About St. William · Gainesville, Missouri
St. William Mission Church is a small Catholic mission parish in Gainesville, the county seat of Ozark County in southern Missouri, belonging to the Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau. It was founded by Monsignor Sylvester W. Bauer to serve both local Catholics and the large tourist population drawn to nearby Bull Shoals Lake; Fr. Bauer expected about 35 people at the first Mass and more than 100 showed up. The mission grew to more than 150 enrolled parishioners and is known for its distinctive stone church with a striking altar carved from a single old fallen tree, a building Fr. Bauer himself designed. It is currently led by Rev. Charles Peirano, who also pastors nearby St. Leo the Great Mission in Ava and Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Mansfield.
- Established
- Late 1970s / early 1980s (exact founding year not specified on the diocesan page)
- Patron
- St. William of Vercelli (12th-century Italian abbot, founder of the Congregation of Montevergine / the Williamites)
- Rector
- Rev. Charles Peirano
- Diocese
- Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau
Why belong here
St. William is a small, welcoming Ozarks Catholic mission with a striking stone sanctuary built around a log altar — a literal tree-trunk altar placed there by its founding pastor. Visitors and seasonal residents to the Bull Shoals Lake area are actively welcomed, weekday and Sunday Mass is offered under a relaxed summer/weekend schedule, and the parish is large enough that its assembly hall can host the whole community for fellowship events like the monthly Ladies Prayer Brunch and parish fish fries. For Catholics in Gainesville and Ozark County, it is the natural home — and for lake visitors, an easy-to-find chapel for Sunday worship.
Mass times at St. William
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.
- Sunday 8:00 a.m. – 8:20 a.m. (Summer Schedule)
History & Founding
St. William Mission Church was founded in the late 1970s / early 1980s by Monsignor Sylvester W. Bauer, who was heading a diocesan team ministry that served four counties from West Plains. The mission was created to replace the defunct St. Helen church in Udall, whose tiny congregation had dwindled to almost nothing, and to serve the flood of seasonal tourists then coming to the Bull Shoals Lake area near Gainesville. Bauer personally designed and oversaw construction of the stone church — including the altar fashioned from a single large fallen tree he discovered on site. He expected about 35 at the first Mass; more than 100 showed up, and the mission was clearly going to last. Today the parish has more than 150 enrolled parishioners.
- Founded by Monsignor Sylvester W. Bauer (team ministry out of West Plains)
- Created in response to tourism around Bull Shoals Lake after St. Helen, Udall was closed
- Stone church with log altar — designed by its founding pastor
- Original parish hall addition is large enough to hold the entire parish
The Sanctuary: Stone Walls & a Tree-Trunk Altar
The original St. William church is a stone building with the parish's most photographed feature: an altar carved from the trunk of a large old tree that Monsignor Bauer noticed while planning the structure. He decided the fallen timber would make a more striking altar than anything he could order, and built the sanctuary around it. The original stone church has since been expanded with a meeting-hall addition that the diocese describes as 'big enough to hold the entire parish if need be,' giving the mission both a place for worship and a place for fellowship.
- Stone exterior; signature log altar from a single fallen tree
- Parish-hall addition built to accommodate meetings and assemblies
Parish Life & Fellowship
Even though St. William is officially a 'mission' (served by a pastor who covers several small parishes in the cluster), it has an active community life. The most visible regular event is a monthly Ladies Prayer Brunch held on a Saturday morning at 10 a.m. — open to all women of the community for brunch, fellowship, and an inspirational message. The parish also hosts community benefit dinners, including fish fries that have raised money for causes such as Haiti earthquake relief.
- Monthly Ladies Prayer Brunch — 10 a.m. Saturday, open to the community
- Benefit fish fries (e.g., Haiti earthquake relief fundraiser, March 2010)
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
The current pastor is Rev. Charles Peirano, who also pastors St. Leo the Great Mission Church in Ava and Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Mansfield (per the diocese's 2025 pastoral assignments). Fr. Peirano was first assigned to the Gainesville-area cluster as Parochial Administrator in the 2024 pastoral assignments, having previously served as Parochial Vicar of Immaculate Conception Parish in Springfield and chaplain at Springfield Catholic High School. He also continues as the diocese's Regional Vocation Promoter. The mission's founder, Monsignor Sylvester W. Bauer, led the community that became St. William while running a multi-county team ministry based out of West Plains.
- Rev. Charles Peirano — current Pastor (appointed 2025)
- Previously Parochial Administrator (2024)
- Also pastors St. Leo the Great, Ava, and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mansfield
- Rev. Msgr. Sylvester W. Bauer — founding pastor and designer of the church
Diocese & Wider Church
St. William Mission Church is one of 16 missions in the Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau, which covers all 39 counties of southern Missouri — more than 25,000 square miles — and serves over 66,000 Catholics through 2 cathedrals, 66 parishes, 16 missions, and 5 chapels. The diocese's two cathedrals are the Cathedral of St. Agnes in Springfield and St. Mary of the Annunciation Cathedral in Cape Girardeau. St. William sits in one of the diocese's seven deaneries and is part of a regional parish cluster served by Rev. Peirano.
- Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau
- One of 16 missions in the diocese
- Pastored as part of a multi-parish cluster
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Msgr. Sylvester W. BauerLate 1970s / early 1980s – (founding pastor, served from West Plains team ministry)
Founder of St. William Mission Church. Headed a team ministry serving four counties out of West Plains. Personally designed the stone church and oversaw its construction, including the altar carved from a large fallen tree. Expected ~35 at first Mass; more than 100 attended.
- Rev. Charles Peirano2024 – present
Appointed Parochial Administrator of St. William Mission Church (along with St. Leo the Great Mission in Ava, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Mansfield, St. Michael Mission in Cabool, and Sacred Heart Parish in Mountain Grove) in the 2024 pastoral assignments; in the 2025 assignments he was named Pastor of St. Leo the Great, St. William, and Immaculate Heart of Mary. Also serves as the diocese's Regional Vocation Promoter.