A Parish Built Around Daily Mass
Holy Redeemer Catholic Parish sits in the heart of Webster Groves, a tree-lined suburb of parish schools and single-family homes just outside St. Louis. The bell rings at 6:15 in the morning every weekday of the year; Father Freddy Devaraj walks to the altar and celebrates a quiet Mass for whoever can make it before work. From September through May, a second weekday Mass is added at 8:15 a.m. for those whose mornings start later, including school families and visitors to the parish. On Saturdays, the church keeps one Vigil Mass at 5:00 p.m.; on Sundays, three Masses are celebrated at 7:30, 9:00, and 11:00 a.m. The 9:00 Sunday Mass is the parish's largest and is livestreamed each week on YouTube for those at home, in the hospital, or out of town.
Father Freddy Devaraj came to Holy Redeemer as pastor and shares regular reflections on parish life. The deacon who assists at the altar and at parish liturgies is Deacon Patrick Waldschmidt. Together with parish secretary Laurie Medley, bookkeeper Carol Herber, music director Lisa Williams, director of faith formation Susanne Doran, director of youth ministry Molly Berra, school principal Linda Pahl, and school secretary Mary Ann Gaffney, they form the pastoral and administrative staff of the parish. The parish office is open 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the front door of the rectory at 17 Joy Avenue is open during those hours for anyone who wants to talk.
The Seven Sacraments at Holy Redeemer
Holy Redeemer celebrates all seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. Baptisms are scheduled through the rectory, with parents required to register and to attend a baptismal class unless they have already participated in one. Children preparing for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist make those sacraments in second grade, after a full year of preparation in PSR; older children preparing for Confirmation typically spend seventh and eighth grade in formation and receive the sacrament in eighth grade. Couples seeking Matrimony begin with the parish office for marriage preparation. Anointing of the Sick is offered to those facing serious illness or surgery.
The Catechumenate is also a sacramental pathway at Holy Redeemer. Adults who have never been baptized, adults baptized in another Christian tradition, and Catholics who were baptized but never fully initiated enter the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults, a process of inquiry, formal formation, reception of the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil, and Mystagogy during the Easter season.
Reconciliation, Twenty-One Hours of Adoration, and Children's Liturgy
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered every Saturday from 4:00 to 4:45 p.m. in the church, immediately before the Vigil Mass. The pastor and deacon are also available by appointment; additional communal penance services take place during Advent and Lent.
Beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning and running continuously until 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, the church hosts a twenty-one-hour block of Eucharistic Adoration. Parishioners commit to specific hours to keep watch over the Blessed Sacrament through the night; Ann Wollaeger coordinates the schedule and welcomes those who would like to claim a regular hour. The block ends in time for those attending the Wednesday 6:15 a.m. Mass to step from the chapel into the church.
During the school year, Children's Liturgy of the Word is offered at the Sunday 9:00 a.m. Mass. Volunteer catechists walk with children from preschool through first grade to a meeting room, where they hear the gospel proclaimed from the Lectionary for Masses with Children, discuss the reading in a setting suited to their age, and return to their families after the General Intercessions. Laura Welch coordinates catechists and substitutions.
A Parish School Marking 125 Years
Holy Redeemer Catholic School traces its roots to 1886, the same year the parish itself was founded. Forty-five Webster Groves families had petitioned Archbishop Kenrick to form a new parish, and a wooden church was the first building, followed in 1897 by a stone church at the corner of Lockwood and Joy Avenues. In the fall of 1901, the pastor and parishioners erected a classroom at the back of the former church, and the Sisters of Loretto began teaching eight grades. By 1907 the school had sixty-six students across those eight grades; in 1909 the Sisters of Loretto withdrew, and the Dominican Sisters of Sparkhill, New York answered the next pastor's call to staff the new schoolhouse that opened in 1910.
By 1951 enrollment had reached 641 pupils; the founding of Annunciation Parish a year later reduced that number, but Holy Redeemer remained a critical parish school for the area. A 1960 addition added four classrooms and a gymnasium; a peak enrollment of 964 was reached in 1961. By 1970 lay teachers outnumbered religious sisters on the faculty for the first time. In the 1980s, Msgr. Robert Kaletta encouraged the establishment of a parish school board in keeping with the U.S. bishops' pastoral letter "To Teach As Jesus Did," and the first lay principal was hired. A comprehensive curriculum guide was completed during the nineties; in 2001-02 the school celebrated 100 years of academic excellence; a new construction and renovation project was begun in 2005 and completed in 2006.
For the 2026-27 school year, Holy Redeemer Catholic School is marking 125 years of Catholic education with a year-long celebration that includes a community-wide anniversary weekend in late September, a Hawk 5K Run/Walk, and an anniversary spirit store. Proceeds from donations, sponsorships, and merchandise support academic and technology upgrades, teacher development, and capital improvements across the campus.
What Students Learn at Holy Redeemer
Holy Redeemer Catholic School today educates children from preschool (age 3) through eighth grade on the parish campus at 341 East Lockwood Avenue. The school is co-educational and admits students of every religious belief, race, and ethnic origin. Preschool options include three half days, four half days, three full days, four full days, and five full days; full-day Kindergarten completes the early years. From first grade on, students study a rigorous Catholic liberal-arts curriculum that includes religion, language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies, with art, library, technology, music (including a new band program), Spanish, and physical education offered PS-8. A school counselor is on campus two days a week, a learning consultant supports each grade-level team, an interventionist coordinates NWEA testing, and a registered school nurse provides daily health services.
Principal Linda Pahl joined Holy Redeemer in 2023 with more than forty years in Catholic education - sixteen years as a classroom teacher and twenty-six years as a school administrator across five schools. She earned her Master's in Educational Administration and her Specialist Degree in Superintendency from Southwest Baptist University, completed her undergraduate work at Southeast Missouri State University, and writes in her welcome that the school "instills the virtues of Jesus Christ and achieves academic excellence through innovative instructional methods." Tuition for 2026-27 is $7,645 plus $200 in fees for a single K-8 student, with a $100 registration fee, decreasing per child for larger families; preschool and Pre-Kindergarten tuition is paid over nine months. Active parishioners receive priority registration.
An online payment hub handles milk money, assignment books, science lab fees, sacramental retreats, PTO fees, supplies, and pizza and Chick-fil-A Mondays lunch fundraisers. Aftercare and a morning-care program serve families whose schedules begin before school drop-off and end after school dismissal.
Parish School of Religion for Public-School Students
Children who attend public school or are home-schooled receive religious education through the Parish School of Religion, which meets Monday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., September through May, on the parish campus. Tuition for one child is $265, two children $485, and three or more $695; a $50 deposit secures the registration for families paying over time, and Director Susanne Doran works with families on payment plans.
PSR is structured as an eight-year process, with each year building on the last. First grade lays the foundation by introducing basic Catholic prayers and concepts. Second grade celebrates First Reconciliation in the fall and First Eucharist in the spring; families are asked to commit to weekly Mass attendance and at-home practice during this year. Grades three through six deepen moral formation, scripture knowledge, and the Catholic tradition. Seventh grade is the required year of Confirmation preparation; eighth grade culminates in the sacrament itself, where young disciples commit themselves to a life of faith, service, and ongoing parish involvement. The RCL Benziger "Blest Are We" series drives the K-6 years; the LIFE TEEN "Purpose" program guides the seventh- and eighth-grade Confirmation year.
EDGE, Lifeteen, and the Luke 18 Retreat
Middle-school and high-school youth ministry run hand in hand at Holy Redeemer. The year kicks off each winter with the Luke 18 Retreat for seventh and eighth graders, held over a long weekend on the parish campus with all meals shared in the parish meeting room. The retreat's high-energy games, skits, music, and small-group talks are led by older teens and supported by adult CORE team members, all drawn from the parish. "Luke 18" takes its name from the gospel passage in which Jesus tells the disciples to let the children come to him; the retreat gives middle-schoolers a chance to encounter Christ in a Catholic setting and to bring that experience home. The fee is modest and may be waived or reduced for any family for whom it would be a barrier.
After Luke 18, eighth graders join EDGE, the junior-high youth ministry that meets on Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the parish cafeteria. EDGE nights feature games, talks, and small-group time designed for middle-schoolers in the parish. The high-school program, Lifeteen, meets most Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the church meeting room and welcomes freshmen through seniors. Special events dot the calendar: Steubenville youth conferences for older teens, EDGE Summer Camp for middle-schoolers, and parish fundraisers. The Director of Youth Ministry, Molly Berra, coordinates the program and welcomes adult volunteers for CORE team leadership.
Music Ministry: Choir, Handbells, Cantors, and More
The Music Ministry at Holy Redeemer is led by Music Director Lisa Williams and includes the Parish Choir, a handbell choir, cantors, instrumentalists, and a substitute list of keyboardists for weddings and funerals. The Parish Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings at 7:15 and sings every other weekend, typically at the Sunday 9:00 a.m. Mass, from September through Pentecost. The repertoire is unusually broad for a parish choir, spanning Gregorian chant, Renaissance and classical motets, hymnody, and folk and modern liturgical music developed since the Second Vatican Council. Membership is open to anyone in the parish high school age or older; music-reading ability is helpful but not required.
Cantors proclaim the Responsorial Psalm at every Mass and lead the assembly in sung parts of the liturgy such as the Gloria, Sanctus, and Memorial Acclamation. They audition with the Music Director and typically also sing in the Parish Choir or another ensemble. Handbell ringers rehearse on Thursdays at 6:15 p.m. and perform several times each year on special feast days with the parish's three-octave set of Schulmerich handbells. Instrumentalists - guitarists, string and wind players, and others - are engaged throughout the year to add variety to the choir's offerings or to lead smaller ensembles for feast days. Keyboardists from around the area are kept on a substitute list for wedding and funeral Masses; the Music Director serves as the principal keyboardist for Sunday liturgies.
Catholic Women's League
The Catholic Women's League of Holy Redeemer is one of the longest-running women's parish organizations in the area. CWL is open to all women of the parish and is led by a board that meets quarterly from August through May to plan activities and to allocate the funds raised during the year. Communications coordinator Megan Pardeck oversees announcements and newsletters; president Jen Nixon, treasurer Annette Gresick, recording secretary Maria Savage, and corresponding secretary Ann DeBerge round out the leadership. Money raised by the CWL's social and fundraising efforts is granted each May to parish programs and to outreach in the wider community.
Several CWL traditions return year after year. The Parish Progressive Dinner, held in late January, invites parishioners to travel from one home to the next for cocktails, dinner, and dessert with friends old and new. The Lenten Fish Fry serves fried cod and smoked salmon to parishioners and visitors. Marthas & Marys provides the main course at luncheons following parish funerals; the Honor Guard lights a candlelight corridor at the funeral Mass of any woman of the parish. During Lent, the CWL hosts a one-day Church Cleaning to prepare the building for Easter. Altar Care volunteers tend the sacristy and sanctuary week by week.
The CWL extends service beyond the parish walls. The St. Patrick's Center Casserole Program provides a monthly pan of spaghetti and meat sauce to men and women served by St. Patrick's Center in St. Louis. The St. Gianna Ministry walks alongside expectant and new mothers with prayer, encouragement, and small gifts from a baby's conception through infant Baptism, with compassionate outreach to those suffering pregnancy or infant loss. The Wear & Give Chapter gathers monthly to make Miraculous Medal prayer bracelets to spread devotion to Mary.
Holy Name Society Men's Club
Holy Redeemer's Holy Name Society is one of the largest and most active men's clubs in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Open to all adult men of the parish, the club has no annual dues and meets on the fourth Thursday of most months at 8:30 p.m. at venues around Webster Groves. Forty or more men typically attend, fostering fellowship among parishioners and coordinating a calendar of fundraisers that have funded the parish playground, garden areas, property fences, the Haiti mission, Ability Awareness, Birthright Rose Sales, and scholarships to parish students in recent years. Three signature events - the Christmas Tree Lot, the Annual Golf Tournament, and the Annual Trivia Night - anchor the fundraising calendar; the Parish Picnic, Patio Party, and Cards Game bring fellowship to the front.
Becoming Catholic Through OCIA
Adults who want to explore the Catholic faith or join the Church enter the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults. The Pre-Catechumenate is a period of open inquiry during which inquirers ask questions about the Catholic Church. The Catechumenate is a longer period of formation during which catechumens (the unbaptized) and candidates (the already-baptized in another tradition, or baptized Catholics seeking full Communion) study Catholic doctrine, scripture, sacraments, customs, and symbols alongside a sponsor from the parish. The Easter Vigil brings them into full Communion through the Sacraments of Initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist for the unbaptized, or Confirmation and Eucharist for the already-baptized. Mystagogy during the Easter season invites the newly initiated to share their stories and find their place in the parish's ministries.
For parishioners already Catholic, Small Church Communities gather eight to twelve members on a regular basis to reflect on scripture and to support one another in faith and life. ACTS retreats - three-day Catholic lay retreats led by fellow parishioners and offered separately for men and women - are organized around the four pillars of Adoration, Community, Theology, and Service.
Holy Redeemer Athletic Association
The Holy Redeemer Athletic Association - HRAA - is an all-volunteer parish athletics program that fields teams in the Catholic Youth Council for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. Fall brings soccer and volleyball; winter brings basketball; spring brings baseball, softball, track, and golf; chess lessons run in fall and winter sessions with coaches from the Saint Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center. The HRAA's mission statement emphasizes lifelong physical activity that builds a healthy spirit, mind, and body. The board meets the first Thursday of each month at venues around Webster Groves, and parents are welcome to attend.
In fifth grade and above, the South Central CYC classification system groups teams by ability, with parents voting each year on whether to form teams competitively or balanced. All children are guaranteed a spot on a roster regardless of the vote. Coaches complete the Archdiocese of St. Louis background check, Protecting God's Children workshop, and Code of Ethical Conduct before working with players.
Stewardship and Holy Redeemer United
The Stewardship and Development Commission at Holy Redeemer welcomes parishioners to share their time, talent, and treasure in service of the parish's mission. The Annual Catholic Appeal supports the work of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, including the seminary, Regina Cleri, Special Education, archdiocesan high schools, and the Newman Center. Electronic giving is available online through the parish's giving portal, and pew cards with QR codes help visitors and members set up recurring gifts.
"Holy Redeemer United: Growing & Giving Together" is the parish's ongoing financial initiative. Registered households have grown by nearly twenty-five percent over the past decade; the school's enrollment is at capacity; the PSR is well-attended; and the CYC athletic community thrives. To sustain that growth, the parish encourages active parishioners to initiate or increase their giving. A generous endowment from the late Marcia Carrigan continues to underwrite strategic parish priorities for decades to come.
Safe Environment and Child Protection
Every adult who ministers to minors or vulnerable adults at Holy Redeemer - clergy, employees, and volunteers - registers with the Archdiocese of St. Louis's Prevent and Protect STL system, completes an updated background screening, attends a Protecting God's Children workshop, completes online training modules on abuse reporting and the Code of Ethical Conduct, and agrees to the updated Code. The parish Safe Environment Coordinator is Laurie Medley. Reports of suspected abuse by clergy or parish personnel can be directed to Father Freddy Devaraj at the parish office or to Sandra Price, Executive Director of the Archdiocesan Office of Child and Youth Protection. Missouri's Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline (1-800-392-3738) and Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline (1-800-392-0210) are available around the clock.