Immaculate Conception Church

Immaculate Conception Church. Madonnavile, Illinois. , The Beginning , The settlement of Madonnaville was not always called Madonnavile, it was originally known as James Settlement or James Mills, In June of 1804 ,Austin James moved here with his family. For many years the James family was the only Catholic Family in the area and they could satisfy their paschal confession only in the town of St. Louis, which was only a small town at the time. For the James family and a few neighbors who were Catholic, in the year 1817, a mass was said by a Jesuit missionary and again in the year 1819, the Father DuBourge, the bishop of New Orleans, offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on his visitation of the catholic in the Mississippi Valley., The Cemetery , The cemeteries are located near the church. One named for St.Henry is located directly east of the church and was originally the private burial grounds of the James family. The cemetery across the road was laid out in 1892. The oldest tombstone standing is that of Mary Drury, who died May 3 1836. Some of the older stones bear the names of Adelsberger, Andres, Berger, Heidger, James, McDermott, Moskop, Schifferdecker, Shields and Wierschem., The Stone Church , In 1855, Father P.J. Baltes, pastor of Waterloo, inaugurated a movement to erect a stone church on the James site an on September 24 of the following year the cornerstone of the present church was laid. Three years went by before the church was finished. The floor dimensions of the church are forty feet wide by seventy feet long. George Andres was the stone mason who built the church, rectory, and the school house. Adam Eichenseer was the carpenter. The total cost of the church was $4,038.25 which is $122,082.33 in 2021 currency. Father P. Fisher, who had succeeded as pastor of Waterloo continue to hold monthly services. In 1863, Adam Dehm donated a bell to the church, which was transported from St. Louis by steamboat and landed at Harrisonville. Most of the articles for the church were transported by this route. A tower was added to the church at this time and on the 8th of September, 1863, the church was dedicated by Bishop H. D. Juncher, in honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Nary. During the same visit he blessed the cemetery in honor of St. Henry. A stone sacristy was added to the church in 1909., The Land , On September 7, 1840 General Thomas James and his wife deeded forty acres to the Catholic Church for a church to be built. This land is where the present stone church stands today. A log church was built on that site in 1844. The Catholic Directory of 1845 states that Father P. McCabe of Prairie Du Long, Monroe County, St. Augustine's attends, James Mills, New Design, O'Hara's Settlement, Harrisonville, Waterloo, and bond Creek, Monroe County., First Resident Pastor , In 1861, the first resident pastor, Father Louis Hinssen, coming from Edwardsville, Madison County, arrived and the first records were begun. Father Hinssen opened a parish school in the old log church in 1861. The rectory, a two story structure, was built in 1862 at a cost of about 2,000. Today it is the home of the Roever family. Father Hinssen was removed in 1865., The Church Records , The records were started in 1861. The first burial record was John Berger, 48 years old, buried July 13, 1861 the husband of Barbara Eschmann. From 1861-2014, there were 1774 baptism, the year with the post baptisms was 1862 with 80 baptisms . On March 30, 1861, Gertrude Weber, daughter of Jacob and Mary, Elizabeth Weber, was the first person baptized. In the time span there were 404 marriages. the year with the most marriages was 1872 with 15 marriages, the first marriage was that of Lames James to Elizabeth Nau on February 20, 1862. From 1881-2014 there were 1044 funeral, the year with the most funeral was 1867 with 35 funerals., The School , In 1874, Father Bernard Ahne took charge of the congregation. His main work was the erection of the two story school building. The cost was about 5,500.00 which is about 131,507.00 in today. The sisters of the Most Precious Blood of Ruma taught and lived at the school. The school employed teachers from 1902-1908. It closed from 1923 to 1938 and closed permanently in 1949. It was use as a meeting hall, CCD classes and other special activities until 2014. There were 32 sisters who were born at or entered the convent from Madonnavile. There were four priest and brothers born in the parish of Immaculate Conception, Madonnavile. They are Father P. Engel and Father Odillo Eichenseer, O.F.M. and Brothers Peter Eschmann and Adolph Eschmann.