From a Cemetery Chapel to a Parish on Rhodes Avenue
Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church stands at 5020 Rhodes Avenue in South St. Louis, where an active Catholic parish has served its neighborhood since 1907. The parish is known for more than a century of liturgical worship, the sacraments, parish education and an unusually deep tradition of lay service. Its ministries reach children, young people, adults, families, Scouts, people who are ill and families supporting mourners.
Archbishop John J. Glennon established the parish in 1907 as St. Louis families were beginning to settle farther from the city center. The area was marked especially by cemeteries, which gave Our Lady of Sorrows its name. The new parish began with 77 families, and Father Bernard S.A. Stolte led its first efforts. Mass was celebrated for the first time on October 20, 1907, in the chapel of Sts. Peter and Paul Cemetery on Gravois because no parish buildings existed yet. That first Mass continued there until 1911.
OLS grew quickly. The original boundaries were broad enough that six later parishes were formed from them: St. John the Baptist in 1914, St. George in 1915, St. Mary Magdalen in 1919, St. Gabriel in 1934, St. Raphael in 1950 and Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1956. In 1909, the parish acquired slightly more than three acres at Kingshighway and Rhodes. A combination building then accommodated a basement hall, a first-floor rectory and classrooms, and a church upstairs. By September 4, 1911, 250 children were enrolled in the school. The first graduation class followed on June 23, 1912, with four girls and one boy. The church cornerstone was blessed on May 17, 1927, and the church was completed in February 1928.
The parish's growth is visible in its membership. It counted 1,000 families in 1929; by 1933, it had 1,130 families and a school enrollment of 820 students. Father Stolte marked 50 years in the priesthood in 1946 and remained pastor until his death on November 29, 1953. Successive pastors continued the work of caring for the church and school, improving buildings and adding facilities as the surrounding neighborhood changed.
Education has been a defining thread. The parish school opened September 8, 1908, in a double flat at 6838 Gravois that also served as the parish residence and meeting place. Fifty-one children in grades one through five came from 20 schools, with more than half a dozen nationalities represented and two School Sisters of Notre Dame teaching them. The school moved with the growing parish and eventually occupied a building at Kingshighway and Rhodes. In 2005, OLS and neighboring St. Mary Magdalen schools were consolidated under the name St. Katharine Drexel. The OLS name returned in 2011, but the school closed in 2017 as enrollment declined. The parish then joined the Archdiocese of St. Louis and St. Joan of Arc in creating South City Catholic Academy, which serves as its parish school in the former St. Joan of Arc building.
Mass at 7:00 a.m. and Sunday Mass at 7:00 and 11:00
All listed Masses are in English.
- Saturday: 4:30 p.m.
- Sunday: 7:00 and 11:00 a.m.
- Monday through Friday: 7:00 a.m.
Confession is offered from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Saturday. On the first Friday of each month, Eucharistic Adoration runs from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A Healing Mass for people who are ill, especially cancer patients, is celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on the first Saturday of each month, and all are welcome.
The 11:00 a.m. Sunday Mass and weekday Masses are livestreamed through the parish's YouTube channel. The church also provides live streaming for weddings.
Worship at OLS is notably participatory. Greeters describe their work as a welcoming presence of Jesus and regard the greeting as the beginning of the liturgy. Eucharistic ministers, lectors, ushers, greeters and servers all serve in the parish's sacramental life, with schedules renewed quarterly. The Liturgy Committee plans and evaluates the parish's worship and spiritual programs so that the congregation can grow in relationship with Jesus and one another.
Children, Youth and Adults Learning to Follow Christ
Children ages three through fourth grade gather with catechists for their own age-specific Liturgy of the Word. After the opening prayer, they leave the main worship for a faith-formation room above the sacristy, then return to their families following the homily. The parish also maintains a School of Religion registration process for families.
Youth Ministry says its mission is to guide young people to love Jesus and serve him in the parish and the world. Its stated goals include empowering young people as disciples, drawing them into responsible participation in the Catholic faith community, and fostering personal and spiritual growth through community life, justice and service, catechesis, prayer, worship and leadership. The youth group meets one or two Sunday evenings from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., with frequency adjusted to participants' availability. Meetings include food, games and social events. One example is a game night with residents of the DuBourg House, a residential group home for senior citizens.
Adult Faith Formation sponsors prayer groups, fall and Lenten study groups, retreats, Bible studies, Marriage Encounter and access to divorce and bereavement groups. Its RCIA process welcomes people considering Catholic baptism and fuller initiation into the Church. Those baptized in another Christian denomination are prepared for Confirmation and Eucharist when ready. The adult program also creates opportunities for study and retreat for people at different stages of Catholic and family life.
Quilting, Theater, Clubs and Service Teams
The Women's Guild supports the parish socially and financially. Its outreach provides items to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, nursing homes, Project Linus, Our Lady's Inn and the Rosary Society. Two quilting groups meet every Wednesday, one in the morning and one in the evening, in the quilting room above the church. Their quilts are raffled six times a year at the parish picnic, Quilt Social and other gatherings to raise money for OLS. The guild also meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m.
The Men's Club gathers on the second Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Members organize fundraisers, assist with maintenance projects and volunteer at parish events. OLStars brings adults and children together for a June musical that entertains people from across the bi-state area and raises money for the parish. The theater group rehearses as needed before each production and sees the project as a way to build community among parishioners.
Other paths of participation include the Liturgy Committee, Greeter Ministry, Athletics Association, Girl Scouts, and Cub and Boy Scouts. The Youth Ministry also connects with residents of a senior group home. The parish maintains a Social Justice Committee, a St. Vincent de Paul Society and a Love Baskets ministry alongside these formation and service groups.
Baptism Preparation and Weddings on the Long Aisle
For Baptism, the parish teaches that this first of three sacraments makes a person a child of God and an heir of Heaven, beginning a journey of faith and discipleship. The parents of a child to be baptized at OLS are expected to be registered, practicing members. A baptism class on the second Tuesday of each month teaches the signs and symbols of the sacrament and its theology. At least one godparent must be a baptized, confirmed, practicing Catholic, and parents may not sponsor their own child. A non-Catholic Christian may serve as a witness. Nonparishioners with family ties or a genuine pastoral reason may request a baptism with permission from their proper pastor.
OLS presents its church as a wedding venue with a long aisle, preserved artwork, padded pews and tasteful decorations. The organist works with couples to select music, while cantors and other musicians may collaborate. A camera system can provide a live stream of the ceremony, and a wedding coordinator helps keep both preparation and wedding day on schedule.
Couples are asked to plan six months of preparation with a priest. The parish uses a Pre-Marriage Inventory to assess eligibility, a FOCCUS compatibility assessment to support readiness, and Pre-Cana classes covering the spiritual, emotional, financial, relational, child-rearing and everyday dimensions of married life. Catholic couples ordinarily marry in a Nuptial Mass. When a Catholic marries a non-Catholic, the celebration is a liturgy without Mass, and a dispensation from the archbishop is required. Weddings are allowed during Advent, but none are scheduled during Lent.
Healing, Bereavement and Practical Care
The first-Saturday Healing Mass centers people who are ill, especially those living with cancer, and is open to everyone. In the parish's Martha's Ministry, volunteers coordinate food for funeral gatherings, supply paper products, luncheon food and beverages, set up and serve the meal, clean afterward, and package remaining food for the bereaved family. These services are available to parishioners, while nonparishioners holding a funeral at OLS are asked for a donation per reservation.
Parish groups also extend practical care beyond the church building. The Women's Guild provides items to hospitals, nursing homes and several community organizations, while the parish supports the Archdiocese of St. Louis Safe Environment Program. Anyone serving in contact with children must complete the archdiocesan training and registration requirements.
Catholic Life Led by the Parish and Its Priests
The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the Eucharist 'the source and summit of the Christian life.' The OLS Liturgy Committee says this means the other sacraments and the Church's works are oriented toward the Eucharist. The parish teaches that Baptism is the first of three sacraments by which a person becomes Catholic, a child of God and an heir of Heaven, beginning a journey of faith and discipleship.
Rev. Kevin Schmittgens serves as pastor, Deacon Dan Skillman serves as pastoral associate, and Phill Kosta directs music ministry. Their work is supported by parishioners who teach, sing, greet, read, serve at the altar, organize, provide meals and fundraise. From the first cemetery-chapel Mass to the continuing rhythm of 7:00 a.m. weekdays and gathered Sunday worship, Our Lady of Sorrows remains a South St. Louis Catholic parish rooted in worship, sacraments, education, service and the continuing work of its parishioners.