About St. Rose of Lima · Saint Rose, Illinois
St. Rose of Lima Parish is a small, historic Roman Catholic community in the rural village of Saint Rose, Illinois, in Clinton County. Founded in 1868 by German and Swiss immigrant families from Baden and Switzerland, the parish is one of the oldest in the Diocese of Belleville and remains rooted in the farming heritage of its founders. Today the parish is served by Rev. Edward Schaefer and is partnered with St. Francis of Assisi in Aviston and St. Felicitas in Beaver Prairie. The community gathers around its simple red-brick church with its tall spire and around the unusual St. Rose Cemetery, where uniform white tombstones laid out by date of death are a regional landmark.
- Established
- 1868
- Patron
- St. Rose of Lima
- Rector
- Rev. Edward Schaefer
- Diocese
- Diocese of Belleville
Why belong here
St. Rose of Lima is a small, multigenerational farming parish where the same German-Catholic immigrant families who built the brick church in 1868 still worship today. Visitors find the full rhythm of Catholic life — daily and weekend Mass, Saturday confession, Holy Day liturgies, and faith formation for children — together with a strong identity rooted in the Precious Blood Sisters who have staffed the parish school since 1881 and a parish cemetery unlike any other in Illinois. As the parish mission statement puts it: 'Together we live the gospel, we encounter Jesus in the holy Eucharist, we pray for and care for those in need, and we bring others to Christ.'
Mass times at St. Rose of Lima
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM
Parish History
St. Rose of Lima was founded in 1867–1868 by about twenty-five Catholic families of German and Swiss descent who had settled in northern Clinton County between 1844 and 1850. A lay committee of nine men — Gerhard Bixschlag, Ben Henrichs, Bernard Hillen, Adam Jordan, Heinrich Koerkenmeier, Bernard Nordmann, Daniel Reiss, Gerhard Schumacker, and Heinrich Vosshoeller — petitioned Bishop Henry Damian Juncker of Alton for permission to build their own church. Ten acres were bought from Philip Maxey for $250, plans drawn by a St. Louis architect named Mr. Dreuden, and the building contract awarded to Bernard Albers of Breese. Parishes burned their own bricks, quarried their own stone, and hauled their own timbers. The cornerstone was laid on August 30, 1868, the feast of St. Rose, by Rev. August Reinecker of Breese.
- Cornerstone laid August 30, 1868 (Feast of St. Rose)
- Approximate construction cost: $10,000
- First adult buried in parish cemetery: Gerhard Schumacher (September 26, 1870)
- Cemetery consecrated by Bishop Baltes, April 26, 1871
- Stone cross erected in cemetery in 1884
- Brick pillars and entrance gate added in 1929 by sons of Peter Schuette
Parish School & Religious Education
By 1881 the parish debt was nearly paid and the number of school-age children had grown large enough to justify a dedicated school building. A two-story brick structure with two classrooms on the first floor and living quarters for the sisters on the second was built by parishioners Bernard Klostermann and Bernard Middeke for $3,000 — under a contract that promised any savings would revert to the parish. From that fall onward the school has been taught by the Sisters Adorers of the Most Precious Blood of Ruma, Illinois, the first teachers being Sisters Mary Theresia (later Mother Mary) and Philomena. The parish today continues to provide faith formation under Coordinator of Religious Education Sydney Richter.
- School dedicated November 9, 1881
- Staffed continuously since 1881 by the Sisters Adorers of the Most Precious Blood of Ruma
- Current CRE (Coordinator of Religious Education): Sydney Richter
St. Rose Catholic Cemetery
Adjoining the parish property is St. Rose Catholic Cemetery, one of the most unusual burial grounds in Illinois. The two-acre tract was donated by Mr. Henry Hoeddinghaus; the first adult interment was parish founder Gerhard Schumacher on September 26, 1870, and Bishop Baltes consecrated the cemetery on April 26, 1871. Unlike most Catholic cemeteries, St. Rose is organized strictly by date of death rather than by family plot, so a husband, wife, and children may be scattered throughout the grounds. Every gravestone is uniform: white, waist-high, and topped with a carved-out cross — a design choice that, in the words of local historians, 'makes everyone from all walks of life equal in death.' Many stones now carry small oval photographs of the deceased.
- Two-acre tract donated by Henry Hoeddinghaus
- Consecrated by Bishop Baltes, April 26, 1871
- Graves arranged by date of death, not by family
- Uniform white, waist-high stones with carved-out crosses
- Large stone cross erected 1884, donated by Father Kamann and Peter Schuette
- Brick entrance pillars and gate added 1929
Parish Staff & Office
The parish is staffed by a small team under Pastor Rev. Edward Schaefer. Charlotte Reymond serves as Parish Secretary, and Sydney Richter is the Coordinator of Religious Education (CRE). The parish also maintains a working relationship with the Sisters Adorers of the Most Precious Blood, whose religious community has been present in the parish school since 1881.
- Rev. Edward Schaefer — Pastor
- Charlotte Reymond — Parish Secretary
- Sydney Richter — Coordinator of Religious Education (CRE)
- Sisters Adorers of the Most Precious Blood — school staff since 1881
Partnership Parishes
St. Rose of Lima is a partner parish within the Diocese of Belleville alongside two neighboring rural communities. Together the three parishes share pastoral and administrative resources under the leadership of Rev. Edward Schaefer.
- St. Francis of Assisi, Aviston
- St. Felicitas, Beaver Prairie
Communications & Bulletins
Weekly parish bulletins are produced and archived on the parish website, and announcements for inclusion may be emailed to [email protected] by Thursday at noon. The parish also publishes a 'Letter from Sister Justina' in the bulletin and maintains a live-stream of its services through its Facebook page.
- Bulletin announcements: [email protected] (deadline Thursday noon)
- Past bulletins archived on strosechurchil.com
- Live-stream of Mass via Facebook page
- Parish Facebook: facebook.com/saintroseilcatholicchurch
Visit & Contact
Visitors and parishioners can reach the parish office at (618) 526-4118 (fax 618-526-0004) or by email at [email protected]. The parish office at 18010 St. Rose Road, St. Rose, IL 62230 is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and is closed on Tuesdays. Mass times and current information can also be confirmed through the Diocese of Belleville parish directory.
- Address: 18010 St. Rose Road, St. Rose, IL 62230
- Phone: (618) 526-4118
- Fax: (618) 526-0004
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Mon/Wed/Thu/Fri 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM (closed Tuesdays)
- Website: strosechurchil.com
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Theodore Kamann1870–1919
First permanent pastor; arrived Aug 20, 1870; served nearly 49 years until retirement; born 1844 in Westenfeld-Essen, Germany; ordained 1868; later returned to Germany where he died Nov 15, 1926.
- Rev. John Quack1919–
Second pastor; appointed administrator of St. Rose on Aug 20, 1919, having been pastor of Carmi, Illinois.
- Rev. Edward Schaeferpresent
Current pastor per the Diocese of Belleville directory.