St. Mary

Welcome to Saint Mary Catholic Parish

Saint Mary Catholic Parish serves the faith communities of Saint Mary at Milan and Unionville in rural north-central Missouri, covering Sullivan and Putnam counties. The parish is a multi-lingual Catholic home where English, Spanish, and French speakers worship side by side under the care of Father Cesar Anicama, Deacon John D. Weaver (Parish Life Collaborator), Monsignor Marion J. Makarewicz (Sacramental Minister), and deacons Jeronimo Chinchilla and Edwin Pacheco. The parish office is at the rectory at 101 W Baker Street, Milan, with the Milan church at 214 Saint Marys Street and the Unionville mission at 1118 East Main Street.

Parish History

The Catholic community of Saint Mary of Milan traces its roots to the Irish settlers of Ohio and Indiana who migrated to the green hills of northern Missouri in the 1850s. Father John J. Hogan celebrated the first recorded Mass in Sullivan County on May 19, 1868, at the farm home of Dennis Ryan just east of Milan. The parish built its first church in Milan in 1882 and celebrated its 150th anniversary in the summer of 2018.

• 1868 – First Mass by Father John J. Hogan at the Ryan farm; first priestly visit to local Irish Catholics in 30 years.
• 1871 – Saint Mary church built in Unionville by J.J. Kennedy.
• 1881–1882 – Father Francis Smith begins construction of a church in Milan; dies of smallpox in 1882.
• 1883–1887 – Franciscans from Chillicothe attend the Milan church.
• 1890 – Father William F. Hanley builds a Milan residence, cementing Milan as the parish base.
• 1902–1922 – Father J.J. Jermain serves the parish, builds the brick rectory (1908), and begins the present brick church in 1921; dies in a fatal accident in 1922.
• May 30, 1923 – New brick church with distinctive spire dedicated, completed by Father Hugh Hezinger.
• Spire later removed due to mortar deterioration; the original church bell was salvaged and memorialized in front of the church.
• Reassigned from the Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph to the newly formed Diocese of Jefferson City.

Faith Formation for Children (PSR)

The Parish School of Religion (PSR) welcomes children age three through grade eight for Catholic faith formation on Sunday mornings from 9:45 – 10:45 a.m., beginning the Sunday after Labor Day and running through early May (with breaks for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, and Easter). The core curriculum is the bilingual Pflaum Gospel Weeklies series (Seeds, Promise, Good News, Venture, Visions), which includes the Gospel at Home family resources. Children age 3 through first Communion are also invited to a Liturgy of the Word for Children at each Saturday evening Mass, using the Lectionary-centered Amigos de Jesús program from the Hispanic Ministry Resource Center. All catechists must complete Virtus child-protection training provided free of charge by the Diocese of Jefferson City.

• Seeds Parent Guide (Pre-K) / Seeds Guía de enseñanza para padres (Pre-K)
• Promise Parent Guide (K & 1st) / Promise Guía (K y 1 Grado)
• Good News Parent Guide (Grades 2–3) / Good News Guía (Grado 2–3)
• Venture Parent Guide (Grades 3–6) / Venture Guía (Grado 3–6)
• Visions Parent Guide (Grades 7–8) / Visions Guía (Grado 7–8)
• Liturgy of the Word for Children at Saturday evening Mass (ages 3 through first Communion).
• PSR Registration Form and Diocesan Monthly Newsletter linked on the parish website.

Catholic Lay Ministries

Saint Mary recognizes that every baptized Christian is called to be priest, prophet, and king, and offers a wide range of lay ministries rooted in stewardship of time and talent. The parish's ministries fall into three broad categories — liturgical, catechetical, and pastoral care/social justice — and the parish is always seeking new volunteers.

• Liturgical: Lectors (Ministers of the Word), Altar Servers/Acolytes, Cantors and Music Ministers, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (including to the sick and homebound), Directors of Worship, Ushers/Ministers of Hospitality.
• Catechetical: Catechists (PSR teachers, youth and adult formation leaders), Adult Initiation Team (RCIA), other directors of religious education.
• Pastoral Care & Social Justice: Charitable activities, pastoral care and outreach, advocacy for social justice.

Clergy & Staff

The parish is pastored by Father Cesar Anicama, who arrived in Milan on May 15 to begin his service as the parish's Pastoral Administrator, succeeding Father Greiven (reassigned by Bishop Shawn McKnight to St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Sedalia). Deacon John D. Weaver serves as Parish Life Collaborator and webmaster. Sacramental ministry is provided by Monsignor Marion J. Makarewicz. The diaconate team includes Deacon Jeronimo Chinchilla and Deacon Edwin Pacheco. Saint Mary operates as a parish-with-mission, with Unionville as a mission of Milan in the Sullivan Deanery, North of the Diocese of Jefferson City.

• Rev. Cesar Anicama — Pastoral Administrator; [email protected]
• Rev. Mr. John D. Weaver — Parish Life Collaborator / Deacon / Webmaster; cell (573) 864-5502
• Msgr. Marion J. Makarewicz — Sacramental Minister
• Deacon Jeronimo Chinchilla
• Deacon Edwin Pacheco

Locations & Contact

Saint Mary Parish serves two worship sites in north-central Missouri, with the parish office (rectory) located at 101 W Baker Street in Milan. Mailing address is PO Box 147, Milan, MO 63556. The office can be reached by phone and fax at (660) 265-4110 or by email at [email protected]. Spanish-speaking parishioners may text 202-765-3441.

• Milan Church — 214 Saint Marys Street, Milan, MO 63556
• Unionville Church — 1118 East Main Street, Unionville, MO 63565
• Rectory / Parish Office — 101 W Baker Street, Milan, MO 63556
• Mailing Address — PO Box 147, Milan, MO 63556
• Phone / Fax — (660) 265-4110
• Office Email — [email protected]
• Deacon John Weaver — cell (573) 864-5502
• Spanish-speaking line — text 202-765-3441

Stay Connected (Flocknote)

Saint Mary uses Flocknote to send text and email notifications with parish news and important notes. Joining is quick: use the form on the parish website or text to 87456 with the keyword "Milan" or "Unionville" depending on your worship site.

• Text-to-join keyword: "Milan" (to 87456)
• Text-to-join keyword: "Unionville" (to 87456)
• Hispanohablantes: texto a 202-765-3441

The Wild Goose Project

Saint Mary has hosted The Wild Goose Project, a popular Catholic video/discussion series intended to help parishioners encounter a deeper experience of the Holy Spirit. The parish website hosts segments of the program for parishioners to revisit.

• Wild Goose Project — Segments 1–6 hosted on stmary.church.

Diocese of Jefferson City

Saint Mary Parish and its Unionville mission are part of the Diocese of Jefferson City. The parish was reassigned to Jefferson City from the Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph upon the formation of the Jefferson City diocese. It sits in the Sullivan Deanery, North. The diocesan Hispanic Ministry lists Saint Mary among parishes offering regular Spanish Mass, with Father Cesar Anicama, Deacon John Weaver, and Deacons Jerónimo Chinchilla and Edwin Pacheco serving the Spanish-speaking community, and Mass times of Saturdays 7:00 PM and Sundays 11:30 AM listed by the diocese.

• Diocese: Jefferson City (diojeffcity.org)
• Deanery: North (Sullivan Deanery)
• County: Sullivan (parish) / Putnam (mission)
• Spanish-language Mass listed by the diocese: Saturday 7:00 PM; Sunday 11:30 AM (en vivo y en línea)