About St. Matthias · Lemay, Missouri
St. Matthias the Apostle was a Roman Catholic parish in the Lemay neighborhood of south St. Louis County, Missouri, in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Erected in 1959 by Archbishop Joseph Elmer Ritter and worshipping at first in the Mehlville High School gym, the community dedicated its own building at 796 Buckley Road in 1960. For 64 years the parish served south county families with daily Mass, a school, PSR (parish school of religion), youth and sports programs, quilters and a Helping Hands group, and a St. Vincent de Paul conference. Under the Archdiocese of St. Louis's 2023 "All Things New" reorganization, St. Matthias was merged into St. Mark Parish on August 1, 2023, and the Buckley Road church building itself was decreed closed for sacred use effective April 17, 2026 by Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski.
- Established
- 1959
- Patron
- St. Matthias the Apostle
- Rector
- Rev. Dennis R. Port (pastor 2007–2023; retired with the 2023 closure)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of St. Louis
Why belong here
St. Matthias was a small, down-to-earth parish that took pride in being approachable. Weekday Mass was offered every morning at 8:00 AM and weekend Masses at 4:00 PM Saturday and 8:30 and 10:30 AM Sunday, with Thursday morning Eucharistic Adoration and Saturday confessions. The parish built community through PSR religious-education classes, youth groups, sports teams, a quilters' circle, a Helping Hands outreach, and an active St. Vincent de Paul conference. Today the parish has been merged into the neighboring St. Mark Parish in Lemay, where former St. Matthias parishioners are welcomed to continue their worship and service.
Mass times at St. Matthias
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
- Also by appointment
Adoration times
- Thursday 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
History of St. Matthias the Apostle Parish
St. Matthias the Apostle Parish was erected in 1959 by Archbishop Joseph Elmer Ritter to serve Catholic families in the Lemay area of south St. Louis County. Before its own church building was ready, the new community gathered for worship in the gymnasium of Mehlville High School. In 1960 the parish dedicated the building at 796 Buckley Road — a low, flat-roofed Mid-Century Modern structure that Archbishop Ritter had specifically designated as a temporary place of worship until a more worthy, permanent church could be constructed. The structure was built 'in the form of a gymnasium attached to a school' and that gymnasium character shaped the parish's identity for decades.
- 1959 — Parish erected by Archbishop Joseph Elmer Ritter; early Masses held in the Mehlville High School gymnasium.
- 1960 — Dedication of the Buckley Road church building.
- 1978 — Completion of the interior: Francis Deck's faceted-glass windows and the signature Risen Christ mural.
- 2007–2023 — Pastorate of Father Dennis R. Port.
- August 1, 2023 — Merged into St. Mark Parish as part of the 'All Things New' pastoral planning initiative.
- April 17, 2026 — Decree by Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski closing the Buckley Road church building for sacred use.
Architecture & Sacred Art
Built in 1960 in the Mid-Century Modern idiom, the church is a low, flat-roofed building whose original gymnasium character Archbishop Ritter openly acknowledged as temporary. The sanctuary is spartan and minimal, with a ring of hidden uplighting throwing soft light onto the ceiling. The parish's most distinctive artistic feature came in 1978, when artist Francis Deck added faceted-glass windows and a dimensional mural in the front lobby depicting the Risen Christ surrounded by two angels and Easter symbols. The mural is constructed of custom-cut styrofoam, painted and sealed, and is meant to be viewed at night from outside the building through a glass wall that appears to have been built specifically to enclose it.
- Style: Mid-Century Modern (1960)
- Architectural note: 'constructed in the form of a gymnasium attached to a school'
- Sanctuary: minimal, ring of hidden uplighting
- Windows & mural (1978): artist Francis Deck
- Mural medium: custom-cut styrofoam, painted and sealed
- Mural subject: Risen Christ with two angels and Easter symbols
Pastor and Clergy
Father Dennis R. Port was pastor of St. Matthias the Apostle from 2007 until the parish's 2023 closure. A native of University City, he was ordained May 18, 1974 at the Cathedral of Saint Louis by Cardinal John J. Carberry and was educated at St. Louis Preparatory Seminary-South, Cardinal Glennon College, and Kenrick Seminary. Father Port previously served as associate pastor at St. Boniface (St. Louis, 1974), St. Peter (Kirkwood, 1976), St. Martin de Porres (Hazelwood, 1981), St. Lawrence the Martyr (Bridgeton, 1986), and St. Dominic Savio (Affton, 1990); and as pastor of Our Lady of the Presentation (Overland, 1992) and St. Sabina (Florissant, 2006). He retired with private residence in 2023 at the parish's closure.
- Rev. Dennis R. Port — Pastor 2007–2023 (retired)
- Parish retired with Father Port at the All Things New closure
Sacraments
St. Matthias prepared parishioners for the sacraments of initiation through its PSR (Parish School of Religion) program and celebrated Baptisms and Weddings. Confession was offered weekly and by appointment. Those needing Anointing of the Sick or other pastoral sacraments were asked to contact the parish office.
- Baptism — preparation through the parish office
- Marriage / Weddings — by arrangement with the pastor
- First Communion & Confirmation — through PSR
- Reconciliation — Saturday 3:00–3:30 PM and by appointment
- Anointing of the Sick — by request through the parish office
Faith Formation & Religious Education
St. Matthias ran a Parish School of Religion (PSR) program that provided Catholic religious education to parish children, in tandem with the attached school building on the Buckley Road campus.
- PSR classes for parish children
- School building attached to the gymnasium-style church (per the 1960 original design)
Parish Ministries & Groups
St. Matthias was a community-oriented parish with a strong lay life. Programs and groups included youth organizations, parish sports teams, a quilters' circle, a Helping Hands outreach, and a St. Vincent de Paul conference that served the Lemay area. A dedicated endowment fund for the parish, and a separate one for the St. Vincent de Paul Conference, are held by the Roman Catholic Foundation of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
- Youth organizations
- Parish sports teams
- Quilters' group
- Helping Hands outreach
- St. Vincent de Paul Conference (Lemay)
The All Things New Closure (2023–2026)
In 2023 the Archdiocese of St. Louis carried out its sweeping 'All Things New' pastoral planning initiative. On August 1, 2023, St. Matthias — together with St. Andrew, St. Bernadette, and St. Martin of Tours — was subsumed into St. Mark Parish in Lemay. In a separate canonical decree, Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski ordered the closure of the St. Matthias church building at 796 Buckley Road and its reduction to profane (but not sordid) use effective April 17, 2026, citing the inability of St. Mark Parish to repair and maintain the building alongside the other inherited properties from the former St. Andrew, St. Bernadette, and St. Matthias sites. The decree directed that the altar and other sacred objects be carefully removed and stored.
- August 1, 2023: St. Matthias merged into St. Mark Parish under 'All Things New.'
- April 17, 2026: Decree closing the Buckley Road church building for sacred use.
- Parish had served more than 700 households prior to closure.
Contact & Practical Information
Parish offices were located at 796 Buckley Road, St. Louis (Lemay), MO 63125-5348. The parish phone was (314) 892-7500, with the parish office at (314) 892-5109 and fax at (314) 892-0629. The parish website at stmatthiastheapostle.org carried the name 'St. Matthias the Apostle.' Following the 2023 merger, sacramental records and parish life are administered through St. Mark Parish.
- Address: 796 Buckley Road, St. Louis (Lemay), MO 63125-5348
- Phone: (314) 892-7500 — parish; (314) 892-5109 — parish office
- Fax: (314) 892-0629
- Website: http://stmatthiastheapostle.org/
- Successor parish: St. Mark, 4200 Ripa Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63125
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Dennis R. Port2007–2023
Ordained May 18, 1974 by Cardinal John J. Carberry at the Cathedral of Saint Louis. Previous assignments included associate pastorates at St. Boniface (St. Louis, 1974), St. Peter (Kirkwood, 1976), St. Martin de Porres (Hazelwood, 1981), St. Lawrence the Martyr (Bridgeton, 1986), and St. Dominic Savio (Affton, 1990); pastorates at Our Lady of the Presentation (Overland, 1992) and St. Sabina (Florissant, 2006). Retired with private residence in 2023 at the All Things New closure. Born in University City; educated at St. Louis Preparatory Seminary-South, Cardinal Glennon College, and Kenrick Seminary.