About St. Mary · Altus, Arkansas
St. Mary's Catholic Church — formally the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help — is a historic Roman Catholic parish perched atop St. Mary's Mountain (formerly Pond Creek Mountain) in the Arkansas River Valley just north of Altus, Franklin County, Arkansas. Founded in 1879 by German and Swiss Catholic immigrants fleeing the Kulturkampf and the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War, the parish was served for generations by the Benedictine monks of Subiaco Abbey and is now entrusted to the Diocese of Little Rock. Today its striking Romanesque Revival sandstone church (1902) remains a National Register of Historic Places landmark, while a small but thriving congregation — now including Zomi American Catholic refugees from Myanmar — gathers for Mass, Confession, Eucharistic Adoration, Bible study, parish societies and a quilting club around it.
- Established
- 1879
- Patron
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help (formally Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, also known as 'Our Lady, Help of Christians')
- Rector
- Fr. Irudaya Raj Nalazala Augustine (sacramental minister; parish is attended from St. Joseph Church, Paris)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock (Roman Catholic)
Why belong here
St. Mary's is a small, historic mountain parish where everyone knows one another, and where the regular rhythm of weekday and Sunday Mass, Confession, Eucharistic Adoration, parish societies, Bible study and a quilting club knit generations of descendants of the original German and Swiss immigrants together with newer arrivals — most recently Zomi American Catholic refugees from Myanmar who have brought renewed life, cultural festivals and a new diaconal vocation. As the parish itself puts it, St. Mary's strives to be 'a home to encounter Jesus Christ, grow in relationship as faithful disciples of Our Lord, and live the call to go and make disciples,' welcoming all to experience the peace and majesty of God through both its magnificent scenery and its century-old art.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:15–3:45 PM (per parish website)
- Wednesday 6:30 PM
- Saturday 3:00 PM (per DOLR.org)
- Or by appointment: (479) 438-3901
Adoration times
- Sunday 10:00–10:45 AM (before 11 AM Mass)
- Saturday 3:00 PM
History of St. Mary's Parish
St. Mary's was officially founded on November 21, 1879, when its first pastor, the Swiss-born Rev. Beatus Maria Ziswyler, performed the marriage of August Reimann and Magdalena Huber. He had been sent to the Arkansas River Valley by Bishop Edward Fitzgerald of Little Rock to minister to German-speaking Catholics in Franklin and Johnson counties, and the Little Rock & Fort Smith Railroad donated forty acres atop Pond Creek Mountain (now St. Mary's Mountain) for the church. The first Mass was offered in the upstairs room of Father Ziswyler's two-story log cabin; a wood-frame church with an onion-shaped steeple was completed in 1881 and a parochial school was started soon after. By 1888 the parish had forty-five families and two missions of its own.
Benedictine Heritage
After Father Ziswyler's death on July 27, 1887 (he is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery), Bishop Fitzgerald placed the parish under the care of the German-speaking Benedictine monks at St. Benedict's Priory, which became New Subiaco Abbey in 1891. The Benedictines of Subiaco staffed St. Mary's for generations and continue to be honored in the parish's history. The most influential pastor in that long line was Fr. Placidus Oeschle, OSB (1898–1935), who oversaw construction of the present church and designed the dramatic interior murals.
Building the Present Church (1901–1902)
Plans were drafted by Brother Hadrian, OFM, of Quincy, Illinois, and detailed by Fr. Placidus Oeschle, stone mason John Riedt of St. Louis, and carpenter Rudolph Metzger of Fort Smith. A quarry was opened on the mountain in January 1901, the first stone was blessed February 18, 1901, and the cornerstone was laid May 24, 1901, during the feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians. The church was dedicated September 2, 1902, by the Abbot of nearby Subiaco Academy.
Restoration and Historic Listing
St. Mary's was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 3, 1976. Between 1997 and 1999 descendants of the original immigrant families raised roughly half a million dollars for a careful restoration that, among other things, fully revealed the Fridolin Fuchs murals that had been partially painted over in 1963.
The Building: Architecture and Art
The present church is a Romanesque Revival basilica-type structure built of rough-cut sandstone quarried from the adjacent hillside. Exterior walls are two feet thick; the bell-tower walls are four feet thick; and the tower rises about 120 feet. Rounded-arch windows and arcades give the building its Romanesque character; inside, painted cedar pillars imitate solid granite. The interior features Emil Frei stained-glass windows, an 1897 John George Pleffer pipe organ purchased used in 1924 and rebuilt by the parish in 1986, and dramatic murals painted in 1915–1916 by German artist Fridolin Fuchs from designs by Fr. Placidus Oeschle, OSB (whose self-portrait appears in the money-changers mural).
Tour the Church
The parish publishes downloadable tour brochures from its website under 'About → Tour the Church,' including Touring_St._Mary_s_Altus-0415.pdf, Brochure_1117.pdf and Brochure913.pdf. Visitors are welcome to pray and tour the building; it is generally open to the public from about 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
Clergy, Deacons and Parish Staff
The parish is currently served by Fr. Irudaya Raj Nalazala Augustine as sacramental minister (residing at and pastor of St. Joseph, Paris), with Deacon Brian Lachowsky serving as Pastoral Administrator and Deacon. Jessica LeBlanc serves as Coordinator / Director of Religious Education and Lisa LeBlanc is the parish office manager. The parish office is open Tuesday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and can be reached at (479) 468-2585.
- Sacramental Minister: Fr. Irudaya Raj Nalazala Augustine
- Pastoral Administrator / Deacon: Dc. Brian Lachowsky (ordained Nov. 17, 2012)
- C/DRE: Jessica LeBlanc
- Office: Lisa LeBlanc
- Office Hours: Tue–Thu 9:00 AM–1:00 PM
- Phone: (479) 468-2585
- Email: [email protected]
Parish Societies and Ministries
St. Mary's has a long tradition of lay societies and small-group ministries, several of which date back to the 19th century.
- St. Joseph Society — men's service group, in some form since 1881; meets 5:30 PM third Monday at Lawrence Hall.
- Daughters of Mary / Christian Mothers Society & Guild — women's service group; cleans and decorates the church weekly; supports expectant and young mothers; provides funeral dinners at Lawrence Hall; meets 9:00 AM first Saturday.
- Knights of Columbus Council 14010.
- Parish Choir — sings at Saturday Vigil, Sunday Mass and Holy Days; new members welcome.
- Bible Study Group — recent studies on the Gospels of Matthew and John, devotion to Christ and Mary, and the Holy Spirit.
- Quilting Club — meets Tuesdays 8:00 AM in Lawrence Hall; quilts sold at the annual Thanksgiving celebration, with proceeds donated to the parish.
Faith Formation and Sacraments
Religious Formation classes are held Sunday mornings from 10:00 to 10:45 AM, between the two Sunday Mass times. Sacramental preparation — including Baptism, Marriage, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick and First Communion — is coordinated through the parish office with the Coordinator of Religious Education (Jessica LeBlanc).
The Zomi American Catholic Community
In recent years the small rural parish has welcomed seven refugee families from Myanmar's Zomi community — about fifty people in all — under the leadership of GregoryKap LianNgaihte (who is discerning the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Little Rock and is set to be ordained in 2028). The Zomi American Catholics have brought harvest celebrations, a Christmas pig-butcher potluck, New Year prayer gatherings, and a 2024 cultural festival hosted for Bishop Anthony B. Taylor with traditional food, music, language and dance. They have also been a source of new vocations, liturgical participation and family faith practice — visible, Deacon Lachowsky has said, in 'the yeast that they bring leavens the dough of the whole parish.'
Bulletin, Newsletter and Announcements
The parish website publishes a full archive of monthly bulletins going back several years, along with a Parish Newsletter and Special Announcements. The site asks visitors to check the 'Bulletins' section for current news and announcements.
Visiting St. Mary's
St. Mary's is located on a hilltop in the Arkansas River Valley just north of Altus, Arkansas, and welcomes visitors to come experience the peace and majesty of God through the scenery, both inside and outside the church. The church is open to the public on most days from about 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM for prayer, reflection and self-guided tours; downloadable tour brochures are linked from the parish website. A full map and directions are available on both stmarysaltus.org and DOLR.org.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Beatus Maria Ziswyler1879–1887
Swiss immigrant; first pastor, sent by Bishop Edward Fitzgerald; built the 1881 frame church; buried in St. Mary's Cemetery.
- Benedictine monks of Subiaco Abbey1887–present (in various forms)
Bishop Fitzgerald placed the parish under the care of the German-speaking Benedictines of St. Benedict's Priory (later New Subiaco Abbey, founded 1891) after Fr. Ziswyler's death.
- Fr. Placidus Oeschle, OSB1898–1935
Oversaw construction of the present Romanesque Revival church; designed the Fridolin Fuchs murals painted 1915–1916; his self-portrait appears in the money-changers mural.
- Fr. Lawrence Miller, OSB1968–1980
Died April 28, 1980; the parish hall was named Lawrence Hall in his honor.
- Fr. Polycarp Ssebbowauntil 2025
Previously pastor of St. Joseph, Paris, and sacramental minister of St. Mary; welcomed Bishop Anthony B. Taylor for the Zomi cultural festival on May 26, 2024.
- Fr. Irudaya Raj Nalazala Augustine2025–
Appointed sacramental minister of St. Mary and pastor of St. Joseph, Paris, in the Diocese of Little Rock's 2025 pastoral appointments.