About Sts. Teresa and Bridget · Saint Louis, Missouri
Sts. Teresa and Bridget is a Roman Catholic parish in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood of north St. Louis City, within the Archdiocese of St. Louis. The parish was formed in 2003 by the merger of St. Teresa of Avila (founded in the 1880s) and St. Bridget of Erin, and worship has centered at the historic St. Teresa church building on North Grand Boulevard. In 2023, under the Archdiocese's 'All Things New' pastoral planning initiative, Sts. Teresa and Bridget was merged with Most Holy Trinity and St. Nicholas parishes to create the new St. Josephine Bakhita Parish, which rotates Sunday Mass among the three former church buildings. The parish has long served a predominantly African-American community in north city St. Louis and runs ministries including a St. Vincent de Paul conference, a food pantry, a youth ministry, and neighborhood outreach.
- Established
- 2003
- Patron
- St. Teresa of Avila and St. Bridget of Erin
- Rector
- Reverend Mitchell (Mitch) Doyen (as pastor of the merged St. Josephine Bakhita Parish, effective October 2023); preceded by Reverend Scott Jones (pastor of Sts. Teresa and Bridget through the 2023 merger)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of St. Louis
Why belong here
Sts. Teresa and Bridget offers a deeply rooted African-American Catholic community in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood of north St. Louis, with weekend and weekday Mass celebrated in a beautifully decorated historic sanctuary. The parish (now part of St. Josephine Bakhita) is known for tangible service to its neighbors — a Thursday food pantry, a St. Vincent de Paul conference, the North Grand Neighborhood Services outreach, and a youth ministry — and for its partnership with the Missionaries of Charity. Joining the parish means worshiping in one of St. Louis's architecturally notable turn-of-the-century churches while participating in a community that takes the corporal works of mercy seriously.
Mass times at Sts. Teresa and Bridget
Weekly Mass schedule
History of Sts. Teresa and Bridget
The parish's roots reach back to the 1860s. The first St. Teresa church on the site was built in late 1865 and blessed by Bishop Kenrick on September 23, 1866; the congregation was formally chartered as St. Teresa Roman Catholic Church Association in August 1876. As the parish grew, a far larger sanctuary was constructed in 1900 on the northwest corner of Grand and North Market, and that building — with its 132-by-72-foot nave, five altars, two rows of columns, and tapestry-painted ceiling — remains the parish church today. Snow damaged the ceiling in 1981–82; the tapestries were restored and the church repainted in 1984, with Bishop J. Terry Steib rededicating the building on November 24, 1984. In 2003 St. Teresa of Avila merged with neighboring St. Bridget of Erin to form Sts. Teresa and Bridget. Two decades later, on Pentecost Sunday 2023, pastor Father Scott Jones announced the parish would join Most Holy Trinity and St. Nicholas to create a new merged parish; in October 2023 the new community took the name St. Josephine Bakhita.
- 1865 — first St. Teresa church built on the site
- September 23, 1866 — Bishop Kenrick blesses the first church
- August 1876 — parish incorporated as St. Teresa Roman Catholic Church Association
- 1900 — present sanctuary built at NW corner of Grand & N. Market
- Winter 1981–82 — snow damages the tapestry ceiling
- 1984 — tapestries restored, church repainted; Bishop J. Terry Steib rededicates November 24
- 2003 — St. Teresa of Avila merges with St. Bridget of Erin to form Sts. Teresa and Bridget
- May 28, 2023 (Pentecost) — Father Scott Jones announces merger into a new parish
- October 2023 — merged parish officially named St. Josephine Bakhita
The Sanctuary: Architecture and Interior
The 1900 church that the parish calls home is one of the architecturally richer late-Victorian Catholic sanctuaries in north St. Louis. Two rows of interior columns frame a nave roughly 132 feet long and 72 feet wide, lit from above by a painted and tapestry ceiling that survived significant snow damage in 1981–82 only to be carefully restored in 1984 ahead of Bishop Steib's rededication. The sanctuary contains five altars including a marble-and-mosaic decorated high altar, a mosaic of Christ as Priest, the Altar of St. Joseph, and the Altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
- Five altars (high altar and four others)
- Two rows of interior columns
- Painted tapestry ceiling with biblical scenes (e.g., Cure of the Paralytic; Jesus speaks to the women of Jerusalem)
- Restored in 1984 after snow damage; rededicated by Bishop J. Terry Steib on Nov. 24, 1984
Clergy and Leadership
Through the All Things New process in 2023, Father Scott Jones — who had shepherded Sts. Teresa and Bridget up to the merger — was reassigned as Episcopal Vicar for the Northern Vicariate effective July 1, 2023. Father Mitchell (Mitch) Doyen was named the first pastor of the new St. Josephine Bakhita Parish, with Father Art Cavitt joining as part-time senior associate — the first time the historic Sts. Teresa and Bridget campus had more than one priest serving at once.
- Rev. Scott Jones — pastor of Sts. Teresa and Bridget through the 2023 merger; now Episcopal Vicar for the Northern Vicariate
- Rev. Mitchell (Mitch) Doyen — first pastor of St. Josephine Bakhita Parish (October 2023)
- Rev. Art Cavitt — part-time senior associate, St. Josephine Bakhita Parish
- Reverend Timothy R. Cook — listed as pastor on older directory snapshots
Mass and Sacramental Schedule
Pre-merger Sunday Mass at the Sts. Teresa & Bridget campus was celebrated at 8:30 am and 10:30 am, with a unity Mass at 9:30 am on the Third Sunday of the month (rotating with the other former-parish churches). Weekday Masses were offered Monday and Friday at 8:00 am in the parish rectory, and Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:00 am at the Missionaries of Charity convent on the corner of Cottage & Fall. Holy Day schedules were published in the bulletin.
- Sunday: 8:30 am & 10:30 am (9:30 am Third Sunday for the rotating unity Mass)
- Monday & Friday: 8:00 am at the Sts. Teresa & Bridget rectory (arrive no earlier than 7:50 am; ring the doorbell)
- Tuesday & Wednesday: 7:00 am at the Missionaries of Charity convent, Cottage & Fall
- Holy Days: see the bulletin
Sacraments and Preparation
Parishioners preparing for Baptism, Marriage, Reconciliation, or instruction in the Catholic faith are invited to call the parish office at (314) 371-1190. The parish also visits the sick and homebound at parishioners' request.
- Baptism preparation classes — call the parish office
- Marriage preparation — call the parish office
- Reconciliation preparation / Catholic instruction — call the parish office
- Visitation of the Sick / homebound visits — notify the parish office of any hospitalizations
Outreach and Charity
Sts. Teresa and Bridget has long been a hub of practical charity in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood. Through the merged parish the campus continues to operate a St. Vincent de Paul conference, a Thursday food pantry, the North Grand Neighborhood Services program, and a youth ministry. Weekday Masses are celebrated in partnership with the Missionaries of Charity at their convent on Cottage and Fall, embodying the parish's long relationship with Mother Teresa's sisters.
- St. Vincent de Paul conference (giving.archstl.org lists 'Sts. Teresa & Bridget St. Vincent de Paul')
- North Grand Neighborhood Services outreach
- Food Pantry — Thursdays, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Youth Ministry
- Partnership with the Missionaries of Charity (Cottage & Fall convent)
The 2023 Merger into St. Josephine Bakhita Parish
On Pentecost Sunday, May 28, 2023, as part of the Archdiocese of St. Louis's 'All Things New' pastoral planning initiative (which reduced archdiocesan parishes from 178 to 135), Father Scott Jones announced that Sts. Teresa and Bridget would merge with Most Holy Trinity and St. Nicholas into a single new parish. Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski formally decreed the new name on October 11, 2023 — St. Josephine Bakhita — chosen by parishioners from more than 40 nominations after a transition team of lay representatives from all three former parishes led a discernment process. Father Mitch Doyen was appointed the founding pastor. Sunday Mass continues to be celebrated at all three former churches, with a monthly unity Mass rotating among them, and parish leadership has stressed that no decisions about future use of the church buildings have been made.
- 'All Things New' archdiocesan pastoral plan — parishes reduced from 178 to 135
- May 28, 2023 (Pentecost) — merger announced at Sts. Teresa & Bridget by Father Scott Jones
- October 11, 2023 — Archbishop Rozanski issues decree naming the merged parish St. Josephine Bakhita
- Father Mitch Doyen appointed founding pastor; Father Art Cavitt senior associate
- Sunday Mass rotates among the three former parish churches; monthly unity Mass
Visit, Contact, and Practical Information
The Sts. Teresa & Bridget campus sits in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood of north St. Louis City. The parish office phone is (314) 371-1190, with fax (314) 531-1047. The historic church address is 3636 N. Market St., Saint Louis, MO 63113, while the parish grounds and office are addressed at 2431 N. Grand Blvd. / 2401 Grand Blvd., Saint Louis, MO 63106. Visitors to Tuesday or Wednesday morning Mass should note that those Masses are held offsite at the Missionaries of Charity convent on the corner of Cottage & Fall.
- Phone: (314) 371-1190
- Fax: (314) 531-1047
- Email (legacy listing): [email protected]
- Church address: 3636 N. Market St., St. Louis, MO 63113
- Parish office / grounds: 2431 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63106
- Weekday Masses Tue/Wed offsite at Missionaries of Charity convent, Cottage & Fall
- Successor parish website: https://stbakhitastl.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Scott Jonesthrough 2023
Pastored Sts. Teresa and Bridget up to the All Things New merger; reassigned as Episcopal Vicar for the Northern Vicariate effective July 1, 2023. Announced the merger to parishioners on Pentecost Sunday, May 28, 2023.
- Rev. Timothy R. Cook
Listed as pastor of Sts. Teresa & Bridget on an older directory snapshot.