History of St. Cecilia Catholic Church
[from the book Souvenir of Silver Jubilee 1908-1933]
Memories of St. Cecilia’s Parish
It was in the month of May, 1906, that His Excellency, the Most Rev. Archbishop John J.
Glennon, called the Rev. B. J. Benten to form a new parish in that territory of the extreme part of
South St. Louis lying between the Parish of Ss. Mary and Joseph and the Parish of St. Anthony.
Father Benten at that time was stationed in one of the rural parishes, St. Paul’s in the town of St.
Paul, St. Charles County, Mo. Spring is a propitious time in which to plan and plant, for the
spring is full of hope, and hope is productive of success. Hope meets the dismal shadows of
despair and laughs, for hope is not afraid.
Father benten started his work almost immediately. He came down to look over the
territory allotted him and was immediately filled with ambition. His territory was good to look
upon. It would develop. At the time a few houses were here and there, and yet more farms; men,
not so many, mostly truck gardeners who plowed the earth to eat their bread, but these men of
the soil were happy and contented people, for the earth was kind and not grudging and miserly
with her gifts; the people were religious and pious and anxious for a new church. They had not
spent all their lives with their faces to the earth, but often had visualized the sun in her noonday
glory and had seen the glory of God in the multitude of twinkling stars. Their hearts desired a
palace for the newborn King.
On June 3, 1906, a first meeting was held in the home of Mr. Theodore Sandmann. The
secretary of this meeting was Mr. Anthony Winzen, who was called away before the next
meeting was held. His desire to see the new parish formed was not to be realized. The decree of
heaven had another plan and another place in store for him. (R.I.P.) This first meeting was
attended by Father Timothy Magnien, O.F.M., pastor of St. Anthony’s Church, and his words on
that occasion were sufficient to dispel from the mind of the new pastor and his new flock any
thoughts of discouragement; his words were sufficient to stir the people and to arouse them to
make sacrifices, large and continued, for the new parish, that it might grow and develop.
On July 15, 1906, the second meeting took place in St. Anthony’s Hall. At this meeting
were present Father Timothy, O.F.M., and Father Vincent, O.F.M., of St. Anthony’s Parish. And
their presence and words were an incentive to the new parishioners and pastor to carry on. Youth
is ambitious, but it always needs encouragement because of the lack of experience. At this
meeting, about eight families reported. This number of families was not excessive, for when a
parish is in the first year of its history it needs a great deal of assistance in order that the burden
may be distributed in such a manner that no member is burdened too much. At this meeting, the
following committee was appointed: Louis Schaninger, Theo. Sandmann, Louis Dierker and J.F.
Munari. Their work was to make an inspection of the territory in order to find a suitable location
for the new church. Location in church building is very important: one has to be a prophet or the
son of one and look into the future to provide for that time.
On August 5, 1906, a meeting of the Consultors of the Diocese of St. Louis was called by
His Excellency, the Archbishop. The meeting took place at the archiepiscopal residence, and on
this occasion His Excellency announced the foundation of the new parish in South St. Louis. The
boundaries of the new parish also were announced. The parish was bounded by Itaska Street,
later extended to Osceola Street, to the north, Gravois Avenue to the west, Kansas Street to the
south, and the river to the east. Territorially the parish at that time was very extensive but not
many people inhabited these parts.
On September 3, 1906, regular Sunday service was inaugurated. Two Masses were said
in the Chapel of St. Joseph’s Orphan Home, the first Mass at 6 and the second at 9 o’clock. On
the first Sunday, three faithful souls received Holy Communion, which number gradually
increased, until today St. Cecilia’s communicants number hundreds every Sunday, sometimes
even thousands. And this was to be the regular Sunday order until the parish had a building of its
own in which to hold services. The good Sisters of St. Joseph were kind enough to extend this
courtesy and to help in every possible way, for which everlasting gratitude is due them. This help
fave Father Benten an opportunity to minister to the spiritual needs of his parishioners.
On the evening of this memorable day a meeting was held in the Orphan Home, Mr.
Sandmann presided, the secretary was Louis Schwaninger. On this occasion a goodly number of
parishioners were present, an encouraging sign for Father Benten; their presence was a tonic to
his spirits, it exhilarated him and buoyed him up, he was anxious to carry on. This meeting was
attended by a very close friend and adviser of the pastor, Monsignor O.J.S. Hoog, V.G., who has
since passed to his eternal reward. Monsignor Hoog was a kindly man who made friends with
people easily, for he knew their ways. His wisdom and discretion made him a friend of value. At
this meeting the Monsignor spoke words of encouragement and put before the members
assembled the necessity of making sacrifices for the new parish and of working hand in hand
with him who had been appointed over them. It was announced at this meeting that the new
parish was to be called by the name of St. Cecilia. This virgin and martyr was to be patroness;
she was to carry their prayers before the throne of the Exalted One and intercede with the Triune
God in their behalf, that they might not be idle workmen waiting outside the vineyard of the
Lord.
On September 23, 1906, at the regular weekly meeting, it was announced that the ground
had been purchased for the new building site, and entire square city block. In this way the future
of the new parish was ensured. At the time this seemed a great deal of territory, but the wisdom
of the action is seen today, for that much is necessary. The property extended from Louisiana
Avenue to Alaska Avenue, and from Eichelberger Street to Eiler Street. The site was ideal for the
new church, insomuch as it was located in the center of the parish, making it easy access to all
the parishioners. There were no improvements of any kind: no streets or sewers, no pavement or
alleys. These were to come with time, the last of which was completed in October, 1928, by the
paving of Eiler Street.
Little by little the new parish was making headway, spiritually and materially. Winter
passed, and there came another spring. Nature was in a happy mood. She had put off the severity
of winter and had clothed herself in a bright array of green. The parishioners of St. Cecilia were
in a happy mood, for in May of this year 1907, on Pentecost Sunday, May 19th, the cornerstone
laying of the new church and school building was to take place. It was a gala day, a day which
will not easily be forgotten as far as St. Cecilia Parish in concerned. Twelve thousand people
were present, and ten thousand marched in the parade. This number of people was very large
when one considers the facilities for transportation at that time. It was a long, long trip for many
to make, and yet a vast multitude came from the north and south, the east and west, to participate
in the celebration. The pastor and parish were glad and happy. It makes one happy when one
knows one has many friends interested in one’s cause. The parade started from the corner of
Meramec Street and Broadway at 1 o’clock and marched on to the new building site in
apparently never-ending line. This array of men and women, old and young, was an inspiration
to all in the community and a most powerful and mighty demonstration of Catholic faith and
loyalty.
The ceremony of the corner-stone laying took place at 2:30pm. His Excellency, the Most
Rev. Archbishop, performing the ceremony, assisted by the Rev. Bernard Wewer, O.F.M., as
deacon, and the Rev. H. Nieters as subdeacon. The deacons of honor to His Excellency were
Monsignor F.G. Holweck and Father Ubald Otto, O.F.M. The master of ceremonies was the Rev.
George Hildner. About forty priests were present for the ceremony, who chanted the Psalms and
the Litany of All Saints, led by the Rev. Emil J. Lemkes. The sermon was preached by the Right
Rev. Msgr. Cluse, of East St. Louis, Ill. His Excellency, Archbishop Glennon, also addressed the
congregation, congratulating them for the work planned and so far accomplished. He urged them
to see to it that this grand and noble enterprise be completed. After the ceremony of the cornerstone laying, a picnic was held on the grounds, and the tidy sum of more than $2,000 was
realized, a wonderful success in spite of the rain that fell towards evening. And such rain! It
seemed the very floodgates of heaven were opened. Down came the rain, beating itself
relentlessly against the earth. But a propitious sign was this rain. In the wake of rain comes an
abundant growth of the fruits of the earth. A similar growth was in store for the new parish; from
eighty families was to spring up a parish of almost 600 families at this time.
The architects for the new building were Wessbecher and Hillebrand; the contractors B. Stock &
Son. Building complete was to cost approximately $40,000. During the rest of this year, 1907,
men were busy at work erecting the new structure. The blessing of the new building took place
on January 1, 1908. It was a combination school and church building, with the church on the
second floor. It was the intention to utilize the church in the future as an entertainment hall. This
has been done since, and it is now used for that purpose. The school in the new building was on
the first floor, six rooms in all. The building was of no small dimension; the parish had a future
and the needs of the future must be provided for. The length of the building is ninety-six feet and
its width is sixty-four feet, with a ten-foot basement.
At 10 o’clock in the morning of New Years’ Day, 1908, His Excellency, the Most Rev.
Archbishop blessed the new building, assisted by the Rev. Henry Hukestein (R.I.P.) and the Rev.
Herman Nieters, as deacons of honor to the Archbishop. A large gathering of the faithful from
this and other parishes was present for the occasion. After the ceremony of the dedication, the
faithful entered the new building to be present for the Solemn High Mass Coram Episcopo. Mass
was celebrated by Father Ubald, O.F.M.; Rev. Simon Zielinski (R.I.P.), deacon of the Mass; Rev.
B.S.A. Stolte, subdeacon; Rev. Gerard Schmidt. master of ceremonies. After the High Mass, His
Excellency confirmed the first class of confirmandi of the parish, sixteen in number. His
Excellency gave an address to the people assembled and congratulated them and their pastor
upon what had been accomplished in so short a time and had been done so well. It was his hope
and prayer that the parish would fructify and grow into a mighty tree.
The new school of St. Cecilia was opened on January 4, 1908. There were six rooms in
the new school These were not all needed as school rooms, so one-half of the building was
occupied by the pastor as his residence. This remained the parochial residence until November,
1909, when the new parish house, which had been started in May of the same year, was ready for
occupancy. The architect and builder of the parish house was Frank Kratzer. This house was
completed for the surprisingly small sum of $6,800. This residence is still the home of the priests
of the parish, an addition having been added connecting the residence to the sacristy of the
church.
On the opening day of the new school, thirty-one children were enrolled. The school was
in charge of two Sisters of St. Joseph. In September of 1908 the enrollment was eighty children,
indicating that the parish was on the increase.
The years rolled on, and the Parish of St. Cecilia developed and grew, even as a little
babe soon leaves his mother’s arms and toddles and walks along. Improvements were in
progress, new streets here, new alleys there, pavements here and pavements there. Houses were
erected, more people were coming to live in this part of St. Louis. Gradually it lost its air of
rusticity and put on the air of urbanity. The truck gardener was selling out, for his real estate had
increased in value. Truck gardeners must live in more open spaces. The patter of the feet of
many people could now be heard in the neighborhood of St. Cecilia. The patter of the feet of men
and women on their way to work, to the busy marts of commerce, to the office, the factory, the
foundry; the patter of the feet of wives and mothers on their way to store or market to provide for
the day; the patter of the feet of little boys and girls playing in the school yards, playing the
games that gladden the hearts of the young and make them laugh with careless glee.
St. Cecilia Parish was on the increase, a slow, gradual, natural growth. It was not
springing up as a mushroom overnight to die with equal alacrity, but it was growing as a tree of
oak: slow, strong, lasting. The pastor realized the needs of his parish. He saw his school increase
to 350 and more children with eight Sisters in charge; he saw the church which he had erected
too small to hold the people who were wont to gather, in spite of the fact that he had increased
the number of Masses on Sunday to four. He was able to do this because he had a Redemptorist
Father coming each Sunday to say Mass. Later on, in 1921, the Rev. George J. Eichenauer was
appointed as permanent assistant to Father Benten and has since then zealously and consistently
supported the pastor in all his undertakings. However, it was soon realized that a new church was
needed to give the proper service. Laboriously Father Benten and Father Eichenauer labored to
execute the idea the pastor had in mind, the idea to build a church which would be worthy of the
great God of heaven. Often he reminded the people of their obligation to contribute to the new
church building fund, and the people were generous, and after years of praying and working the
parish was ready to break ground for the new Church of St. Cecilia.
This breaking of ground for the new church took place on January 26, 1926. The
excavation and laying of the foundation was started immediately. At the same time, ground was
broken and foundation started for the new home for the Sisters, a four-room addition to the
school and an addition to the parochial residence. The work progressed so well and rapidly that
the ceremony of the laying of the corner-stone of the new church could take place on the
afternoon of Pentecost Sunday, May 26, 1926, exactly nineteen years after the grand cornerstone laying ceremony of the original church and school building. The day was a beautiful one,
the sun shone brightly, and the people of St. Cecilia were present almost 100 percent. Young and
old, fathers, mothers, children participated in the parade which preceded the ceremony. The
parade started from Grand Boulevard and Meramec Street and proceeded on Grand Boulevard
south to the church. The grand marshal for the occasion was Mr. M.A. Winzen, who was
mounted on a steed of uncertain step, a steed not used to prance along to the tune of joyful and
glad melody; but this beast had imbibed the spirit of enthusiasm of the multitude around him,
and he pranced along with head erect and steady gait, as though he had long followed behind the
music of some military troop. Many thousands of people came to participate in the parade and to
help made the day a grand and glorious one for the Parish of St. Cecilia. There were societies
represented not a few, the benevolent societies of the city, the branches of the Catholic Knights
of America, of the Western Catholic Union, of the Holy Name Society, of the Knights of
Columbus, the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Each had many representatives in the mighty marade.
The Uniform Rank of the men and women of the C.K. of A., the Zouaves of the K. of C., the
Uniform Drum Corps of St. George’s Parish, the Uniform Rank of the Daughters of Isabella of
East St. Louis, were present to add color and tone and dignity to the parade, to make it more
impressive for those who had come to look on and be enthused, and the clapping of many hands
was heard as these ranks passed by the way.
The corner-stone laying ceremony took place at 4 o’clock, performed by His Excellency,
the Most Rev. Archbishop. Deacons of honor to the Archbishop were Rev. E.J. Lemkes and Rev.
J.F. Stevens. The master of ceremonies was Father Eichenauer. The priests of the city who had
assembled for the occasion in large numbers chanted the Psalms and the Litany of the Saints, led
by Father Lemkes and Father Lubeley. After the ceremony was over, His Excellency addressed
the people and the priests assembled. He congratulated the parish and its priests upon the titanic
task they started, and urged the people to lend their aid unstintingly, for now was the time when
real, generous help was needed.
The architect for the new church and other buildings was Henry P. Hess, an architect of
national renown. The builder and general contractor was Charles Kloster, a member of the parish
who well may be proud of the work performed. The cost of the entire building program was
estimated at approximately $350,000, which would include decorations, mosaics and the rest of
the furnishings of the church and buildings. For two years the work went on interruptedly. It was
no easy task. St. Cecilia Parish had planned something worth while for the cause of God.
The new church was dedicated on Sunday morning, March 4, 1928, at 10 o’clock. As in
all previous solemn events, so also now was His Excellency, the Most Rev. Archbishop, present
to perform the ceremony. He was assisted by the Rev. Joseph Lubeley and the Rev. H. Nieters,
who acted as the assistants to the officiant. Many priests came to participate in the ceremony and
rejoice with irs priests and people in the blessing of the completed work. The chanters for the
occasion were the Rev. E.J. Lemkes and the Rev. F. Wieberg. The blessing of the church was
attended by a large concourse of people, the parishioners happy to be present for the blessing of
their church, that church for which they had done so much and so unstintingly, that church which
would serve them for many a day, that church which from now on would be a memory of
occasions happy and peaceful, sorrowful and sad.
After the solemn blessing, a Solemn High Mass Coram Episcopo was celebrated by the
Rev. George Keating, assisted by the Rev. A.J. Von Brunn and the Rev. John Peters as deacon
and subdeacon. The seminarians of the parish served as minor officers of the Mass: Mr. George
Broeckelman, master of ceremonies; Mr. Victor Suren, thurifer; Mr. George Kaske and Mr. John
Heidenry, acolytes; Mr. Joseph Seckinger, assisting master of ceremonies. The beautiful and
powerful sermon for the occasion was delivered by the Very. Rev. Vincent Schrempp, O.F.M.,
the provincial of the Franciscan Fathers. A masterful sermon it was, a discourse which indicated
depth of meditation. The speaker pointed out that the blessing of the new church was an occasion
of joy because it was to be the temple of the King, a holy place where many would come to
receive strength and consolation. He extolled the new temple because it would be the medium of
many receiving the gifts of God. In that temple the little ones would be brought to be baptized
and receive the gifts of faith, hope and charity; in that temple the body and blood of the ManGod would be offered up to the Heavenly Father; in that temple the people would come to eat the
Body of the Lord and drink His Blood in order to have life and to have it more abundantly; in
that temple the word of God would be preached and the faith of the multitude strengthened.
After the Solemn High Mass, His Excellency addressed the congregation. He was profuse
in his praise of the new structure. In that new structure he saw harmony and beauty, the work of
the artist’s hand. His Excellency was especially in admiration of the sanctuary, the magnificent
marble altars, the walls of the sanctuary complete and resplendent in mosaic of rich golden color.
He congratulated the people and the pastor for their generosity, for the offering of this new
church to the diocese. The church which had built indicated that they must have been untiring in
their efforts, for the Parish of St. Cecilia is not very large, and to erect so magnificent a church
was proof beyond cavil that they had not spared themselves.
The Church of St. Cecilia is of the Romanesque style of architecture. Two magnificent
towers point towards the heavens and enable one to locate the building from afar. These towers
are symbols of the work and the purpose of the church to bring men to that celestial palace,
where God brings peace and happiness. These towers stand forth as guards beckoning all to
remember the life beyond the grave.
Twenty-five years have passed since His Excellency the Most Rev. Archbishop John J.
Glennon, blessed the old church and school building. That was on January 1, 1908. On this
occasion His Excellency confirmed a class of nine boys and six girls. The growth of the Parish of
St. Cecilia can be seen in the fact that on January 1, 1933, the Archbishop confirmed a class of
450 in St. Cecilia’s beautiful new church.
The beginning of the celebration of the Silver Jubilee of St. Cecilia’s Parish was marked
by a Solemn High Mass on January 1, 1933, of which the Rev. Peter Vatter was celebrant. Father
Vatter was the first of the newly-ordained priests to say his First Solemn Mass in St. Cecilia’s
Church. Two others since have followed in his footsteps: the Rev. Louis Bereswill, who is now
doing missionary work in China, and the Rev. Victor Suren, who is not (sic) assistant pastor at
the Church of St. Francis de Sales in St. Louis.
The Parish of St. Cecilia is to be congratulated on its twenty-fifth anniversary. The parish
has done well, considering that it is still in the youth of its history. If the future of the will be as
happy as the past, there will be every reason to thank the great Protector of us all. One would like
to look into the future to behold what it holds in store for the parish, but that vision is not given
to man. We can only judge the future by the past and looking over the past history we can say the
parish has done its work well and left an example for the younger generation, an example of
respect for God and His Church. It is our ardent wish that the 450 who were confirmed on New
Years’ Day may be an inspiration to the parish of St. Cecilia. It is our ardent prayer to God that
the people in the parish will develop and grow according to the mind of God in grace and in
perfection.
On January 8, 1933, a banquet and social was given by the Parish of St. Cecilia to mark
its Silver Jubilee. This celebration was worthy of the parish. The speakers were jubilant and
redundant in their praises of the parish and its pastor, Father Benten. Father Benten smiled very
graciously at these redundant phrases of laudation, for he knows the way of men well and
understands their praises. Men are wont to give themselves to an effulgence of praise, especially
on the occasion of a Silver Jubilee. Has not one of the old philosophers made it a point to tell us
that all praise must be taken with a grain of salt? Father Benten is a philosopher and takes things
with a grain of salt, and yet Father Benten smiled very graciously, for he is a human and likes to
hear things said in favor of St. Cecilia’s Parish for he has been pastor there for twenty-five years
and governs well and wisely. May the Parish of St. Cecilia continue to follow the star of
Bethlehem and prosper and have nothing to mar its fair and beautiful escutcheon.