First Recorded Jefferson County Mass:
1866 - Home of Judge Thomas S. Casey
Celebrated by Rev. Blasius Winterhalter
1314 Main St.
Now: Hughey Funeral Home
[Masses continued in the Casey home until 1880, when a church was finally built on Lots 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Zadok Casey's Second Addition, where the 1921 church, until recently stood.]
First Mass in newly constructed wood frame church:
December 5, 1880
Celebrated by Rev. Henry Becker
[Even though dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, it was named St. Philip Neri. To date, no notation has been found as to officially when and why.]
Dedication of 1921 Church:
May 30, 1922 by Rt. Rev. Henry Althoff, D.D.
[Church name was returned to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.]
Dedication of 2012 Church:
January 13, 2013 by Bishop Edward K. Braxton
In the 1860s, there was a small number of Catholic families in Mt.Vernon. The prominent Judge Thomas S. Casey resided at 1314 Main Street, the house that has since become Hughey Funeral Home. His wife, Matilda, along with a few other families, arranged to have a priest visit Mt.Vernon for occasional Masses.
The first recorded Mass, in 1866, was celebrated by the Rev. Blasius Winterhalter at the Casey home.
In 1872, Bishop Baltes, and vice-general Jansen, together with M. Wood, were appointed trustees of "St. Philip Neri's Roman Catholic Church at Mount Vernon."
Masses continued in the Casey home until 1880, when a church was finally built on Lots 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Zadok Casey's Second Addition, where the 1921 church, until recently stood.
The first choice of building materials had been brick, but that proved too expensive for the meager coffers of the young parish. The resulting wood frame church, completed at the cost of $2,000, had a seating capacity of 60 people. Although dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the church was given the name St. Philip Neri. The first Mass in the new church was celebrated on December 5, 1880, by Rev. Henry Becker. The church had an organ and a choir loft, but without a priest assigned to Mt.Vernon, the little parish had a rough start.
During 1883, St. Philip Neri Church became a mission, and Mass and the sacraments were only offered once a month. Soon, however, Fr. Henry Hagen was assigned as the pastor and he breathed new life into the small church. For 38 years, Mt.Vernon's Catholic community grew, but the walls of the little church would not stretch. In 1921, the little frame church was picked up and moved north to make way for a bigger, sturdier building.The small church, in its new location, was still used for Sunday Mass until May 30, 1922, when the new $30,000 brick structure, with a seating capacity of 230, was dedicated as the Immaculate Conception of Mary Church.
Since that time, the church has been known as St. Mary Church or Immaculate Conception Parish. For another seven years, the original wood frame church served as a parish hall, until September 25, 1929, when it was dismantled and the lumber was sold for $140. At that time, a concrete floor was poured in the excavated area beneath the new church and the finished basement became the new parish hall.
The congregation of St. Mary Church continued to grow and there was an air of excitement as each update brought the church further into the future. Perhaps, though, there was no single day as charged with electricity as July 23, 1939, when Sunday Mass was energized with a bolt of lightning that struck the bell tower. The current traveled from the bell to the tolling wire, into the church, passing in front of the altar. There was little damage, but a great deal of excitement.
The Catholic community continued to grow along with Mt.Vernon, and by the 1980's, the capacity of the 1921 church was often exceeded during Holy Week and Advent services. 600 families squeezed into the building which seated only 230 worshippers.
A committee was created in the late '90's to explore renovation and expansion, or construction of a new facility near the church and school. In 2007, a fund raising campaign began for construction of a new church with seating capacity of 600 to be built on the west side of the current facilities, and a groundbreaking ceremony took place on December 19, 2011.
A celebration and dedication Mass was held on January 13, 2013, where the new church was blessed by Bishop Edward Braxton.