About St. Mary of Lourdes · Germantown Hills, Illinois
St. Mary of Lourdes Catholic Church is a historic rural parish in Germantown Hills, Illinois, near Metamora in Woodford County. Founded in 1839-1840, it is the oldest parish in the Catholic Diocese of Peoria — nearly 40 years older than the diocese itself. The parish grew from a log-cabin mission on the site of Chief Black Partridge's former Potawatomie village, served initially by missionary priests from St. Louis. Today it remains a tight-knit country parish known for its beloved prairie church, its 1928 rock grotto (built of stones hauled from local creeks and containing Native American arrowheads), its Way of the Cross, and a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her Lourdes title.
- Established
- 1839
- Patron
- Our Lady of Lourdes (also historically known as the Immaculate Conception)
- Rector
- Father Eric Bolek
- Diocese
- Catholic Diocese of Peoria
Why belong here
St. Mary of Lourdes welcomes newcomers to a uniquely historic rural parish where the prairie church, the 1928 rock grotto, and a quiet Way of the Cross form a setting for prayer at any hour. An active lay community sustains a Men's Club, Ladies Society, Friendly Club, Knights of Columbus, Faith in Action outreach, Funeral Luncheon ministry, and a Parish Council that hosts the annual fall picnic, winter appreciation dinner, and parish directory. With daily and weekend Masses, regular weekday confessions, and small-parish hospitality, it offers a place to belong that has welcomed Catholics for nearly two centuries.
Mass times at St. Mary of Lourdes
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday, Wednesday & Friday: 1/2 hour before weekday Mass (except the 6:30 am Wednesday Mass)
- Tuesday & Thursday: 5:15 pm – 5:45 pm
- Saturday: 3:30 pm – 4:00 pm (except days with weddings)
- Or by appointment
Parish History
St. Mary of Lourdes is the oldest parish in the Catholic Diocese of Peoria, founded in 1839-1840 — nearly four decades before the diocese was created in 1877. It is also the first parish established in Woodford County. The mission traces its origin to Father John Blase Raho, 'The Apostle of Central Illinois,' who arrived in central Illinois in March 1838 as a missionary priest sent by the Bishop of St. Louis to care for the Irish Catholic workers building the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Father Raho first visited the German and French settlement near the former Potawatomie village of Chief Black Partridge in March 1839. The parish is known to have had at least 64 pastors over its history, and a fuller narrative was published as a parish history book in 1980.
- Founded 1839-1840 as St. Raphael's at Black Partridge, under the Diocese of St. Louis.
- Log-cabin church built by pioneers in 1840; first recorded baptism and marriage on Oct. 11, 1840.
- Transferred to the Diocese of Chicago in 1843, then to the newly created Diocese of Peoria in 1875.
- First resident pastor, Father Eusebius Kaiser, arrived around 1868.
- Larger red-brick church dedicated in 1855 under the title of the Immaculate Conception (80 ft by 45 ft).
- Parish school operated 1846-1955; Franciscan nuns taught from 1882.
- Franciscan Fathers of the Province of St. John the Baptist (Cincinnati) administered the parish from 1919 to about 2009, when care returned to the Peoria diocese.
- Parish history book published in 1980.
How the Parish Got Its Name
Originally known officially as Immaculate Conception or simply St. Mary's, the parish acquired its distinctive Lourdes name through a serendipitous chain of misunderstandings. When the federal government opened a post office in the late 1800s, the community was renamed 'Lords' — said to be because three men 'lorded over' the village. A new priest arriving in 1881 assumed the town was named for Lourdes, France, and began calling the church St. Mary of Lourds. In 1921 the spelling was officially corrected to Lourdes.
- Original names: Immaculate Conception / St. Mary's / St. Raphael's at Black Partridge.
- Postal rename to 'Lords' in the late 1800s.
- A priest's 1881 spelling error turned 'Lords' into 'Lourds,' later corrected to Lourdes in 1921.
Parish Grounds, Grotto & Way of the Cross
The parish grounds feature a beloved Lourdes-style grotto and a 14-station Way of the Cross. The grotto was begun in 1928 by Father Caesar Kron, who directed parishioners to haul colorful rocks and boulders from nearby creeks and streams. Brick mason H. Weber of Piper City assembled the structure, which incorporates Native American arrowheads left embedded in the stones from the people who once lived, worked and hunted the area. A ledge holds a carved wooden statue of the Blessed Virgin (donated by a parishioner) and a kneeling Bernadette (gift of the Young Ladies' Society). Lighting was added in 1954; the Way of the Cross was installed in 1974. The grotto is listed in the 'Lourdes Grottos of North America' directory and is visited by the faithful at all hours.
- Grotto constructed 1928 by Father Caesar Kron and mason H. Weber of Piper City.
- Contains Native American arrowheads embedded in its stones.
- Total original cost: $2,133 (≈ $30,000 today).
- Lighting added 1954; Way of the Cross installed 1974.
Worship & Liturgy
St. Mary of Lourdes celebrates Mass in English using the current Roman Missal. The liturgy of the Word, Eucharist, and devotional life are organized by the parish's Liturgy and Worship ministry. Recent building work (2020) preserved the historic red-brick church while modernizing the sanctuary with repainted nave, reworked balcony stairs, and a new sacrarium.
- Weekend Masses: Saturday 4:30 pm; Sunday 8:00 am and 10:30 am.
- Weekday Masses: Mon 8 am, Tue 5:45 pm, Wed 6:30 am & 8 am, Thu 5:45 pm, Fri 8 am.
- Languages: English (German used historically up to ~1930).
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is currently served by Pastor Father Eric Bolek and a team of deacons and lay staff. Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am – 3 pm; the office is closed on Friday.
- Pastor: Fr. Eric Bolek
- Deacon Daniel Fandel
- Deacon Robert Heiple II (Senior Status)
- Deacon William Read (Senior Status)
- Deacon Rich Flavin
- Religious Education Director: Pam Brandt
- Business Manager: Bill Read
- Secretary / Office Contact: Mary McCumber / Deb Wiegand
Parish Leadership
Lay governance is exercised through a Parish Council and a Finance Committee, both of which advise the pastor in their respective spheres.
- Parish Council: six members, three-year terms; two members elected each year by adult parishioners; traditionally three men and three women of varying ages.
- Council roles: sets and implements parish policies, plans the annual fall picnic and winter appreciation dinner, produces the parish directory, hosts coffee-and-donut breakfasts, and serves as a conduit for parishioner concerns.
- Finance Committee: five parishioners who oversee the parish operating budget, complete annual diocesan reporting, run the Annual Diocesan Appeal, and advise on investments and operations.
Parish Ministries & Organizations
The parish offers a range of fellowship, service, and faith-sharing ministries for men, women, families, and the wider community. Visitors and parishioners are invited to contact the parish office to get involved.
- Men's Club — fellowship for men of the parish.
- Ladies Society — women's fellowship and service group.
- Friendly Club — social ministry for parishioners.
- Knights of Columbus — Catholic fraternal service organization.
- Faith in Action — parish outreach and service ministry.
- Funeral Luncheons — meals provided for bereaved families.
- Religious Education — catechesis for parish children.
- Liturgy and Worship — planning and support of parish liturgies.
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the normal range of Catholic sacraments; specific sacramental preparation is handled through the parish office. Confession times are listed on the parish website; weddings are scheduled so they do not conflict with the regular Saturday confession schedule.
- Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and Reconciliation available.
- Funeral luncheons provided through parish ministry.
- Weddings coordinated with the parish office.
Visiting & Practical Information
The parish welcomes visitors at any hour to pray at the grotto or attend Mass in the prairie church. The 2020 addition provides an accessible entrance (no stairs), a covered drive-through drop-off, gathering space, multipurpose room with cry-room window, restrooms with bride's room, and a basement area of refuge for severe storms.
- Address: 424 Lourdes Church Road, Germantown Hills, IL 61548.
- Phone: (309) 383-4460.
- Email: [email protected].
- Office hours: Monday-Thursday 8:30 am – 3 pm; closed Friday.
- Accessibility: step-free entrance via the 2020 west-side addition.
- Covered drive-through drop-off for passengers.
Historical Devotion & Connection to Lourdes, France
The parish shares a remarkable historical resonance with the French apparition site. In 1858, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, the Blessed Virgin appeared 18 times to Bernadette Soubirous in the Cave of Massabielle and identified herself as 'the Immaculate Conception.' Three years earlier — in 1855 — the Germantown Hills church had been dedicated to the Blessed Virgin under the same title of the Immaculate Conception. The parish grotto (1928) was deliberately modeled on the Lourdes grotto to link the two sites devotionally.
- Parish patroness: Our Lady of Lourdes; liturgical feast celebrated February 11.
- Original parish title: Immaculate Conception (still used historically).
- Miraculous apparitions at Lourdes, France: Feb. 11 – July 16, 1858.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father John Blase Raho1839–first visitor; resident service from 1840
Known as 'The Apostle of Central Illinois'; assigned March 1838 to LaSalle area by the Bishop of St. Louis; performed the first recorded baptism and marriage in the log cabin church on Oct. 11, 1840.
- Father Francis X. Damien1841–
First pastor formally assigned to the parish; 63 other pastors would follow over the next 175 years.
- Father Eusebius Kaisercirca 1868–
First resident pastor; moved into a new rectory; a larger rectory was built in 1871 and expanded in 1884.
- Father Caesar Kron1928
Led the construction of the parish's Lourdes-style grotto out of stones hauled from local creeks.
- Father Robert Weakley, OFM
Franciscan; former pastor in Germantown Hills; Peoria native; died January 2022 (per The Catholic Post).