About St. Elizabeth · Washburn, Illinois
St. Elizabeth was a Catholic mission church serving the rural village of Washburn in Woodford County, Illinois. Founded in 1878 as an out-mission of St. Mary's in Metamora, it was staffed almost exclusively by Franciscan friars — first Capuchins, then the Order of Friars Minor (Cincinnati Province) — for 123 years until diocesan clergy took over in 2001. In 2015 it was merged with St. Mary Parish in Metamora, services were scaled back to one Saturday vigil Mass every other month, and after COVID-19 suspended Masses in 2020 the church never reopened. The Diocese of Peoria formally relegated it to profane but not sordid use on May 3, 2023, and a final farewell Mass was celebrated on July 29, 2023.
- Established
- 1878
- Patron
- St. Elizabeth (named in honor of Mrs. Elizabeth Adami, a major early benefactress; specific saint of patronage not identified in parish history)
- Rector
- Father David Kipfer (pastor of the combined Washburn and Metamora faith communities; last pastor when St. Elizabeth was active)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Peoria
Why belong here
St. Elizabeth no longer offers regular worship — its last Mass was celebrated on July 29, 2023, and the Diocese of Peoria formally relegated the church to profane but not sordid use. Catholics in the Washburn area today are served by the merged St. Mary Parish in Metamora (about 10 miles east), which continues the sacramental and devotional life that Franciscan and diocesan priests built up in Washburn over 145 years. Visitors interested in the parish's history can still see the 1960 limestone church, the 1959 Lourdes grotto, and the Social Center on the Parkside Drive campus, and the adjoining St. Elizabeth Cemetery remains an important site for local Catholic genealogy.
History of St. Elizabeth Parish
St. Elizabeth traces its roots to 1878, when Catholics in rural Cazenovia Township were still driving lumber wagons to Mass at Lourdes (Germantown Hills), Metamora, or Lacon. With Bishop John Lancaster Spalding's permission, Father Angelus — a Capuchin Franciscan assistant at St. Mary's, Metamora — organized the new congregation. A frame church went up on a lot purchased from Samuel D. Wilson at Jefferson and Magnolia Streets; Bishop Spalding laid the cornerstone in 1879 and dedicated the finished church and belfry in 1882. The parish took the name "St. Elizabeth" in honor of Mrs. Elizabeth Adami, whose family underwrote much of the early building. Capuchin Franciscans served until 1895, when the Order of Friars Minor of the Cincinnati Province took over and remained for 106 more years.
- First baptism: Josephine Archer, May 12, 1878
- First funeral: Rosa Lilly, November 23, 1880
- First marriage: Joseph Heitz to Rosa Kinkel, January 11, 1887
- Frame church and belfry dedicated 1882 by Bishop Spalding
- Altar Society organized 1897 by Father Sigismund Pirron, O.F.M.
- Capuchin (O.M.C.) ministry 1878–1895; O.F.M. (Cincinnati Province) 1895–2001
The 1958 Fire and Rebuilding
Disaster struck the frame church twice in the mid-20th century. On July 4, 1946, lightning struck the spire and a fire damaged the belfry; the structure was repaired but the historic bells — one donated by Mrs. Bridget Monahan, the other jointly by John P. Letz and Bennett Shafer — were silenced. Then, on the morning of December 17, 1958, a fire gutted the 76-year-old wooden church entirely. The congregation salvaged what it could and moved liturgically to the Social Center on the new 6.2-acre tract purchased from C. L. Jury in 1949. A Lourdes grotto was blessed on the new campus on August 2, 1959, and on October 23, 1960, Bishop John B. Franz — newly installed as eighth Bishop of Peoria — dedicated the new $110,000 limestone church, with Father Andrew Fox, O.F.M., Vice Provincial of the Cincinnati Province, as celebrant.
- 1946 lightning strike destroys belfry; bells retired
- December 17, 1958 fire destroys the 76-year-old frame church
- Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes blessed August 2, 1959
- New limestone church ($110,000) dedicated October 23, 1960 by Bishop John B. Franz
- Father Ephrem (John) Beltramea, O.F.M., celebrates Solemn First Mass on June 18, 1961 — first priest ordained from the parish
Franciscan Heritage
St. Elizabeth was a Franciscan mission for its first 123 years. Capuchin friars staffed the parish from 1878 to 1895; the Order of Friars Minor of the Cincinnati Province served from 1895 to 2001. Notable Franciscans named in the parish record include Father Angelus (founder), Father Conradin Burtschy, O.F.M. (pastor at the 1882 dedication), Father Sigismund Pirron, O.F.M. (Altar Society founder, 1897), Father Meinrad Issler, O.F.M., Father Herculan, O.F.M. (pastor when the Social Center lot was acquired in 1949), Father Andrew Fox, O.F.M. (celebrant at the 1960 dedication), and Father Ephrem (John) Beltramea, O.F.M. — a son of the parish ordained in 1961. When the Cincinnati Province withdrew in 2001, diocesan priests under the Diocese of Peoria assumed pastoral care of St. Elizabeth.
- 123 continuous years of Franciscan pastoral care (1878–2001)
- Two Franciscan branches: Capuchin (O.M.C.) and Order of Friars Minor (O.F.M.), Cincinnati Province
- First priest from the parish: Father Ephrem (John) Beltramea, O.F.M., ordained 1961
Merger with St. Mary, Metamora, and Closure
In 2015 the Diocese of Peoria formally merged St. Elizabeth with St. Mary Parish in Metamora, continuing St. Elizabeth only as an additional worship site. Worship was reduced to one Saturday vigil Mass every other month. In March 2020 all services at St. Elizabeth were suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and despite the lifting of restrictions no further Masses, baptisms, weddings, funerals, or adult receptions into the Church were held there. On May 3, 2023, Bishop Louis Tylka issued a formal decree relegating St. Elizabeth Church to "profane but not sordid use." The decree noted that sacred objects would be removed and treated with reverence and that the altar required a separate decree before relegation. Father David Kipfer celebrated a final farewell Mass on July 29, 2023, attended by longtime parishioners and extended families.
- Merged with St. Mary Parish, Metamora, in 2015
- Worship reduced to one Saturday vigil Mass every other month
- All services suspended March 2020 due to COVID-19
- Bishop Louis Tylka issues relegation decree May 3, 2023
- Final farewell Mass celebrated July 29, 2023
Parish Ministries and Devotions
The parish's best-documented ministry was the Ladies' (St. Elizabeth's) Altar Society, organized in 1897 by Father Sigismund Pirron, O.F.M., which served the parish for decades. The Franciscan pastors led an active devotional life that included Holy Hours, novenas, Benediction, and the usual round of parish feast-day observances — devotions remembered warmly by longtime parishioners at the 2023 farewell Mass. The parish grounds also hosted a parish school and CCD program for many decades, supported by parishioners and Franciscan teaching staff. The Lourdes grotto (blessed 1959) remained a focal point of Marian devotion on the campus.
- Ladies' Altar Society (founded 1897 by Father Sigismund Pirron, O.F.M.)
- Holy Hours, novenas, Benediction under Franciscan and diocesan clergy
- Parish school and CCD program on grounds
- Lourdes grotto as Marian devotion site
St. Elizabeth Cemetery
St. Elizabeth Cemetery is located at 1229 Magnolia Street on the west side of Washburn and remains an important site for local Catholic genealogy. Parish records from 1880 through December 1999 document baptisms, marriages, and burials and are widely indexed through the Woodford County Historical Society and online genealogy projects. The cemetery sits on a separate parcel from the 1960 church campus but remains part of the parish's historic footprint.
- Location: 1229 Magnolia Street, Washburn
- Records span December 1880 – 1999
- Indexed by the Woodford County Historical Society
- GPS: 40°55.193N, 089°18.521W
Visiting the Historic Campus
The 1960 limestone church, the 1959 Lourdes grotto, and the Social Center all stand together on the 6.2-acre campus at 411 E. Parkside Drive in Washburn. Because the Diocese of Peoria has formally relegated the church to non-sacred use (May 3, 2023) and sacred objects have been removed, visitors should coordinate any tour requests through St. Mary Parish in Metamora, which now serves the area's Catholic faithful. The site remains a poignant witness to more than a century of Franciscan and diocesan ministry in rural Woodford County.
- Address: 411 E. Parkside Drive, Washburn, IL 61570
- Phone: (309) 248-7151
- Closest active parish: St. Mary, Metamora
- Church, Lourdes grotto, and Social Center on shared campus
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Angelus (P. Angelus, O.M.C.)1878–
Founding pastor; Franciscan (Capuchin) missionary and assistant at St. Mary's, Metamora, who established the Washburn out-mission under Bishop Spalding's permission. Baptized Josephine Archer on May 12, 1878, the parish's first baptism.
- Father Conradin Burtschy, O.F.M.by 1882
Pastor at the dedication of the frame church and belfry; served as master of ceremonies; served during the transition from Capuchin (O.M.C.) to Friars Minor (O.F.M.) oversight (the parish passed to the O.F.M. in 1895).
- Father Sigismund Pirron, O.F.M.1897
Organized the Ladies' (St. Elizabeth's) Altar Society in 1897; society continued for decades.
- Father Meinrad Issler, O.F.M.early 20th century (noted as present pastor)
Listed as the present pastor in the parish history compiled for the Woodford County history book.
- Father Herculan, O.F.M.by 1949
Pastor when the 6.2-acre Social Center lot was purchased from C. L. Jury in 1949; oversaw parish through the 1946 lightning/belfry fire and into the post-1958 fire recovery.
- Father Andrew Fox, O.F.M.1960
Vice Provincial of the Cincinnati Province of Friars Minor; celebrated the Solemn Mass at the dedication of the new limestone church on October 23, 1960.
- Monsignor Mark J. Merdian, STL2001–
First diocesan pastor after the Franciscans withdrew; listed as Pastor of St. Mary (Metamora) and St. Elizabeth (Washburn) from 2001; also Administrator of St. Joseph (Roanoke) and St. John (Benson) while remaining pastor.
- Father Donald Roszkowskibefore July 2013
Pastor of the linked St. Mary's, Metamora / St. Elizabeth's Mission, Washburn; reassigned in July 2013 to St. Mary's, El Paso.
- Father Ron DoddJuly 2013–
Appointed pastor of St. Mary's, Metamora, and St. Elizabeth's Mission, Washburn, effective July 31, 2013; transferred from St. Paul's, Odell, and Sacred Heart, Campus.
- Father Gregory Jozefiakby 2017
Pastor of St. Mary, Metamora, with St. Elizabeth as an additional worship site; commented on damage in Washburn after the March 2017 EF-3 tornado.
- Father David Kipferby 2023
Pastor of the combined Washburn and Metamora faith communities; celebrated the final farewell Mass on July 29, 2023.
 "St. Elizabeth")