About St. Mary of the Divine Maternity · Ellis Grove, Illinois
St. Mary Church of Divine Maternity is a small Catholic parish in the village of Ellis Grove, Randolph County, Illinois, established in 1944 and listed in the Diocese of Belleville. It sits at 7362 Shawneetown Trail in the rural Mississippi River hill country of southern Illinois, where the parish is part of a tri-parish partnership — known informally as the STJMM Partnership — that links St. Mary of the Divine Maternity in Ellis Grove, Mary Help of Christians in Chester, and St. Joseph in Prairie du Rocher (one of the oldest parishes in the diocese, founded in 1722). The current pastor is Very Rev. Sebastian Ukoh, C.M., V.F., a Vincentian priest of the Province of Nigeria who also serves as Vicar Forane of the West Vicariate of the Diocese of Belleville. Weekend Mass is offered at the church on a rotating monthly basis — Saturday at 6:00 p.m. in odd-numbered months and Sunday at 8:00 a.m. in even-numbered months — with Holy Day Mass at 8:00 a.m.
- Established
- 1944
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary (under the title of Divine Maternity)
- Rector
- Very Rev. Sebastian Ukoh, C.M., V.F.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Belleville
Why belong here
St. Mary of Divine Maternity offers a warm, small-parish setting in rural Randolph County where the weekend Mass schedule — Saturday 6:00 p.m. in odd months and Sunday 8:00 a.m. in even months — keeps Mass at the heart of community life. Visitors and parishioners are welcomed into a wider tri-parish partnership that combines this church with Mary Help of Christians in Chester and St. Joseph in Prairie du Rocher, opening up shared ministries such as altar serving, lecturing, Extraordinary Ministry of Holy Communion, a youth group for grades 7–12, an ACTS retreat program, and a monthly Grief Support meeting. A monthly Mass of Healing, parish-wide Eucharistic Adoration, and the dedication of a Vincentian priest-pastor make it a place where Catholic faith, French colonial heritage, and present-day small-town fellowship meet.
Mass times at St. Mary of the Divine Maternity
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration is observed partnership-wide at St. Joseph, Prairie du Rocher, on the first Monday of every month at 7:00 p.m.
About the Parish
St. Mary Church of Divine Maternity is a small Catholic community in Ellis Grove, Illinois, established in 1944 in the Diocese of Belleville. Its roots in Randolph County, however, reach back to 1934, when sacramental registers for the parish begin. The church stands at 7362 Shawneetown Trail and is one of three parishes served by a single pastor in the STJMM Parish Partnership.
- Established: 1944 (Diocese of Belleville)
- Parish records on file from 1934 (FamilySearch)
- Partnership: Mary Help of Christians (Chester) and St. Joseph (Prairie du Rocher)
Parish Partnership (STJMM)
St. Mary of the Divine Maternity shares a pastor and mission with Mary Help of Christians in Chester and St. Joseph in Prairie du Rocher. The partnership — abbreviated STJMM — was formed under the Diocese of Belleville's restructuring to sustain vibrant Catholic life across the rural French-colonial heartland of Randolph County. The official partnership website lists shared Mass schedules, ministries, retreat programs, and a single pastoral staff led by Fr. Sebastian Ukoh, C.M.
- Three-church partnership: St. Joseph (PDR), St. Mary Chester, St. Mary Ellis Grove
- Shared mission: '…centered in the Eucharist and united in the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to nurture our individual spiritual growth while caring for one another with compassion and love.'
- Single pastor: Very Rev. Sebastian Ukoh, C.M., V.F.
Our Pastor
The parish is currently served by Very Rev. Sebastian Ukoh, C.M., V.F., a Vincentian priest (Congregation of the Mission) of the Province of Nigeria who was ordained on July 12, 2008. He serves as pastor of all three STJMM partnership parishes and was appointed Vicar Forane of the West Vicariate of the Diocese of Belleville by Bishop Godfrey Mullen, O.S.B.
- Pastor: Very Rev. Sebastian Ukoh, C.M., V.F.
- Vincentian priest, Province of Nigeria
- Ordained: July 12, 2008
- Vicar Forane, West Vicariate, Diocese of Belleville (2024)
- Pastoral mailing: P.O. Box 365, Prairie du Rocher, IL 62277-0365
Parish Ministries
Across the STJMM partnership, parishioners of St. Mary's Ellis Grove are invited to take part in liturgical and faith-formation ministries. Liturgical roles such as altar server, lector, and Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion are open to those who wish to serve at the altar. The partnership also runs youth, retreat, and pastoral-care programs that bring the three communities together.
- Altar Servers
- Lectors
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC)
- Youth Group — grades 7–12; 3rd Sunday of the month, 7:00–9:00 p.m. (618-719-9344)
- ACTS Retreat (Adoration, Community, Theology, Service) — Women's retreat Sep 9/24–9/27/2026
- Grief Support — 3rd Monday of the month, 10:00 a.m.
History & Heritage
Although formally established in 1944, the Catholic community of Ellis Grove has sacramental records dating back to 1934 and sits within Randolph County — one of the oldest regions of Catholic life in Illinois, settled by French colonists in the early 1700s. The parish is named for the Divine Maternity of Mary, the title proclaimed at the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D. that affirmed Mary as the Mother of God.
- Diocese establishment: 1944
- Sacramental records: 1934–1956 (FamilySearch)
- Named under the title of the Divine Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Sharing a partnership with one of the oldest parishes in the state (St. Joseph, Prairie du Rocher, est. 1722)
Visiting & Contact
St. Mary of the Divine Maternity is located in the small village of Ellis Grove, just off the Great River Road in Randolph County. The parish office shares contact information with the STJMM partnership; the Ellis Grove rectory phone is listed by the Diocese of Belleville directory.
- Address: 7362 Shawneetown Trail, Ellis Grove, IL 62241
- Phone: 618-859-3541
- Website (partnership): www.stjoespdr.org / www.stjmm.org
- Diocese directory: www.diobelle.org