About St. Sylvester · Eminence, Missouri
St. Sylvester Mission Church is a small Roman Catholic mission church in Eminence, the county seat of Shannon County in the Missouri Ozarks. Built of native stone and oak and overlooking the Jack's Fork River, it was established through the work of the Vincentian Motor Missions and continues today as a summer destination for Catholic visitors. It is officially a mission of St. John Vianney Parish in Mountain View, in the Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau, served by Father Nicholas Newton.
- Established
- 1877
- Patron
- St. Sylvester (Pope Sylvester I)
- Rector
- Rev. Nicholas Newton
- Diocese
- Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau
Why belong here
St. Sylvester is a remarkable little stone mission church that combines the rugged beauty of the Ozarks with the long Catholic heritage of the Vincentian Motor Missions. It welcomes a small year-round flock of local families from Shannon County and serves the many Catholic tourists and floaters who come to the Jack's Fork and Current Rivers each summer. Visiting Catholics are drawn by its celebrated architecture, its scenic river overlook, and its seasonal weekend and daily Mass schedule — a uniquely peaceful place to worship while exploring the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
Mass times at St. Sylvester
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 5:00–6:00 p.m. (or by appointment)
About St. Sylvester Mission Church
St. Sylvester Mission Church is a small Catholic mission church in Eminence, the county seat of Shannon County, Missouri. Perched on a steep slope above the Jack's Fork River, it was built of native stone and oak and is deliberately styled after the old farmhouses and barns of the surrounding Ozark countryside. The mission exists because of the Vincentian Motor Missions and the Catholic tourists who visit the Ozarks in summer. It is served by the pastor of St. John Vianney Parish in Mountain View.
History
The first Catholic presence on the site was a hewn-log chapel built in 1877, serving scattered Catholic families in the Eminence area. That log building was later replaced by the present stone-and-oak church, constructed in the vernacular Ozark farmhouse style with two-foot-thick native stone walls. The mission's growth and survival are credited to the Vincentian Motor Missions, an itinerant rural evangelization effort of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians/Lazarists) based originally at Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis. Over time St. Sylvester has served both a small year-round local flock and a seasonal influx of Catholic visitors to the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
- Original log chapel: 1877
- Built of native stone and oak, two-foot-thick walls
- Product of the Vincentian Motor Missions
Architecture & Setting
The church is built in the style of the old farmhouses and barns of the Ozark region, with walls of brown and gray local stone two feet thick and oak interior woodwork. Sited on a steep slope, it overlooks the Jack's Fork River in the Current River Mountains. Despite its modest size, the building has been featured in an architecture book and in a trade magazine as one of the finest examples of church architecture in the world.
- Style: vernacular Ozark farmhouse/barn
- Materials: native brown and gray stone, oak
- Walls: two feet thick
- Setting: steep slope above Jack's Fork River
Mass & Worship Schedule
The mission offers weekend and daily Masses year-round, with extended evening Masses during the busy summer tourist season. The schedule below reflects what is published on the diocesan parish page. Sunday Mass is the anchor for both local Catholics and summer visitors.
- Sunday: 10:30 a.m.
- Saturday: 4:00 p.m. (April–October)
- Saturday: 6:30 p.m. (May–September)
- Tuesday: 8:00 a.m.
- Wednesday: 6:30 p.m.
Sacraments
Because St. Sylvester is a small mission served by the pastor of St. John Vianney Parish in Mountain View, most sacramental ministry (baptism, marriage, anointing of the sick, first Communion, confirmation) is coordinated through St. John Vianney Parish. Confessions are heard at St. Sylvester on Wednesday evenings before Mass and by appointment.
- Confession: Wednesday 5:00–6:00 p.m. or by appointment
Mission Status & Pastoral Care
St. Sylvester is officially a mission of St. John Vianney Parish, 808 State Route Y, Mountain View, MO 65548. The pastor of St. John Vianney, currently Rev. Nicholas Newton, also serves as pastor of the mission in Eminence. Mail and inquiries for St. Sylvester are directed to that Mountain View parish office.
- Mailing address: St. John Vianney Parish, 808 State Route Y, Mountain View, MO 65548-7904
- Phone: (417) 934-2649
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Nicholas Newtoncurrent
Pastor of St. John Vianney Parish, Mountain View, who also serves St. Sylvester Mission Church, Eminence.