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st. dominic parish in breese celebrates 150 years of faith

Story and photos by LIZ QUIRIN
Messenger editor

Rejoicing with thankful hearts, parishioners and friends of St. Dominic Parish in Breese gathered Sept. 28, for a special sesquicentennial Mass of celebration.

Bishop Edward K. Braxton was celebrant and homilist.
Father Pat Peter, pastor, wrote in the sesquicentennial book, St. Dominic’s “represents the spread of Catholicism in rural America and is a testament to the faith of our community.”

At the beginning, the first church building measured only 40 feet by 60 feet and was used from 1858 to 1868.
With more settlers drawn to the area, a larger church was needed, and a parishioner donated the land where the present church and rectory are located.

Stone and limestone were also provided by parishioners as well as transportation of the stone from a quarry and sand from Shoal Creek.

Generous donations provided a high altar, side altars, statues, communion rail, two stone statues in front of the church and a monstrance.

Over the years the church has been well cared for and remodeled along the way.
The most recent renovation in 2001 brought the church full circle to be restored to the original architectural style of the late 1800s.

“Thanks to the spirit and dedication of the early settlers, our congregation has been bound by Christ in a community of faith for more than 150 years,” Father Peter said.
Several of the pastors at St. Dominic’s spoke German, as the first settlers did, beginning with Father August Reineke, the first pastor who served from 1858-1909.

Father Reineke was followed by Father John Meifuss and Msgr. Joseph Kaup. Father Henry Aydt served the parish for almost 30 years, shepherding the people through tumultuous international and national times, including WWII, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War.
St. Dominic’s present pastor, Father Peter, was appointed in 1995, and Father Ben Stern, was appointed an assistant pastor in 2007 after his ordination to the priesthood.

While the present St. Dominic’s counts 867 families on its roles, the original parish began with about 70 Catholic families in and around Breese.The parish was plotted and built almost 30 years before the Diocese of Belleville existed. Renovations over the years kept the church in good repair.

Even during the onset of the Great Depression in 1930, dedicated parishioners raised $5,000 to redecorate the church. While other improvements in the church were made in the following years, the church was completely renovated in the early 1950s. Again, renovations and updating occurred in years following but in 2001, the most recent renovation restored and reconnected the church to its historical past.

Areas of the church — inside and outside were restored, remodeled or expanded to meet the needs of the parish.
Eventually, the parish organized what later became a four-year high school. In 1954, the school was combined with St. Mary’s in Carlyle and became Mater Dei High School.

Of great support to any parish are the women and men in church organizations that donate their time, talent and treasure to the parish.

St. Monica’s Altar Sodality has been one of those groups since it was formed in the fall of 1858.
The men’s group was originally called the Building Society and later named St. Joseph’s Men’s Sodality.
Both groups have supported the parish with the ladies currently sponsoring a child in Guatemala and have donated money to the parish’s Vacation Bible School, food pantry and youth ministry.

The men’s group donated $20,000 to the new multi-purpose room.

“We pray to God to open our hearts as we continue to make this parish a place where all people may come to know the faith, love and hope revealed in Jesus Christ,” Father Peter said.