About St. Margaret of Scotland · Saint Louis, Missouri
St. Margaret of Scotland is a diverse, urban Catholic parish in the heart of the Shaw neighborhood of South St. Louis, Missouri, founded on Christmas Day 1899 and led today by Fr. John Rogers Vien (pastor since 2021) along with Senior Associate Pastor Fr. Patrick Baikauskas. The parish family numbers nearly 1,000 households and more than 2,400 members, and includes St. Margaret of Scotland School (est. 1918), an award-winning, growing PreK–8 institution of about 450 students recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a 2010 Blue Ribbon School. The parish describes itself as 'a vibrant voice for justice and a beacon of the Catholic faith shared through worship, lifelong education, and unconditional generosity,' and runs more than 37 active ministries and organizations across four commissions (Worship, Christian Formation, Service & Social, and Administration).
- Established
- 1899
- Patron
- St. Margaret of Scotland (Queen Margaret of Scotland, c. 1045–1093, canonized 1250)
- Rector
- Fr. John Rogers Vien (since 2021)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of St. Louis
Why belong here
St. Margaret's is a vibrant urban parish of nearly 2,400 members across almost 1,000 households, where longtime Shaw families and newer arrivals worship side by side. With more than 37 active ministries and organizations across Worship, Christian Formation, Service & Social, and Administration commissions — including a flourishing school of around 450 students, an award-winning youth athletics program, a robust Living Justice Ministries initiative (Care for Creation, Racial Equity, Immigration, Gun Sense, Pride of St. Margaret), St. Vincent de Paul, an active Immigrant & Refugee Ministry, Scouts, and parish missions to Haiti and Honduras — there is a place for nearly every interest. Visitors consistently describe it as 'not what they expected from a typical parish': welcoming, engaged, compassionate, and committed to living the Gospel with unconditional generosity.
Mass times at St. Margaret of Scotland
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:45 pm – 4:15 pm
Adoration times
- Thursday 7:00 am (Church/Chapel) — Eucharistic Adoration
About the Parish
St. Margaret of Scotland is a diverse, urban Catholic parish of nearly 1,000 households and more than 2,400 members, located in the heart of St. Louis' historic Shaw Neighborhood in South St. Louis, Missouri. The parish describes itself as 'a vibrant voice for justice and a beacon of the Catholic faith shared through worship, lifelong education, and unconditional generosity.' Inspired by the Holy Spirit and the example of its patroness — the 11th-century Scottish queen St. Margaret of Scotland — the parish proclaims the Gospel in word and action through prayer and Eucharistic celebration, lifelong Christian education, generous service, and a commitment to living just lives in a just society.
- Founded Christmas Day 1899 by Fr. James J. O'Brien in the Shaw neighborhood near Henry Shaw's garden and Tower Grove
- Located at 3854 Flad Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110
- Approximately 2,400 members across nearly 1,000 households
- Pastored by Fr. John Rogers Vien (since 2021) with Fr. Patrick Baikauskas as Senior Associate Pastor
- More than 37 active ministries and organizations across four commissions
- Includes St. Margaret of Scotland School (PreK–8, est. 1918) with around 450 students
Parish History
The parish was born on Christmas Day 1899 when the Archdiocese asked Fr. James (John) J. O'Brien to start a parish in the fast-growing area near Henry Shaw's garden and the Tower Grove neighborhood. Throughout the 20th century the parish was a spiritual and civic anchor for the Shaw community, weathering the Great Depression, reaching its peak with the city of St. Louis in 1950, expanding the school in 1966 (Faith Hall and gymnasium), and leading neighborhood stabilization efforts from the 1970s through the 1990s — including a parish credit union, a Shaw neighborhood association, and the acquisition of derelict properties to expand the school campus. The early 21st century brought consolidation-driven growth (2005 boundary expansion including Compton Heights), a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon award for the school in 2010, the $2.3 million capital campaign that produced Purcell Hall, and the 2026 reconstitution of a Parish Synodal Council. The parish recently celebrated its 125th anniversary.
- 1899 — Parish founded Christmas Day by Fr. James J. O'Brien
- 1918 — Parish school founded
- 1950s–1960s — Peak population; most densely populated parish in the Archdiocese
- 1966 — Faith Hall classrooms and gymnasium built
- 1970s–1990s — Parish credit union, Shaw neighborhood association, property acquisitions to stabilize the area
- 2005 — Boundary expansion southwest to Kingshighway/Magnolia and into Compton Heights following parish consolidations
- 2010 — School receives U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon award for excellence
- 2021 — Fr. John Rogers Vien becomes pastor
- 125th Anniversary celebrated (1999 centennial history booklet by Maureen Wangard and Don Burrus available on parish website)
Leadership & Staff
The parish is led by Pastor Fr. John Rogers Vien, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Louis for more than 30 years who has been pastor of St. Margaret's since 2021. He is assisted by Senior Associate Pastor Fr. Patrick Baikauskas, with Rev. Msgr. Michael Turek retired and in residence. Fr. John writes a weekly bulletin column, 'A New Week,' and is often seen out walking the neighborhood with his dog, Axel.
- Rev. John Rogers Vien — Pastor
- Rev. Patrick Baikauskas — Senior Associate Pastor
- Rev. Msgr. Michael Turek — Retired
- Deborah Elliott — Parish Administrator
- Michael Sonntag — Communications Coordinator
- Carmela Garza — Parish Administrative Assistant
- Orin Johnson — Director of Music & Liturgy (ext. 1105)
- Mary Kay McVey — Coordinator of Religious Education
- Ruth Pera — Faith Formation Coordinator (ext. 1104)
- Emma Grace Johnson — Youth Minister
- Parish office: (314) 776-0363
Mass, Sacraments & Devotions
Worship at St. Margaret's centers on a daily and Sunday Mass schedule rooted in the parish's self-description as a 'Eucharistic community.' Mass is offered six days a week, plus a Wednesday School Mass during the school year, and Reconciliation is heard Saturday afternoons before the Vigil Mass. Eucharistic Adoration is held Thursday mornings in the church/chapel; Holy Day and holiday schedules are published in the parish bulletin.
- Sunday Mass: 8:00 am, 10:00 am
- Saturday Vigil Mass: 4:30 pm
- Weekday Mass: Monday–Friday 6:30 am
- School Mass: Wednesday 8:15 am during the school year
- Reconciliation (Confession): Saturday 3:45 pm – 4:15 pm
- Eucharistic Adoration: Thursday 7:00 am (Church/Chapel)
- Holy Days and Holidays: please refer to the bulletin
- Accessibility: the church is noted as accessible on the parish Mass Schedule page
St. Margaret of Scotland School
St. Margaret of Scotland School, founded in 1918, has educated generations of students in South St. Louis from its original building in the historic Shaw Neighborhood. Accredited by the National Nonpublic School State Accrediting Association and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education with a 2010 Blue Ribbon award for excellence, the school today serves over 450 preschool through eighth-grade students with more than 40 dedicated staff members. The campus includes three buildings (28 classrooms), a self-contained playground, a fully equipped gym, a cafeteria serving catered lunches, seven mobile laptop units, a staffed library, a music room, a dedicated Learning Lab with two staff members supporting neurodiverse learners, a science lab, and a state-of-the-art STREAM Lab.
- Founded 1918
- PreK–8th grade, ~450 students, 40+ staff
- Awarded U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon (2010)
- Three buildings / 28 classrooms; includes Purcell Hall (new middle-school building funded by $2.3M parish capital campaign) and Faith Hall
- Enrichment: Dragon's Grove school and community garden, STREAM Lab, music and art programs, Dragon Library, mindfulness instruction, World Languages after-school club (grades 3–8), Dancing Classrooms (5th grade), Scouting, Girls on the Run, Yearbook
- Aftercare program on site, daily 3:00–6:00 pm for preschool–8th grade
- School office: (314) 776-7837 — Administrative Assistant Christine Stephens
- Principal: Patrick Holley; Assistant Principal: Mary Grace Villmer
Faith Formation & Youth Ministry
The parish's Christian Formation Commission supports religious education for children and adults, faith formation, and a Youth Ministry program for 7th through 12th graders. Mary Kay McVey serves as Coordinator of Religious Education, Ruth Pera as Faith Formation Coordinator (ext. 1104), and Emma Grace Johnson as Youth Minister.
- Religious Education / Faith Formation for parish youth
- Youth Ministry Team (7th–12th grade) — monthly meetings, service projects, liturgies
- Youth Mass hosted by the Youth Ministry Team and open to all parish families
- Chelsea Deiters — Service Coordinator; Elise Ibendahl — Youth Mass Coordinator and Music Minister
Service, Justice & Outreach
The Service & Social Commission organizes the parish's outreach and social-justice work. The Living Justice Ministries, organized since 2017, coordinates five distinct teams dedicated to specific justice concerns, partnering with organizations including Metropolitan Congregations United (MCU), Winter Outreach, Habitat for Humanity, and Bread for the World. The commission also coordinates hospitality, ladies auxiliary, scouting, athletics, and PTA activities.
- St. Vincent de Paul Society — physical and spiritual assistance within parish boundaries
- Immigrant and Refugee Ministry (IRM) — recognizes God's preferential option for the vulnerable
- Respect Life Committee — promotes Church teaching on legal protection of innocent human life
- Living Justice Ministries teams: Care for Creation (est. 2021), Gun Sense: For the Common Good (est. 2023), Immigration (est. 2019), Pride of St. Margaret (est. 2022), Racial Equity (est. 2019)
- Hospitality Ministry / Sunday Fellowship after Mass
- Ladies Auxiliary — fundraising, fellowship, service
- SMOS Athletic Association — youth sports, discipline and teamwork
- Scouting America and Girl Scouts
Administration & Governance
The Administration Commission includes the bodies that advise the pastor on the organizational and financial life of the parish and its school. Fr. Vien has announced he will reconstitute a Parish Pastoral / Parish Synodal Council in 2026, with an evening of discernment scheduled for Thursday, June 18 at 6:30 pm in the Vincentian Children's Chapel.
- Finance Committee — advises pastor on financial administration
- School Board — advises pastor and principal on school policies, budget, and tuition
- Parish Pastoral / Synodal Council being reconstituted in 2026
- Deborah Elliott — Parish Administrator
Music & Liturgy
Music and preaching have been central to St. Margaret's identity since the 1970s, when devoted parishioners' attention to good liturgy, preaching and music made it 'an attractive place to worship God and celebrate the sacraments.' Today, Orin Johnson directs Music & Liturgy (ext. 1105), and Elise Ibendahl coordinates Youth Mass music.
Connect & Getting Involved
St. Margaret's invites newcomers — whether lifelong Catholics, those new to the faith, those returning after time away, or anyone looking for a community — to attend Mass, explore ministries, attend an event, or simply introduce themselves after worship. As Fr. John Vien often reminds parishioners, 'a parish becomes what its people make it.'
- Parish office: (314) 776-0363
- School office: (314) 776-7837
- Email contacts available on individual ministry pages (e.g., [email protected], [email protected], [email protected])
- Open House during Catholic Schools Week (last Sunday in January)
- Fr. John's weekly column 'A New Week' available under Clergy Corner on the parish website
- A New Week articles and homilies published in news section of stmargaretstl.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. James (John) J. O'Brien1899–
Founding pastor; tasked by the Archdiocese to start the parish in the Shaw/Tower Grove neighborhood on Christmas Day 1899.