor (eleventh-century King of England)
- Rector
- Rev. Slawomir Ptak (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Belleville, Illinois
Why belong here
St. Edward offers the close-knit feel of a small Catholic community where, as the parish mission statement puts it, members strive to live out the Gospel through a spirit of love and service to one another. The parish welcomes new members and visitors, celebrates the Eucharist on Sundays and weekdays, and supports families through a Parish School of Religion (Confirmation for 7th–8th graders) and an OCIA/RCIA process for adults. Outreach is real and local: the food-pantry apostolate serves both Fairfield families and neighbors from surrounding towns, and the community rallies together for major projects — as it did after the 2008 fire, when parishioners financed and executed the sanctuary's restoration themselves. Worshipping here means joining a faith community with roots going back to the 1880s and a continuing tradition of shared responsibility for the parish's life.
Mass times at St. Edward
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before Sunday Mass
- Friday 8:30 AM (as published in parish bulletin)
About St. Edward Catholic Church
St. Edward Catholic Church is a family-oriented Roman Catholic parish at 300 NW 5th Street in Fairfield, Illinois, in the Diocese of Belleville. The parish's mission statement commits its members to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ through a community spirit of love and service, participating in the sacraments, welcoming new members and visitors, sharing their gifts and talents, and providing support services for the poor and needy. The parish welcomes newcomers, returning Catholics, and anyone beginning a journey into the Catholic Church.
- Family-oriented parish in the Diocese of Belleville
- Administrator: Rev. Slawomir Ptak
- Partnered parish: St. John the Baptist, Piopolis
- Mailing address: 300 NW 5th Street, Fairfield, IL 62837
Parish History
St. Edward's roots go back to the early 1800s, when about twenty Catholic families in Wayne County were served by circuit-riding priests who celebrated Mass in farmhouses. In 1878 the community was established as a mission of St. Stephen Church in Flora, and on September 18, 1881 Father Riesen celebrated the first Eucharist in a new brick-and-oak church on land donated by L.J. Rider and Edward Bonham. The church was canonically erected as its own parish on December 12, 1946 under Bishop Henry Althoff, with Father John Walsh as its first resident pastor and St. Sebastian attached as a mission.
Key Moments in Parish Life
Over more than a century, St. Edward's has grown through major building campaigns, renovations, and difficult moments — including a devastating 2008 fire that the parish turned into an opportunity for sanctuary redesign and a renewed sense of mission.
- 1881 — First church dedicated; built of homemade brick and locally cut oak timbers.
- 1946 — Canonically erected as a parish under Bishop Henry Althoff.
- 1979 — New parish center dedicated by Bishop William Cosgrove on October 7.
- 1986–1994 — Major church renovation under Father William Rowe; parking lot built; PSR classrooms added.
- 2008 — Sanctuary fire on June 26 leads to redesigned altar, repositioned crucifix/statues/tabernacle, and a Most Holy Trinity mural.
- First parish website created and parish Mission Statement adopted during Father Mbonu's tenure.
Christian Formation Ministries
Faith formation at St. Edward covers the whole span of parish life: a Parish School of Religion (PSR) provides religious education for children from first through eighth grade, with Confirmation preparation for 7th and 8th graders. First Communion preparation begins in second grade. Adults seeking full communion with the Catholic Church are welcomed through OCIA (formerly RCIA), a four-phase process of Inquiry, Catechumenate, Enlightenment, and Mystagogia. Baptism preparation is also offered for parents preparing for the formation of their child's faith. The parish office can set up a personal schedule with the OCIA Coordinator.
- PSR — first through eighth grade religious education
- Confirmation preparation — 7th–8th grade
- First Communion preparation — from second grade
- OCIA / RCIA — four-phase process for adults
- Baptism Preparation for parents
- Youth faith activities
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is administered by Rev. Slawomir Ptak, who also serves the partnered parish of St. John the Baptist in Piopolis. Deacon Archie Bowers assists with parish ministry. Lay staff include Parish Secretary Libby Pond and CRE (Coordinator of Religious Education) Director Diana Zurliene, both reachable through the parish office.
- Rev. Slawomir Ptak — Administrator
- Deacon Archie Bowers — Deacon
- Libby Pond — Parish Secretary
- Diana Zurliene — CRE Director
Outreach & Charity
St. Edward's food pantry is a hallmark apostolate. Originally serving the local area, the food pantry was broadened to reach both Fairfield residents and people from neighboring cities, embodying the parish's commitment to providing a comprehensive system of support for the poor and needy. The parish mission statement explicitly names this outreach as one of the ways the community seeks to touch lives with God's living presence.
- Food pantry serving Fairfield and surrounding communities
- Welcome to new members and visitors
- Support services for the poor and needy
Sacraments
St. Edward celebrates the seven sacraments through Sunday and weekday Masses, a Reconciliation schedule, Baptism Preparation, First Communion (from second grade), Confirmation (7th–8th grade), and the OCIA process for adults. Couples should contact the parish office for information on marriage preparation; the sick and homebound can be visited by Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion as arranged through the parish.
- Baptism — with Baptism Preparation program
- First Communion — preparation begins in second grade
- Confirmation — preparation in 7th–8th grade via PSR
- Eucharist — Sunday and weekday Masses; visits to the homebound by EMHC
- Reconciliation — before Sunday Mass (and Friday 8:30 AM)
- RCIA / OCIA — year-round inquiry process for adults
Visiting & Contact
St. Edward Catholic Church is located at 300 NW 5th Street in Fairfield. Visitors are warmly invited to come for Mass or to stop by the parish office; the parish office can also be reached by phone or email for general information, bulletin submissions, and inquiries about becoming Catholic. The deadline for submitting bulletin announcements is the Wednesday before publication.
- Address: 300 NW 5th Street, Fairfield, IL 62837
- Phone: (618) 847-7931
- Fax: (618) 842-7393
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://stedwardfairfield.com
- Bulletin deadline: Wednesday before publication
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Riesen1878–
First pastor; served the mission out of St. Stephen Church, Flora; celebrated the first Eucharist in the new brick-and-oak-timber church dedicated September 18, 1881.
- Father John Walsh1946–1960
Appointed by Bishop Henry Althoff on December 12, 1946 as the parish's first resident pastor; ecclesiastical documents were read constituting St. Edward as a parish, with St. Sebastian attached as a mission.
- Father Stephen Roedder1960–1964
Succeeded Father Walsh; oversaw a church remodeling and the purchase of additional land to extend the parish's premises.
- Father Joseph Callahan1964–1967
Helped implement the changes of the Second Vatican Council in the parish.
- Father Wilbert Iffert1967–1975
By personal choice, a mobile home was purchased for his residence while the big rectory was repurposed as a parish center for offices, meetings, fellowship, and religion classes.
- Father Jim Dougherty1975–1982
Inaugurated the Parish Pastoral Council; construction of the new parish center began in 1978 and was dedicated by Bishop William Cosgrove on October 7, 1979.
- Father Louis Peterson1982–1986
Led the effort to pay off the parish-hall mortgage; Bishop Cosgrove was invited to the Mortgage Burning Party and presented the parish with a rosary still displayed in the parish hall.
- Father William Rowe1986–1994
Complete church renovation: choir loft removed, organ sold, new music equipment installed; first Mass in the renovated church on September 16, 1989; parking lot built across from the church; south-side porch added to the rectory; rectory basement divided into three PSR classrooms; renovation loan paid off.
- Father Steve Witte1994–1996
Rectory renovated; the Altar Sodality refurnished the dining room.
- Father Charles DurkinOct–Dec 1996
Served as intermediate pastor from the Chicago diocese; Father Melvin Vandeloo served as Parish Administrator at this time.
- Father Gerald HechenbergerFeb 1996–Jul 1999
Strengthened the RCIA program (eight new parishioners); oversaw the parish's first computer purchase.
- Father Henry Ray EngelhartJul 1999–2008
Rectory repairs including new roof, windows, and boiler; new organ and music books purchased.
- Father Michael MbonuJul 8, 2008–
Succeeded Father Engelhart just before the June 26, 2008 church fire; oversaw sanctuary restoration and redesign, the new altar extension, strategic placement of crucifix/statues/tabernacle, and the Most Holy Trinity mural; parish Mission Statement adopted; first parish website created.