About St. Raymond · Raymond, Illinois
St. Raymond is a small Roman Catholic parish in the rural community of Raymond, Illinois, located in the northern part of Montgomery County. It is one of three churches that make up the St. MRM Parish Unit, alongside St. Maurice in Morrisonville and St. Mary's in Farmersville, sharing one pastor and a unified pastoral team. As of the most recent diocesan directory the parish serves approximately 97 families and 189 parishioners, with weekly Sunday Mass and a Wednesday Mass plus a full day of Eucharistic Adoration and weekly Reconciliation. The parish's mission statement grounds the community in the example of its patron, St. Raymond Nonnatus: 'Through love of God and the example of St. Raymond Nonnatus, we strive to share God's word through prayer, formation, service, and hospitality.'
- Established
- 1881
- Patron
- St. Raymond Nonnatus
- Rector
- Rev. Florent E. Kanga, S.A.C.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Springfield in Illinois
Why belong here
St. Raymond offers an intimate, traditional rural parish experience in the heart of Montgomery County — weekly Sunday Mass, a midweek Mass on Wednesday, an evening of Eucharistic Adoration running from Wednesday morning through Thursday morning, and a half-hour of Sunday-morning Confession. As one of three parishes sharing one pastor and pastoral team, it is small enough that visitors and parishioners are known by name, while still being fully Catholic with regular Reconciliation, Adoration, RCIA preparation, baptism and marriage preparation, anointing of the sick, and a homebound ministry that brings Communion to those who cannot attend Mass. The parish's own mission — prayer, formation, service, and hospitality following St. Raymond Nonnatus — invites anyone in the Raymond area to come celebrate with them.
Mass times at St. Raymond
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:00 – 7:30 AM
- Or by appointment (contact Father)
Adoration times
- Wednesday 8:30 AM – Thursday 8:00 AM (at St. Raymond)
Parish Identity & Mission
St. Raymond Catholic Church is a small English-language Roman Latin parish in Raymond, Montgomery County, Illinois, served by the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. The parish shares its pastor and a unified pastoral team with two neighboring parishes under the name St. MRM Parish Unit — St. Maurice in Morrisonville and St. Mary's in Farmersville. The published mission statement reads: 'Through love of God and the example of St. Raymond Nonnatus, we strive to share God's word through prayer, formation, service, and hospitality.'
- Type: Parish (Roman-Latin rite)
- Diocese: Springfield in Illinois
- Mission: prayer, formation, service, hospitality
- Parish unit: St. MRM (St. Maurice – St. Raymond – St. Mary's)
History of St. Raymond Parish
The community that became St. Raymond's traces back to 1853, when the Frank Poggenpohl family — the first Catholic settlers in northern Montgomery County — homesteaded in Harvel Township. From 1853 to 1857 the Catholics met in one another's homes for Sunday devotions, then received monthly Mass from Father Schreiber of Carlinville in the Mt. Vernon School schoolhouse until 1866. After splinter groups formed Morrisonville (1871) and Farmersville (1873) parishes, the remaining Catholics continued to gather, eventually at the Beiermann home south of Raymond under Father F. Lohmann (1874–1877). He purchased the parish cemetery and (later forfeited) a one-acre church lot. The town of Raymond itself was founded in 1871 with the Wabash Railroad. In 1879 Father Lohmann and Father P. J. Virnisch secured the current church property; construction began in fall 1880 and the church was dedicated on August 31, 1881 — the feast of St. Raymond Nonnatus.
- 1853: Frank Poggenpohl family settles in Harvel Township; first Catholic devotions
- 1857: Father Schreiber (Carlinville) begins monthly Mass in Mt. Vernon School
- 1871: Morrisonville Catholics break off; Wabash Railroad founds town of Raymond
- 1873: Farmersville-area Catholics break off
- 1874–1877: Mass said at B. Beiermann home south of Raymond
- 1879: Present property secured by Fathers Lohmann and Virnisch
- Fall 1880: Construction begins; architect A. Druiding of St. Louis; contractor W. H. Flowers of Shelbyville, IL
- August 31, 1881: Original church dedicated (Feast of St. Raymond Nonnatus); cost $3,220
- Today: Current church is the second on the site; parish history page still under construction
Patron Saint: St. Raymond Nonnatus
The parish is named for St. Raymond Nonnatus (c. 1204 – August 31, 1240), a Mercedarian friar and missionary born in Catalonia. His byname, 'Nonnatus' ('not born'), refers to his Caesarean birth after his mother's death in labor. He joined the Mercedarians under St. Peter Nolasco in Barcelona, ransomed Christian captives in North Africa, and famously had his lips pierced and padlocked to prevent him from preaching. He was created cardinal by Pope Gregory IX in 1239 and died at Cardona the following year on his way to Rome. He was canonized in 1657 and is the patron of expectant mothers, midwives, childbirth, infants, the falsely accused, and priests defending the seal of confession. His feast day is August 31 — the very day in 1881 when the original St. Raymond's church was dedicated.
- Born: c. 1204, Portell, Catalonia
- Died: August 31, 1240, Castle of Cardona
- Order: Mercedarian (Order of Our Lady of Mercy)
- Canonized: 1657
- Feast day: August 31
- Patron of: expectant mothers, midwives, childbirth, the falsely accused, confidentiality of confession
Parish Leadership
The parish is led by Rev. Florent E. Kanga, S.A.C. (Society of the Catholic Apostolate / Pallottine Fathers), who serves as pastor of the St. MRM Parish Unit. Marlene Marten serves as bookkeeper and Kateri Marten as secretary. Two lay councils assist the pastor in governance: a Pastoral Council and a Finance Council.
- Pastor: Rev. Florent E. Kanga, S.A.C.
- Bookkeeper: Marlene Marten
- Secretary: Kateri Marten
- Pastoral Council: Fr. Florent Kanga, Tim Marten, Barbara Powley, Verne L. Pinkston, Julie Krager, Chris Mizera, Cheryl Gonet
- Finance Council: Fr. Florent Kanga, Bill Held, Allen Poggenpohl, Marlene Marten, John Barto
Sister Parishes in the St. MRM Parish Unit
St. Raymond is one of three rural parishes served by a single pastor and pastoral team. Together they form the St. MRM Parish Unit, sharing office staff, bulletin, and sacramental coverage across the north-central Montgomery County area.
- St. Maurice — 706 East 4th Street, Morrisonville, IL 62546; office (217) 526-3363
- St. Raymond — 306 South McElroy Street, Raymond, IL 62560; office (217) 229-4435
- St. Mary's — 310 Nobbe Street, Farmersville, IL 62533; office (217) 227-3349
Sacraments & Sacramental Preparation
St. Raymond prepares parishioners for all the major sacraments, with the parish office and Father handling intake for each. Standard preparation timelines are recommended: six weeks of notice for Baptism, six months for Weddings, and immediate contact for Anointing of the Sick and Funerals. The parish also runs the RCIA process for adults seeking to enter the Church and a Homebound Ministry that brings Holy Communion to those unable to attend Sunday Mass.
- Baptism: contact at least 6 weeks in advance
- Wedding: contact at least 6 months in advance
- Anointing of the Sick: contact Father anytime
- Funerals: contact Father or parish office
- RCIA: contact Father or parish office
- Homebound Ministry: Communion brought after Sunday Mass upon request
- Hospital/visitation: contact Father directly
Parish Life & Outreach
Beyond the scheduled Masses and Adoration, the parish sustains a small set of lay ministries rooted in prayer, formation, and pastoral care. Each week the parish bulletin (deadline Monday at noon) carries announcements and the Prayer List. Mass intentions can be requested by mailing a list of names with a check; the stipend is $10.00 per Mass. Liturgical preparation, the Homebound Ministry, and the Pastoral and Finance Councils all draw on lay volunteers.
- Pastoral Council
- Finance Council
- Homebound Ministry (Communion after Sunday Mass)
- RCIA team
- Mass Intentions program ($10 stipend)
- Weekly bulletin and Prayer List
- St. Raymond Cemetery (parish cemetery in Raymond)
Getting Involved & Visiting
Anyone is welcome to attend Mass at St. Raymond's, whether visiting briefly, looking for a parish home, returning to the Catholic faith, or simply curious. The simplest way to plug in is to attend a Sunday Mass, introduce yourself to Father Florent after the liturgy, and contact the parish office by phone or email about a particular ministry or sacrament. Bulletin submissions, Mass intention requests, and Prayer List additions are all coordinated through the secretary, Kateri Marten.
- Office Phone: (217) 229-4435
- Parish office email: [email protected]
- Fr. Florent's cell: (414) 460-0335
- Address: 306 South McElroy Street, Raymond, IL 62560
- Mailing: P.O. Box 349, Raymond, IL 62560
- Bulletin deadline: Monday 12:00 PM