Guardian Angel Parish, Oran, MO

History

The tension of not wanting to miss Sunday Mass and the need to travel southwest and west in search of additional farmland was never more evident than in the beginnings of the German Catholic community’s settlement of Oran. As the settlers moved farther and farther from New Hamburg, the horse and buggy journey to the Catholic church took longer and longer. Rainy days and wintry weather made the trip impossible at times.

Beginning in 1892, the pastor in Charleston responded to the people’s pleas and traveled the 20-mile one-way trip from Charleston to Oran on the St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern Railroad once a month to celebrate Mass in the Crenshaw Warehouse.

One year later, a large wooden building was constructed. The church was housed on the second floor, the rectory and two classrooms on the first floor. It was dedicated in 1894. In 1899 and 1900 the Benedictine Sisters of Jonesboro, AR, took charge of Guardian Angel School. From 1901 to 1999 the Sister Adorers of the Precious Blood (Ruma, IL) helped to staff the school. Sr. Mary Bernard Braun, ASC, was involved in parish work until she was reassigned in January 2005.

The present brick building was built in 1917. Constructed in the style of a Romanesque Basilica, it was thought to be the most beautiful church in existence between St. Louis and Memphis. The previous wooden building was converted to a school and used until 1957 when the present school was built.

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