About St. Paul · Berger, Missouri
St. Paul Parish was a small rural Roman Catholic community in the village of Berger, Franklin County, Missouri, within the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Tracing its origins to 1851, when Mass was first celebrated in a parishioner's home, the parish was formally established and grew around an 1887 brick church, serving roughly 120 registered households in the Missouri River valley west of St. Louis. Under Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski's 2023 'All Things New' pastoral plan, St. Paul was subsumed into Assumption Parish in neighboring New Haven effective August 1, 2023, ending 165 years of independent parish life; the Vatican's Dicastery for the Clergy rejected a final appeal on June 25, 2024.
- Established
- 1851 (first Masses in homes); formally organized as a parish by 1858
- Patron
- St. Paul the Apostle
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of St. Louis
Why belong here
St. Paul's small, stable congregation of roughly 120 households made it an intimate rural Catholic community where generations of families in the Missouri River valley worshipped together in a church that had stood since 1887. Because St. Paul was merged into Assumption Parish in New Haven as part of the Archdiocese of St. Louis's 'All Things New' reorganization (effective August 1, 2023) — a closure upheld on final appeal by the Vatican on June 13, 2025 — former parishioners today belong to or are welcomed at Assumption Parish, New Haven, which continues the Catholic mission in the area. Anyone seeking baptism, marriage, or the records of St. Paul should now contact Assumption Parish, New Haven, or the Archdiocese of St. Louis Archives for sacramental records from this closed parish.
Mass times at St. Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
- Friday 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Parish History
Catholic life in Berger began in 1851 when Mass was celebrated in the home of a parishioner. Rev. Fr. George Tuerk (1851–1863) organized the parish and the satellite missions at Berger Station and Little Berger. A log church followed in 1874, and in 1887 the present brick church was erected under Rev. Fr. Fulgence Eich. By 1968, the parish was being served by Rev. Fr. Gaudence Schroeder, O.F.M. The parish carried on for 165 years before being merged into Assumption Parish, New Haven, in 2023.
- 1851 – First Masses celebrated in a parishioner's home
- 1851–1863 – Rev. Fr. George Tuerk organizes parish, mission at Berger Station, and mission at Little Berger
- 1874 – Log church constructed
- 1887 – Brick church built under Rev. Fr. Fulgence Eich
- 1968 – Rev. Fr. Gaudence Schroeder, O.F.M., serving as pastor
- August 1, 2023 – Parish closed and merged into Assumption Parish, New Haven
- June 25, 2024 – Dicastery for the Clergy rejects hierarchical recourse
- June 13, 2025 – Apostolic Signatura confirms the closure as final
Closure and 'All Things New' Appeal
St. Paul was one of roughly 50 parishes closed or merged in the Archdiocese of St. Louis's 'All Things New' pastoral planning initiative, which reorganized the archdiocese from 178 parishes down by approximately 50 under Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski. Although the archdiocese's own data showed Berger's area to have a higher percentage of Catholics, higher Mass attendance, and higher Mass attendance as a percentage of capacity than the archdiocese as a whole, and although St. Paul was described as 'stable financially with stable offertory and growing reserves,' the parish was subsumed by Assumption Parish in New Haven. Parishioners filed appeals in Rome; both the Dicastery for the Clergy (June 25, 2024) and the Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura (June 13, 2025) ultimately upheld the merger.
- Affected by 'All Things New' reorganization (2023)
- Merged into Assumption Parish, New Haven
- Approximately 120 registered households at time of closure
- Final Vatican decision: June 13, 2025
Clergy
Published clergy records for St. Paul, Berger, are limited to the priests documented in local histories of the village and the surrounding Franklin County area. No comprehensive clergy roster is available online.
- Rev. Fr. George Tuerk (1851–1863) — founding organizer
- Rev. Fr. Fulgence (Fulgent) Eich — pastor in 1887 when brick church was built
- Rev. Fr. Gaudence Schroeder, O.F.M. — serving as pastor in 1968
Address, Contact, and Records
The parish was located in the village of Berger, Franklin County, Missouri. After the 2023 closure, parish records were transferred to the Archdiocese of St. Louis Archives; sacramental ministry for the territory is now provided by Assumption Parish in neighboring New Haven.
- Address: 3rd St. / 300 Walnut St., Berger, Missouri 63014
- Phone: (573) 237-3372
- Mailing (post-closure): c/o 603 Miller, New Haven, MO 63068
- Sacramental records: Archdiocese of St. Louis Archives
- Pastoral successor: Assumption Parish, New Haven
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Fr. George Tuerk1851–1863
First priest of the community; organized the parish and the mission churches at Berger Station and Little Berger.
- Rev. Fr. Fulgence (Fulgent) Eich
Pastor during whose tenure the present brick church was erected in 1887, replacing the earlier log church.
- Rev. Fr. Gaudence Schroeder, O.F.M.serving in 1968
Franciscan friar serving as parish priest according to the 1968 local history of Berger's churches.