MILLWOOD – St. Alphonsus Liguori Parish, in the far northwestern corner of the St. Louis Archdiocese, was the scene of parish fellowship on Sunday, May 4, as they celebrated their 175th anniversary.

Approximately 300 plus current and former parishioners attended the Mass and meal to commemorate the event.

The parish was blessed to have The Most Reverend Bishop Mark Rivituso officiate the Mass with Father Charles Tichacek, the current pastor of St. Alphonsus, and Father Paul Telken, a retired former St. Alphonsus pastor, assisting during the Mass.

The Knights of Columbus generously allowed the anniversary celebration to be held in their hall. It was decorated with linen tablecloths and flower arrangements designed by Caitlyn Twellman and Barbara Mudd. The gathering was graced with a display of many pictures of couples who had been married at St. Alphonsus over the decades along with other historical pictures.

St. Alphonsus students, who were dressed like the historical figure that they represented, presented a program about the history of the parish. They were led by Mrs. Lisa Huber who is the current school principal and a former student at St. Alphonsus.

Friends Catering prepared and served a delicious meal that was climaxed by cakes that were baked and decorated by Stephanie Thoroughman.

The “pass the microphone” segment to tell stories and anecdotes about times at St. Alphonsus followed the meal and was an enjoyable addition to the program with many attendees sharing fun facts with the crowd about their time and life at St. Alphonsus.

St. Alphonsus Parish began with a few families worshipping in the home of the Mudd cousins who settled the Forks of the Cuivre, now Millwood, in 1840. The congregation soon outgrew a home and a log cabin church was built by the hands of the community.

When St. Alphonsus Liguori was canonized in 1841 the parish patronage was changed from St. Peter to St. Alphonsus. By 1850 the parish had again outgrown its facilities. When Father Lyne arrived in 1850 from St. Joseph, he oversaw the building of a brick church for the 40 existing Catholic families.

Unfortunately the church was said to have been built on shelly rock and to have been hastily constructed. Its walls began to crack and the roof spread which caused it to shake when the wind blew. The roof was blown off in March of 1876 and the church building collapsed.

In 1876 a frame church was dedicated by Archbishop Kenrick but it was destroyed by fire in 1924. In 1927 another brick church with a capacity of 600 was built with a tower in the Romanesque style of architecture. After 27 years, this church also began to crumble and was deemed to be unsafe by the archbishop. The present church was dedicated in 1956 and boasts the Munich Pictorial windows and pews that came from the previous church along with many statues and stations that came from that structure.

The tragedies of losing churches that befell the St. Alphonsus Parish may have been an unclimbable hurdle for a less tenacious congregation but the church community continued to rebuild and to grow in the faithful.

A school has existed with St. Alphonsus Parish since 1849. Official classes were first held in the log cabin that the congregation had outgrown.

A white framed building was built in the early 1900s to act as the school and convent. During this time it was a public school that was staffed by nuns since all of the students were Catholic. When the school moved to the current structure, it became a private parochial school and has remained private until today.

The St. Alphonsus graveyard is situated on land that was donated in 1840 by Dr. Hilary Mudd, the parish’s organizer. The log cabin church was built on this plot of land also.

The parish is blessed to have Knights of Columbus Council No. 2009, Ladies K of C Auxiliary Council, Sacred Heart Sewing Club, Angels of Service, a high school youth group, and numerous prayer groups along with individuals and families that readily contribute to the upkeep of the facilities.

Today, St. Alphonsus boasts more than 150 families with many parishioners who were baptized in the parish. This dedication to the parish is also evident in the number of young families who have chosen to raise their families in the Millwood area with St. Alphonsus Liguori as their parish.

This religious community feels that it has always been very blessed to have the opportunity to thrive in a caring, faithful, and supportive area with the parish as a cornerstone and anchor for all.