Sacred Heart Parish, Willow Springs, MO

History

Once a mission of St. Joseph’s in White Church when White Church was the “headquarters” for priests assigned to the area ministering according to the Missionary Apostolate Plan of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, St. Joseph is now a mission church of Sacred Heart in Willow Springs.

There has been a Catholic community in Willow Springs since the 1890s. The land for the first church was purchased in 1893, and the building was constructed the next year. But on May 3, 1915, a raging fire destroyed a number of buildings in Willow Springs, including Sacred Heart church.

A fundraising effort to replace the building began with the donation of a pig by Maude Hall. After $700 was raised, a large plot of land was purchased and the new church was built with the help of parishioners who contributed their talents.

In 1931 the new church was set ablaze when sparks from a trash fire blew onto the shingles. A large hole was burned in the roof, right above the altar. Fortunately, the Willow Springs Volunteer Fire Department was able to stop the fire before it could destroy the entire building.

In 1930, under direction of Fr. Stumpf, the church was remodeled, and a sacristy and sanctuary were added. Two years later, the first choir was formed and an organ was purchased in 1948.

The parish received its first resident priest in 1955 and dedicated a new church building in 1957. The current Catholic population of Willow Springs is more than 100 families served by a pastor who is a member of a religious community of men known as the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

Parish related