A 155-Year-Old Parish on North Main Street
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish sits on North Main Street in O'Fallon, Missouri, where the people of the parish have been gathering for Catholic worship since the parish was founded in 1871. Father Nick, the parish pastor, sets the tone for the community with the line: "May you find Christ here ... May you bring Christ to the world." The parish built a new church on the Main Street campus to accommodate its growing congregation, and the original white-stone church, referred to today simply as the Chapel, remains at the historic address on West Third Street and is now used for devotional prayer.
The parish belongs to the Archdiocese of St. Louis and follows the Catholic faith in full communion with the Pope and bishops. Its mission statement commits the community to be "servants of God as exemplified by, and under the protection of, our Mother Mary," and to bring Christ to the community through worship, learning and service. Ministries are organized around four pillars - Worship and Prayer, Formation and Education, Service and Hospitality, and Administration and Stewardship - and the parish council adopted a Pastoral Strategic Plan to direct the next chapter of parish life.
Mass Schedule: Saturday Vigil and Five Sunday Celebrations
Weekend Masses are celebrated in the new Main Street church. The Saturday Vigil is offered at 5:00 p.m., and four additional Sunday Masses are celebrated at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, and 5:30 p.m. The 5:30 p.m. Sunday Mass is the parish's Life Teen Mass, oriented toward high school students but open to all parishioners and visitors; teens traditionally sit together at the front of the church and a Life Night program follows in the parish center.
Daily Mass is offered at 6:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. Monday through Friday, with a single 8:00 a.m. Mass on Saturday. Holy Day Masses follow a different rhythm: the Vigil for the Feast is at 5:30 p.m., and the Feast Day itself is celebrated at 6:30 a.m., 8:00 a.m., and 7:00 p.m. The 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass is livestreamed each week, and a video archive of past Masses and special liturgical events is available online for those who cannot be present.
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Confessions are heard every weekday morning from 7:30 to 8:00 a.m. in the chapel or in the church where Mass is being celebrated, and on Saturdays from 4:00 to 4:45 p.m. in the main church. Additional communal reconciliation services are offered during Lent and Advent, and individual confession can be arranged by appointment with one of the priests. Children make their First Reconciliation in second grade as part of the parish's preparation process.
The Original Chapel and Its Devotions
The original church building on West Third Street - the white-stone Chapel - is now primarily a house of devotion rather than a place for Mass. A 24-hour Prayer Chapel operates inside, accessible through the north side ramp entrance, with an entry code available from the parish office. Votive candles for prayer intentions are available near the Pietà statue in the right rear chamber of the Chapel; a three-dollar donation is suggested for each candle.
Tuesdays are the heart of the Chapel's devotional week. Eucharistic Adoration with the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the monstrance runs from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., ending with Benediction. At 6:15 p.m. the Mother of Perpetual Help Devotion is prayed. The parish follows the requirement that at least two people be present with the exposed Blessed Sacrament at all times, and a sign-up sheet allows parishioners to commit to specific hours.
On Thursdays, the rosary is prayed after Mass. On Fridays during Lent, the Stations of the Cross are prayed communally. Thirty minutes before every Sunday Mass, the rosary is recited in the chapel, giving visitors a quiet place to prepare for liturgy.
The Seven Sacraments at Assumption
The parish celebrates all seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. Parents seeking to baptize an infant begin by contacting Angie Gloriod in the parish office, who walks families through the required preparation. School-aged children who have not been baptized are prepared through the Order of Christian Initiation for Children (OCIC). Adults who wish to be baptized or received into full communion with the Catholic Church enter the parish's OCIA process (formerly known as RCIA).
First Reconciliation is celebrated in second grade, and First Communion follows after a period of preparation, usually sometime after Easter. Confirmation is celebrated in eighth grade, after prayer, study, and service, and takes place at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. Adults preparing for Confirmation celebrate the sacrament at the Easter Vigil. Weddings require contact with the parish office at least six months in advance and are celebrated on most Friday evenings or Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.; the parish music director works directly with couples on liturgical music. Anointing of the Sick is offered communally twice a year, in February and August, and on request before or during hospital stays or in times of serious illness. The parish reaches out to those who are homebound with Communion visits, and to those who grieve with a funeral luncheon hosted in the Parish Center when the deceased is a registered parishioner.
Becoming Catholic: OCIA
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA, formerly RCIA) is the formal process for adults who wish to be received into the Catholic Church, whether they have never been baptized, were baptized in another Christian tradition, or were baptized Catholic without further faith formation. Missy Lowrey, the parish's Christian Initiation Coordinator, leads the process alongside a volunteer team. Inquiry begins each year in late summer with an overview of the Catholic faith, and the formal weekly meetings run on Sunday mornings between the 8:00 a.m. Mass and 10:00 a.m. Free childcare is provided. Catechumens and candidates experience the four traditional stages - pre-catechumenate, catechumenate, purification and enlightenment, and mystagogy - and receive the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil.
What Catholics Believe
The parish explains its faith in the tradition of the universal Catholic Church: one God existing as a Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who created all things and holds them in existence. Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, became incarnate in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is fully God and fully human. The parish teaches that, after dying on the Cross, Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to more than 500 witnesses; the Resurrection is the foundation of the Christian hope that believers will share eternal life with God.
Assumption teaches that the Catholic Church, founded by Christ upon Saint Peter and the Apostles, is the privileged vehicle through which God's grace is communicated, especially through the seven sacraments. The parish expresses devotion to Mary as the greatest of the saints and a most powerful intercessor, acknowledging her Immaculate Conception and her role as Mother of God. There is also a section on the lives of the saints, the communion of the Church on earth and in heaven, and the Church's teaching on heaven, hell, and purgatory, all rooted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Faith Formation for Children: PSR and the Day School
Faith formation at Assumption begins in childhood and continues through every grade. The Parish School of Religion (PSR) meets on Wednesday evenings from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. for students in grades one through eight. Drop-off begins at 6:00 p.m. - at the front doors of the school for grades one through five, and at the parish center for grades six through eight. Pickup follows the same pattern. The PSR year opens with a Family Mass at 6:15 p.m. followed by an open house, and a printed calendar governs the rest of the academic year. Tuition is scaled for one, two, or three or more children, with an additional $25 sacrament fee for second and eighth graders. Director of Religious Education Holly Woytus, with assistant Bess Kleckner, oversees the program, with a dedicated team of catechists and an Adaptive Needs program for students with special learning needs.
Children aged three through second grade who have not made their First Communion are invited to Children's Liturgy of the Word (CLW) at the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass throughout the school year. Liturgists lead the children downstairs after the priest's opening blessing, walk them through a simplified Liturgy of the Word, and return them to the main church in time for the Offertory. A Sunday Preschool program also meets during the 10:00 a.m. Mass for the youngest children of the parish.
Assumption Catholic School is the parish's full-time day school, serving preschool through eighth grade on the same campus. Principal Jamie Burbridge leads a faculty that integrates Catholic identity with a strong academic curriculum; the school is part of the Archdiocese of St. Louis system and coordinates Confirmation preparation with the eighth-grade cohort.
EDGE Middle School and Life Teen High School
EDGE is the parish's middle school youth ministry for sixth, seventh and eighth graders, meeting on Wednesday evenings from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. in the parish center. EDGE is part of PSR for grades six through eight and serves as the Confirmation preparation program for eighth graders. Nick Bone, the parish's Life Teen Youth Minister, coordinates both EDGE and the high school program, providing a continuous faith-formation arc from middle school through graduation.
Life Teen is an Eucharist-centered high school youth ministry centered around the Sunday 5:30 p.m. Mass. Teens gather up front for Mass and then head downstairs for dinner and a Life Night that combines teaching, fellowship, and service. Off-campus retreats - Life Teen Camp Cana and the Steubenville conferences - are offered each summer, and an annual fundraiser helps make the program possible.
Young Adult Ministry
Assumption Young Adults is open to men and women aged 18 to 35 and is led by Logan and Alexandra Jordan. The group meets monthly for worship nights, Bible studies, and social events such as kayaking evenings, pickleball socials, and parish-wide gatherings. The Bible study nights meet in Parish Center Hall A and are designed to welcome everyone from newcomers to seasoned Scripture readers. Ongoing activities and announcements appear on the parish Facebook page, the parish website, and in the weekly bulletin.
MomCo and Parent Formation
MomCo (formerly Mothers of Preschoolers, or MOPS) welcomes mothers from pregnancy through the year their youngest enters first grade. The group meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month from 9:15 to 11:00 a.m. in the Parish Center, with childcare provided on site. Each meeting includes dynamic speakers, mentoring relationships, devotions, creative activities, and time to build friendships with other mothers. MomCo is open to women of any faith background or none.
Vacation Bible School and Summer Camps
During the summer, Assumption runs a full lineup of camps and Vacation Bible School on the campus of the day school. Nineteen camps are offered in a typical year for children entering preschool through eighth grade, led by certified teachers and organized into morning, afternoon, and all-day sessions. The Vacation Bible School program brings God's word to children through age-appropriate music, crafts, and activities; registration opens in February and closes in May.
Renovating the Historic Chapel: The Chapel Endowment Fund
Because the white-stone Chapel on Third Street is more than a century old, an anonymous donor established the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel Endowment Fund through the Roman Catholic Foundation of Eastern Missouri. The fund underwrites ongoing maintenance - carpet repairs, repainting from past leaking, and replacement of light fixtures - and provides for future renovation. Gifts may be made in cash, by stock transfer, or through IRA distributions, and ongoing credit card gifts can be made online through the Foundation. Planned giving to the chapel endowment can be arranged through the parish's Planned Giving Partner, Michael Weisbrod.
Funerals, the Cemetery and the Columbarium
The parish cemetery is fully sold out, but a columbarium in the upper cemetery provides niches sized 10.5 by 10.5 by 10.5 inches and holds two urns each. Burial of cremated remains in an existing full plot is permitted. All interments require a concrete vault, and additional fees apply to weekend or after-hours interments. The parish pledges that no family will be denied a Funeral or Memorial Mass for inability to pay; a funeral luncheon in the Parish Center - catered meats, cheeses, breads, chips and sheet cakes prepared by parish volunteers - is offered at eleven dollars per person when the deceased is a registered parishioner.
Stewardship Pillars and Ministry Directory
Parish ministries are organized around four stewardship pillars named for saints depicted in the church building: Saint Francis as the Pillar of Prayer, Saint Vincent de Paul as the Pillar of Service, the Holy Family as the Pillar of Hospitality, and Saint Monica as the Pillar of Formation. The full Membership and Ministry Directory, updated each year, lists every ministry and contact - from lectors and ushers to the Knights of Columbus council, the parish quilters, and the Assumption Prayer Warriors who lift up daily prayer requests. Parish ministries include Coffee and Donuts hospitality, the bereavement ministry that visits families after funerals, the Care and Share group for widows and widowers, divorce support, small church communities, and a grief support series that meets twice a year.
The parish also maintains an active Catholics Returning Home ministry for those who have been away from the practice of the faith, coordinated by Steve and Dee King. Individual meetings in Sophia House on the parish grounds provide a non-judgmental space to ask questions and to talk through the process of reconnecting with the Church. Bible study, the Small Church Communities, the RENEWAL Weekend retreat (formerly known as Christ Renews His Parish), and the Christ Renews His Parish retreat for men and women all serve ongoing adult formation.
Help in Times of Need
The parish serves as a first point of contact for parishioners in many kinds of need, including home repairs, meals after surgery or the loss of a loved one, addiction, financial hardship, housing concerns, pregnancy resources, and family or relationship difficulties. Saint Louis Counseling is available by referral, and Catholic Family Services helps connect parishioners with counseling, psychiatry, family life education, parenting classes, and translation. The local Saint Vincent de Paul Society operates a message hotline for direct assistance, and the parish helps with school tuition assistance through the business office. Communion visits to the homebound and visits to those in nursing homes are arranged through the parish office, and a golf cart shuttles parishioners from parking lot C to the church at every weekend Mass for those who find the walk difficult.
Live Streaming, Bulletins and Online Giving
The Sunday 10:00 a.m. Mass is livestreamed on YouTube, with a video archive that goes back years. The parish bulletin is published weekly; submissions are due by 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday. Online giving is available through Pushpay, either by clicking the online giving link or by texting BVM to 833-831-0468. Pushpay accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Apple Pay, and ACH bank gifts. Matching gift programs with local employers can also be used to double the impact of a contribution.
Protecting God's Children
All parish volunteers who work with minors or vulnerable adults are required to complete Protecting God's Children training through the Archdiocese of St. Louis's Prevent and Protect program before serving in any youth or vulnerable-adult ministry. The parish Child Safety Coordinator, Lynn Crews, manages compliance, and reports of suspected abuse can be made to the parish, to the Office of Child and Youth Protection, or to the Missouri Department of Social Services Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline.
Pastoral Staff and Day-to-Day Operations
The pastoral team is led by Father Nicholas Kastenholz, pastor, with Monsignor Dennis Stehly as senior associate pastor and Father Brad Modde as associate. Deacons Fred Volansky and Richard Tadlock assist at Masses, weddings, baptisms, and funerals. Nancy Gomer directs communications and marketing, Elizabeth Smith directs music ministry, Nick Bone coordinates the Life Teen and EDGE youth ministries, Holly Woytus directs religious education, and Denise Hoehne coordinates the Sunday Preschool. The parish offices are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The parish office is on North Main Street, visible from the road in the building between the Chapel and the main church. The Day School office is reached at 636-240-4474, and the PSR office at 636-240-1020.
A Parish Rooted in a Catholic Town
From its first generations of Catholic settlers through the sesquicentennial in 2021 and on into a new century of parish life, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish remains a working Catholic parish in the heart of O'Fallon, with Masses throughout the week, Adoration in the old Chapel, an active day school, programs for every age from preschool through young adulthood, and a deep devotion to Mary, the patroness of the parish and the model of every disciple.