About St. Pius V · Walsh, Illinois
St. Pius V is a small Catholic parish in the rural community of Walsh, Illinois, established in 1905 and serving the surrounding Randolph County farmland. The parish is part of the Diocese of Belleville and is currently in a partnership with Our Lady of Lourdes in Sparta and St. Boniface in Evansville, sharing pastoral leadership and bulletins. Weekend Mass is celebrated on Saturday evenings, and the parish's worship and community life are integrated with its partnered parishes through shared clergy and staff.
- Established
- 1905
- Patron
- St. Pius V
- Rector
- Rev. Charles Anyaoku
- Diocese
- Diocese of Belleville
Why belong here
St. Pius V offers Catholics in rural Randolph County a faithful, accessible weekend Mass close to home, on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. The parish is woven into a tight three-parish partnership with Our Lady of Lourdes in Sparta and St. Boniface in Evansville, so members benefit from shared clergy, shared sacramental preparation, and a single combined parish bulletin published through the Our Lady of Lourdes Facebook page. For families and individuals looking for a traditional, country Catholic community connected to the Diocese of Belleville, St. Pius V is a welcoming, well-rooted place to worship.
Mass times at St. Pius V
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Overview & Identity
St. Pius V is a rural Catholic parish established in 1905, located in the small community of Walsh in Randolph County, Illinois. It belongs to the Diocese of Belleville and is identified as a community church serving the farming families of the area. The parish takes its name from Pope St. Pius V (1504–1572), whose feast day is celebrated in the Roman calendar on April 30.
- Established: 1905
- Diocese: Belleville
- Patron: St. Pius V
- Rite: Roman-Latin
History
Founded at the start of the twentieth century to serve Catholic farm families in Walsh and the surrounding countryside, St. Pius V has long been sustained as part of a tightly-knit cluster of country parishes. Over time it has been formally partnered with neighboring Our Lady of Lourdes in Sparta (est. 1897) and St. Boniface in Evansville so that all three communities share pastoral leadership and sacramental preparation.
- Founded 1905 for rural Randolph County Catholics
- Joined in partnership with Our Lady of Lourdes (Sparta) and St. Boniface (Evansville)
Three-Parish Partnership
St. Pius V shares one priest and one bulletin with Our Lady of Lourdes in Sparta and St. Boniface in Evansville. Office functions and sacramental coordination are handled out of the Sparta parish office. The combined parish bulletin is published through the Our Lady of Lourdes Facebook page.
- Partnered parishes: Our Lady of Lourdes (Sparta), St. Boniface (Evansville)
- Shared priest and shared bulletin
- Bulletin access via OLL Sparta Facebook page
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently administered by Rev. Charles Anyaoku, who serves as Administrator of all three partnered parishes. The parish secretary is Kelly C. Coop. Fr. Vincent Mukasa is identified by parish directories as a former shared priest of the partnership, and the late Fr. Joseph Conrad Rascher is recorded as having served St. Pius V during his wider ministry in the Diocese of Belleville.
- Administrator: Rev. Charles Anyaoku
- Secretary: Kelly C. Coop
- Former shared priest: Fr. Vincent Mukasa
- Past priest with ties to the parish: Rev. Joseph Conrad Rascher
Contact & Location
The parish church stands along Walsh Road at the intersection with Schuline (Co. Rd. 4) Roads. Inquiries, Mass intentions, and sacramental records are typically coordinated through the partnership's main parish office in Sparta, which can be reached at 618-443-2811. The Walsh parish itself can be reached at 618-853-4404.
- Address: 7681 Walsh Road, Walsh, IL 62297
- Walsh parish phone: 618-853-4404
- Partnership office (Sparta): 618-443-2811
- Email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Conrad Rascher
Served St. Pius V, Walsh among multiple parishes in the Diocese of Belleville during his ministry (per obituary).
- Fr. Vincent Mukasa
Shared priest of the Walsh–Sparta partnership (per Discover Mass parish listing).
- Rev. Charles Anyaoku
Current Administrator of the partnership of St. Pius V, Walsh; Our Lady of Lourdes, Sparta; and St. Boniface, Evansville.