About St. Michael · Cuba, Missouri
St. Michael Catholic Church is a small Crawford County parish rooted in the rolling hills of the Missouri Ozarks, just north of Steelville, Missouri. Although its mailing address and pastoral staff are shared with Holy Cross Parish in nearby Cuba (the website holycrosscubamo.org covers the whole pastoral cluster), the church itself sits in Steelville, the seat of Crawford County. It was founded in 1949 as a mission of Holy Cross, Cuba, and today belongs to a three-parish cluster with Holy Cross (Cuba) and St. Francis Caracciolo (Bourbon), all served by one pastor. The parish of roughly 35 registered families is known for its close-knit community, its ornate sanctuary murals, and its warm hospitality to summer visitors floating the area rivers.
- Established
- 1949
- Patron
- St. Michael the Archangel
- Rector
- Rev. Mark L. Smith
- Diocese
- Diocese of Jefferson City (Southeast Deanery, Crawford County)
Why belong here
St. Michael is a small, tight parish of about 35 registered families in the Crawford County seat of Steelville, and visitors regularly remark on how quickly they are welcomed — whether they are year-round neighbors or summer travelers floating the local rivers. Worship is rooted in the beauty of the restored sanctuary, with Sunday Mass offered in the morning, weekly Tuesday Mass, and a regular Sunday morning confession window. Because St. Michael is clustered with Holy Cross (Cuba) and St. Francis Caracciolo (Bourbon) under one pastor, parishioners also share in a broader family of ministries, Holy Cross School, and a Hispanic Mass offered at Holy Cross on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month. The Ladies Guild, the CCD religious-education program, and an ecumenical community quilting group that meets in the multipurpose room give plenty of ways to belong.
Mass times at St. Michael
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:30–8:00 AM (immediately before the 8:00 AM Mass)
About St. Michael Parish
St. Michael is a small Catholic parish in Steelville, the county seat of Crawford County in southeastern Missouri. It belongs to the Diocese of Jefferson City (Southeast Deanery) and is one of three parishes in the Holy Cross pastoral cluster, alongside Holy Cross in Cuba and St. Francis Caracciolo in Bourbon. Although the church building stands in Steelville, the parish shares its pastor, mailing address (415 School Avenue, Cuba, MO 65453), phone line ((573) 885-3520), and cluster website (holycrosscubamo.org) with Holy Cross, Cuba. There are roughly 35 registered families, and the parish is known for its close, committed community — summed up by one longtime parishioner who told The Catholic Missourian, 'We're not a big parish, but we're a tight parish.'
- Diocese of Jefferson City, Southeast Deanery
- Crawford County, Missouri
- Clustered with Holy Cross (Cuba) and St. Francis Caracciolo (Bourbon)
- About 35 registered families
Parish History
The parish traces its origins to the summer of 1949, when Father Joseph Boland organized fourteen founding families and celebrated the first Mass in the Crawford County Courthouse in Steelville. Within months the community purchased and remodeled a building, which was dedicated in September 1950; the Ladies Guild was organized in January 1951 and the CCD religious-education program followed in September 1974. Summer tourists floating the area streams soon outgrew the original space, so in January 1983 the parish bought new property and Bishop Michael F. McAuliffe dedicated the new church at its current location that same year. After a decade of further growth, the building was substantially remodeled and expanded and rededicated on June 13, 1992. The parish's story is preserved in 'Proclaiming the Good News in the Heart of Missouri' by Sister Loretta Pastva, SND.
- 1949 — Parish organized by Fr. Joseph Boland; first Mass in the Crawford County Courthouse with 14 families
- Sept 1949 — Building purchased and remodeled
- Sept 1950 — Building dedicated
- Jan 1951 — Ladies Guild founded
- Sept 1974 — CCD (religious education) program begun
- Jan 1983 — New property purchased; Bishop McAuliffe dedicates the new church
- June 13, 1992 — Remodeled and expanded church rededicated
- Parish history documented by Sister Loretta Pastva, SND, in 'Proclaiming the Good News in the Heart of Missouri'
2024 Flood and 2025 Restoration
In November 2024 flash flooding severely damaged St. Michael Church. For about eleven months the parish relocated its 8:00 AM Sunday Mass and Tuesday morning Mass to Holy Cross in Cuba, roughly 14 miles away. Holy Cross welcomed the Steelville parishioners with open arms: weekly offertory collections held steady, the annual Thanksgiving Dinner was held jointly, and a core group continued their 'donut time' fellowship in Holy Cross's multipurpose room. Insurance covered major repairs, and the parish community funded extras — a new roof, new light fixtures, rebuilt kitchen cabinets, upgraded heating and air conditioning, and removal of old asbestos floor tiles. The ornate sanctuary murals behind the altar were providentially undamaged. Father Mark Smith offered the first Mass in the restored church on September 28, 2025, the vigil of the Feast of St. Michael. Parishioner Bill Kempf described it as 'walking into a brand-new church.'
- Nov 2024 — Flash flooding damages the church
- Mass held at Holy Cross, Cuba for ~11 months
- First Mass back in restored St. Michael: Sept 28, 2025 (Feast of St. Michael vigil)
- New roof, light fixtures, kitchen cabinets, HVAC; asbestos tile removed
- Sanctuary murals survived undamaged
Cluster Relationship with Holy Cross, Cuba
St. Michael was founded in 1949 as a mission of Holy Cross Parish in Cuba and has remained spiritually and administratively linked to it ever since. The two share a pastor — currently Rev. Mark L. Smith — and the same parish office, mailing address (415 School Avenue, Cuba, MO 65453), phone number ((573) 885-3520), email ([email protected]), and website (holycrosscubamo.org). Holy Cross itself, the mother parish, was erected in 1880 and built its present fieldstone church in 1936–37, with Holy Cross School (the first Catholic elementary school between Pacific and Springfield) following in 1928.
- Mailing address: 415 School Ave, Cuba, MO 65453
- Phone: (573) 885-3520
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.holycrosscubamo.org
- Holy Cross School (Cuba) serves the wider cluster
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
The pastoral team serving St. Michael, Holy Cross (Cuba), and St. Francis Caracciolo (Bourbon) is led by Father Mark L. Smith, who succeeded Father Anthony Onyeihe as pastor of the cluster in July 2025. Sister Karen Thein, SSND, serves as Pastoral Minister for the cluster, and the team is assisted by Deacon Chad R. Lewis (BCBA, LBA) and retired Deacon Earl R. Horsefield. The parish continues its long ties to the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND), who have staffed the cluster's schools and ministries for nearly a century.
- Pastor: Rev. Mark L. Smith (since July 2025)
- Pastoral Minister: Sr. Karen Thein, SSND
- Deacon: Chad R. Lewis, BCBA, LBA
- Deacon (Ret.): Earl R. Horsefield
Parish Ministries and Community Life
Although small, St. Michael sustains a notable range of parish life. The Ladies Guild, founded in January 1951, remains a cornerstone of fellowship and service. The CCD religious-education program, begun in September 1974, forms the core of faith formation for cluster children. The parish's multipurpose room hosts an ecumenical community quilting group — a sign of the parish's openness to the wider Steelville community — and the cluster's annual Thanksgiving Dinner is a shared celebration with Holy Cross, Cuba. After-Mass 'donut time' is a regular social fixture, and the parish welcomes summer visitors who come for the rivers.
- Ladies Guild (since 1951)
- CCD religious education (since 1974)
- Ecumenical quilting group
- Annual Thanksgiving Dinner with Holy Cross, Cuba
- After-Mass 'donut time' fellowship
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Joseph Boland1949
Organized St. Michael's Parish; celebrated the first Mass in summer 1949 with fourteen families in the Crawford County Courthouse, Steelville.