About St. Francis Caracciola · Bourbon, Missouri
St. Francis Caracciolo is a small Catholic parish in Bourbon, Missouri, situated along historic U.S. Route 66 in Crawford County. It is part of the Diocese of Jefferson City and is clustered with Holy Cross Parish in Cuba and St. Michael Parish in Steelville, sharing pastoral leadership across the three communities. The parish's patron is a 16th-century Italian priest and co-founder of the Clerics Regular Minor, and the parish itself was built in 1910–1914 by ten Catholic families who established the church as a worshipping outpost on the old highway corridor.
- Established
- 1910 (church dedicated June 14, 1914)
- Patron
- St. Francis Caracciolo (Francis Caracciolo, 1563–1608), Italian priest and co-founder of the Order of the Clerics Regular Minor (Adorno Fathers); patron of Naples, Italy, and of Italian cooks.
- Rector
- Fr. Mark L. Smith, JCL
- Diocese
- Diocese of Jefferson City
Why belong here
St. Francis Caracciolo is a small, family-sized Catholic community on historic Route 66 that worships in a parish built and sustained by ordinary Catholic families. Because it is clustered with Holy Cross Cuba and St. Michael Steelville, parishioners share clergy and faith-life resources across three small Crawford County towns, making for a tight-knit rural Catholic experience. It offers weekend Vigil Mass on Saturday, a Thursday morning daily Mass, and confession thirty minutes before the weekend Mass — a simple, faithful rhythm for those living in or passing through the Bourbon area.
Mass times at St. Francis Caracciola
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 30 minutes prior to the weekend (Saturday Vigil) Mass
Parish Identity & Patron Saint
The parish takes its name from St. Francis Caracciolo (born Ascanio dei Caracciolo Pisquizi, 1563–1608), an Italian Catholic priest who co-founded the Order of the Clerics Regular Minor with John Augustine Adorno and Fabrizio Caracciolo. He is honored as the patron of Naples, Italy, and of Italian cooks, and his liturgical feast is celebrated on June 4. The parish's own history page notes that the church's patron is "the 16th-century Italian priest who was the co-founder of a religious congregation to combine the active and contemplative life." This patron connects a small rural Missouri parish to a deeply Counter-Reformation figure known for his motto, "Zelus domus tuae comedit me" ("The zeal of Thy house hath consumed me").
- Patron: St. Francis Caracciolo (1563–1608)
- Feast day: June 4
- Co-founder of the Clerics Regular Minor (Adorno Fathers)
- Patron of Naples, Italy, and of Italian cooks
History of the Parish
The published parish history (drawn from Loretta Pastva, SND's "Proclaiming the Good News in the Heart of Missouri") records that in 1910 Bourbon had just ten Catholic families who decided to build a church. The resulting church of St. Francis Caracciolo was dedicated on June 14, 1914, more than a century before the present. Over the following decades the small Bourbon congregation became part of a Crawford County Catholic cluster that today also includes Holy Cross Parish in Cuba and St. Michael Parish in Steelville. The most recent pastoral transition came in January 2024, when Bishop W. Shawn McKnight accepted Fr. Daniel Lueckenotte's early retirement and named Fr. Anthony N. Onyeihe as Parochial Administrator of all three parishes.
- 1910: 10 Catholic families in Bourbon decide to build a church
- June 14, 1914: Church of St. Francis Caracciolo dedicated
- Long-standing cluster with Holy Cross (Cuba) and St. Michael (Steelville)
- Jan 17, 2024: Fr. Daniel Lueckenotte granted early retirement
- Jan 5, 2024: Fr. Anthony N. Onyeihe appointed Parochial Administrator of the cluster
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
The parish's official Diocese of Jefferson City page lists Fr. Mark L. Smith, JCL as pastor and Deacon Richard L. Vise among the parish's ordained staff. The parish is administered as part of a three-parish Crawford County cluster with Holy Cross, Cuba, and St. Michael, Steelville. In the most recent official diocesan decree (December 23, 2023, effective January 5, 2024), Bishop W. Shawn McKnight named Fr. Anthony N. Onyeihe — previously associate pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, Jefferson City — as Parochial Administrator of all three parishes. He assumed the role after Fr. Daniel Lueckenotte's early retirement for medical reasons was accepted on January 17, 2024.
- Fr. Mark L. Smith, JCL — Pastor (per the parish's official diocese page)
- Deacon Richard L. Vise
- Fr. Anthony N. Onyeihe — Parochial Administrator of the Cuba–Bourbon–Steelville cluster (per Diocese decree, Jan 2024)
Location & Contact
St. Francis Caracciolo is located at 1050 Historic U.S. 66 (also written as N Old Hwy 66), in Bourbon, Crawford County, Missouri, 65441 — a literal stretch of old Route 66. Because the parish is clustered with Holy Cross, Cuba, day-to-day parish office contact (phone, fax, and email) routes through that office, whose mailing address is 415 School Avenue, Cuba, MO 65453. The parish falls within the Diocese of Jefferson City's Southeast Deanery.
- Physical address: 1050 Historic U.S. 66, Bourbon, MO 65441
- Mailing address (via Holy Cross, Cuba): 415 School Ave, Cuba, MO 65453
- Phone: 573-885-3520
- Fax: 573-885-3501
- Email: [email protected]
- County: Crawford; Deanery: Southeast (Diocese of Jefferson City)
Associated Parishes (Crawford County Cluster)
St. Francis Caracciolo is not a stand-alone parish in its day-to-day administration: it is part of a three-parish Crawford County cluster that shares clergy and pastoral resources. The other two parishes in the grouping are Holy Cross in Cuba and St. Michael in Steelville. Cluster-wide pastoral decisions, including the 2024 transition to Fr. Anthony N. Onyeihe as Parochial Administrator, are made at the deanery/diocesan level and apply to all three communities.
- Holy Cross Parish, Cuba, MO
- St. Francis Caracciolo Parish, Bourbon, MO
- St. Michael Parish, Steelville, MO
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Daniel Lueckenotte
Pastor of the Cuba–Bourbon–Steelville grouping; granted early retirement for medical reasons by Bishop McKnight on January 17, 2024.
- Fr. Anthony N. Onyeihe2024–
Appointed Parochial Administrator of Holy Cross (Cuba), St. Francis Caracciolo (Bourbon), and St. Michael (Steelville) effective January 5, 2024; previously associate pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, Jefferson City.