About St. John · Leopold, Missouri
St. John Church is a historic Catholic parish in Leopold, Missouri, founded in 1856 by twelve German and Dutch Catholic families and their pastor, Fr. John van Luytelaar. The parish is part of the Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau and also serves St. Anthony Mission in nearby Glennon. Known for its beloved annual Leopold Picnic (held since 1890), its 1900-era bronze bells, a 1904 pipe organ, and the Shrine of Our Lady Queen of Peace built in 1944, St. John remains a tight-knit rural parish community that today is shepherded by Fr. Vincent Joseph, VC, of the Vincentian Congregation of the Mission.
- Established
- 1856
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist (parish name; patron saint not separately stated on website)
- Rector
- Rev. Vincent Joseph, VC
- Diocese
- Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau
Why belong here
St. John is a small, multi-generational rural parish where the sacraments, faith formation, and fellowship are taken seriously and personally. Daily Mass is offered four days a week in Leopold (plus a Saturday vigil and Wednesday evening Mass at St. Anthony Mission in Glennon), with Eucharistic Adoration running from Monday morning through Tuesday morning each week. The parish is home to an unusually rich set of lay organizations — Knights of Columbus Council #5898, PCCW Ladies Sodality, St. Monica Mother's Group, Rosary Club, Quilting & Prayer Shawl Ministry, a youth group with separate middle-school and high-school directors, and the historic Leopold Picnic that draws more than 2,000 people each summer. Visitors and new parishioners are warmly invited to register online or in the parish office.
Mass times at St. John
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- St. John Church, Leopold — Monday & Friday: 6:45 – 7:15 am
- St. John Church, Leopold — Tuesday: 5:15 – 5:40 pm
- St. John Church, Leopold — 1st, 3rd & 5th Wednesdays: 6:45 – 7:15 am
- St. John Church, Leopold — Sunday: 7:20 – 7:50 am and 9:30 – 9:50 am
- St. Anthony Church, Glennon — 2nd & 4th Wednesdays: 5:30 – 5:55 pm
- St. Anthony Church, Glennon — Saturday: 4:15 – 4:45 pm
- By appointment — contact the Pastor
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration — Every Monday 8:00 am through Tuesday 7:00 am (overnight)
- One hour prior to every Mass (excluding the 10:00 am Sunday Mass)
Parish History
St. John Parish was founded in 1856 by twelve Catholic families and their pastor, Fr. John van Luytelaar, who migrated to southeast Missouri from Vinemount. After the Civil War scattered the community, Fr. John Bertens (1866) and Fr. Francis Bettels (1878) rebuilt parish life, schools, and infrastructure. The town's very name — Leopold — comes from a 1894 effort by parishioners to honor Pope Leo XIII. A detailed list of every pastor since 1856 is maintained on the parish website.
- Founded August 15, 1856 (Feast of the Assumption)
- Frame church built 1858
- Rectory rebuilt 1866 by Fr. John Bertens after the Civil War
- Log schoolhouse added 1872; middle school 1879; frame schoolhouse 1894
- Post office granted 1894; community named Leopold after Pope Leo XIII
- First parish picnic held 1890 (150 attendees)
- Three original bells cast in 1900 still in the steeple
- Pipe organ installed February 1904 ($1,225)
- Parish school turned over to the State of Missouri in 1960
- Shrine of Our Lady Queen of Peace built in 1944
The Bells of Leopold
The three original bells in the St. John steeple were cast in 1900 and installed shortly after the steeple was completed. Each was paid for by a different parish society and bears a unique Latin/English inscription honoring a patron saint.
- Largest bell — gift of the Christian Mother's Society — inscribed: 'St. Elizabeth pray for us, that we may merit to despise the worldly delights and always to enjoy divine consolations.'
- Second bell — $140 donation from the Young Men's Society (Sodality of St. Stanislaus) — inscribed honoring St. Stanislaus as patron of youths.
- Smallest bell — paid for by general parish donations — inscribed: 'O Guardian Angel, may you lead all of us who are travelers, happily home.'
Pipe Organ
In 1903, Bernard L. Hotze, a nineteen-year-old teacher and organist from Effingham, Illinois, came to serve the parish. An Organ Committee was formed, and in February 1904 the parish's pipe organ was installed in the church at a total cost of $1,225. The instrument remains a defining feature of St. John's liturgical music, under current Music Director Daniel Seiler.
- Organist Bernard L. Hotze arrived 1903
- Pipe organ installed February 1904 — cost $1,225
- Current Music Director: Daniel Seiler (573-208-8997)
Shrine of Our Lady Queen of Peace
Built in 1944 as a true parish project, the stone Shrine of Our Lady Queen of Peace on the church grounds was dedicated to the parish members serving in the armed forces during World War II. According to parish tradition, summer-evening rosary and prayers were said there for world peace and the safety of those in service — and not one member of the parish in Leopold failed to return home alive. Construction was overseen by Mr. Ben Krussel; the grotto cost only about $700 because so much labor and material was donated, and even children helped by gathering stones.
- Construction began 1944; dedicated May (parish's WWII servicemen)
- Overseen by Mr. Ben Krussel
- Approximate total cost: $700 (donated labor and materials)
- Children helped gather stones used in construction
Leopold Picnic — Annual Tradition
The parish picnic — first held in 1890 with dinners reportedly costing $0.25 — is one of the longest-running parish traditions in southeast Missouri. After a brief two-day format in 1954, it settled into its current one-day format on the last Saturday in July. Today the event draws more than 2,000 people to the church grounds behind St. John Church and features an all-you-can-eat country dinner (fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, kettle beef, potatoes, green beans, corn, garden vegetables, homemade breads and desserts), homemade ice cream, live music, a kids' fish pond and face painting, church tours, and a parish antique-tractor ride. The 2026 picnic will be the 132nd and is scheduled for Saturday, July 25, 2026.
- First held 1890 — 150 parishioners
- Currently last Saturday in July (2026 date: July 25)
- All-you-can-eat buffet 3:00 – 7:00 pm — Adults $15, Children 6–15 $8
- Live music (e.g., 'Savage Groove' 2:00–6:00 pm; 'Old Cape Road' 7:30–11:30 pm)
- 9th Annual Antique Tractor Ride — leaves KC Hall 10:30 am
- Church tours at 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm
- Homemade ice cream — available for pre-order by ½ gallon or gallon as of 2025
Parish Staff & Contacts
The parish is led by Fr. Vincent Joseph, VC, supported by a Church Secretary and a broad team of lay ministry coordinators. The same pastor also serves St. Anthony Mission in Glennon.
- Pastor — Fr. Vincent Joseph, VC — 573-238-3300 ext. 2 / 573-238-2450 — [email protected]
- Church Secretary — Cindy Thele — ext. 1 — [email protected]
- Bulletin Announcements — Jennifer Rosanna — [email protected]
- Music Director — Daniel Seiler — 573-208-8997
- Cemetery — Ashton James — 573-579-7158
- OCIA Coordinator — Cindy Jansen — 573-238-6767 — [email protected]
- Director of Religious Education (DRE) — Holly Hoesli — 573-238-5452 — [email protected]
- Confirmation Coordinator — Michael Smith — 309-530-1803 — [email protected]
- High School Youth Director — Tannie Smith — 309-262-2420 — [email protected]
- Middle School Youth Director — Kyla Langston — 573-225-0608
Parish Groups & Organizations
St. John supports one of the liveliest lay-ministry rosters of any small rural parish, with separate councils for men, women, mothers, youth, quilters, and rosary devotees — most of which support both the spiritual life and the parish picnic.
- Finance Committee
- Parish Council
- PCCW — Ladies Sodality (St. Anne Sodality)
- Knights of Columbus Council #5898 (St. Isidore)
- Knights of Columbus 4th Degree Assembly
- Ladies Auxiliary, Knights of Columbus
- St. Monica Mother's Group
- Youth Group (Middle School & High School)
- Rosary Club
- Quilting & Prayer Shawl Ministry
- Cemetery Committee
Faith Formation & Sacraments
Faith formation for children and adults is coordinated through the DRE and a dedicated OCIA (formerly RCIA) team, with separate Confirmation preparation. Sacramental preparation follows the standard diocesan sequence — Baptism, First Communion (typically 2nd grade), Confirmation, Reconciliation, Marriage, Anointing, and Holy Orders.
- PSR (Parish School of Religion)
- Children's Liturgy of the Word
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- Confirmation preparation — Coordinator Michael Smith
- First Communion preparation — DRE Holly Hoesli
- Marriage preparation — Pastor (at least 6 months in advance required)
- Baptism — Baptism Register Form; contact Pastor
- Holy Orders — information on parish website
Online Giving & Parish Registration
The parish uses an Online Giving system that allows one-time or recurring contributions from any checking or savings account — useful for parishioners who travel or forget their envelope. Separate 2025 registration forms are available for both St. John (Leopold) and St. Anthony (Glennon) parishioners.
- Online Giving — recurring or one-time gifts via parish website
- Tax statements generated at year end
- Parish Registration forms for St. John and St. Anthony (2025 versions)
- Bulletin deadline: Tuesday by noon
Visiting & Contact
St. John Church sits on Main Street in the small community of Leopold in southeast Missouri. The parish office can be reached by phone or email; bulletins and calendars are downloadable from the website, and the parish maintains an active Facebook page ('St. John's Parish Leopold, MO').
- Address: 15242 Queen Anne's Lace Drive, PO Box 83, Leopold, MO 63760-0083
- Phone: (573) 238-3300
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Website: stjohnchurchleopold.com
- Facebook: St. John's Parish Leopold, MO
- GPS: N37° 15.464', W089° 55.579'
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. John (Thomas) Van LuytelaarFebruary 5, 1856 – October 1860
Founding pastor; led 12 families to Vinemount, built the first log chapel and 1858 frame church.
- Fr. Van Der Sanden1860 – 1866
No resident pastor in this period; parish served by Vincentian Fathers from Cape Girardeau.
- Fr. John BertensNovember 10, 1866 – March 1878
Rebuilt rectory after the Civil War; Dutchman who learned German to preach bilingually.
- Fr. Francis BettelsAugust 16, 1878 – January 5, 1906
Arrived from St. Henry in Charleston; built middle school (1879) and frame schoolhouse (1894).
- Fr. Peter KurtenbachJanuary 6, 1906 – June 8, 1906
Brief tenure.
- Fr. Henry W. Wiesmann
- Fr. Stephen A. Schneider
- Fr. William A. Huggins
- Fr. Elmer G. StolleJuly 1, 2008 – June 30, 2010
- Fr. John M. HarthJuly 1, 2010 – June 30, 2015
- Fr. William W. HenneckeJuly 1, 2015 – July 2021
- Fr. Antony Thekkanath, VCJuly 1, 2021 – June 30, 2024
Vincentian (Congregation of the Mission).
- Fr. Vincent Joseph, VCJuly 1, 2024 – Present
Current pastor; Vincentian (VC).