St. Joseph Parish — Advance, MO

History

St. Joseph’s parish roots date back several years before it was formally established as a parish of the Archdiocese of St. Louis in 1905. Fr. Everard Pruente, pastor of St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish in Cape Girardeau, began ministering to Catholics in the Advance community as early as 1885, traveling by horse and buggy.

The first church, a wooden structure, was built and dedicated in 1905. However, it was destroyed by a tornado on April 29, 1909. The church structure was rebuilt and rededicated on May 19, 1910, by Archbishop John J. Glennon of St. Louis who supported and promoted the establishment of parishes in rural areas of the Archdiocese in order to meet the spiritual needs of Catholics in these outlying regions.

A rectory for St. Joseph Parish was constructed in 1918. Prior to this time, the pastors would reside at Glennon. This meant that when “the swamp was up,” there would be no Masses for a month at a time.

Growth in the parish necessitated the building of a new brick church and rectory at the edge of the Advance city limits. The new church was dedicated on March 13, 1991. The new 9,347 square-foot structure includes the church and the parish center as well as classrooms and the parish office. A new rectory was built and completed in the fall of 1992.

Although the buildings and their locations have changed, the parish continues to flourish and grow serving the needs of the Catholic faithful, the community of Advance, and the surrounding area.