History
St. Patrick Catholic Church, Rolla, Missouri, was established in 1862
Abraham Lincoln was President as the year 1862 began and the American Civil War had begun in earnest. Missouri was the scene of bitter and partisan fighting. Rolla was a newly incorporated frontier settlement of 600 people and served as the railroad terminal for all Union supplies and troops (20,000 to 60,000) stationed in the area. Catholic Irish railroad workers were among the inhabitants of the town. In January of 1862, Fr. Patrick Gallagher arrived as their shepherd, baptizing six children his first week. By June of 1862, Fr. Gallagher and the parishioners broke ground for the first Church building in Rolla to be built exclusively for religious services. The newly constructed Church was located at Seventh and State Streets. The first services were held on the third Sunday of September 1862. Because of its Irish roots and Pastor, it was unsurprisingly dedicated to God under the patronage of St. Patrick. It served the parish community for seventy-five years.
In the early 1940s, as World War II raged, plans began for construction of a new Church building to meet the needs of the growing Catholic congregation. Father Lambert was Pastor as these bold plans culminated with a beautiful new stone Church on Highway 63 and St. Patrick Lane in 1947. A new school was completed in 1953. A parish Hall was constructed in 1975. The Church itself was extensively remodeled and updated in 1979. A new pipe organ was installed in 1984.
By the early 1990s, the parish had grown so much that it was time to think of expanding its facilities. Fundraising and construction for the expanded St. Patrick facilities began in the midst of a deepening recession and on the brink of a war (in the Persian Gulf). However, the long and short term need for a bigger worship space, the need for relatively major repairs in the Church, and committed parish leaders and parishioners with vision and pragmatism made the project possible. The goal was to almost double the size of the church (to 488 seats), provide handicapped access and provide better cry room facilities for our young families. Very early in the process, the scope of the expansion project began to take shape. The possibility of turning the interior of the Church completely around made main entrances that better connect with the rest of the parish campus. It also enabled a much better design for worship space as well as an expanded narthex for fellowship and visiting. The need for a daily chapel plus additional meeting rooms was recognized early and also made part of the project. The project was then broken into two financially bite-sized pieces with the daily chapel and two of the meeting rooms to be roughed in and finished at a later date; all of the rest was the bigger piece, or Phase I. Phase I was begun in the fall of 1991 and completed in November, 1992. The expanded Church building was rededicated on November 29, 1992. In 1994 we were given a bequest by Fr. Joseph Scheer to complete the Chapel in memory of Mary, Katherine, Rosemary and Oscar C. Scheer. Fr. Scheer had been assigned here as Associate Pastor from 1945 to 1948. During that time he had been very involved with the building of the "new church" which took place from 1945 to 1947 personnally handling every piece of slate on the roof! The bequest from Fr. Scheer was given to complete the interior of the chapel shell making a fully usable daily Mass and devotional chapel. The Chapel was dedicated on Wednesday, June 22nd, 1994 with Fr. Don Antweiller and Fr. Joseph Scheer con-celebrating the Mass. At about the same time we recieved the bequest from Fr. Scheer, it was decided to complete the meeting rooms. This effectively completed Phase II. While this building is truly a "new" St. Patrick Church, there is continuity with the old as well. The beautiful stone exterior is maintained in expanded form. The beautiful wood-beamed ceiling has been enhanced and complemented. The stained glass window in the chapel which depicts St. Patrick is from the original church which was located on State Street. The continuity of the "old" St. Patrick's with the "new" is even coincidentally reflected in both architect (Mr. Art Stauder) and contractor (Mr. Moe Hogan) having a father or grandfather who played major roles in the first St. Patrick Church on this site. The new purpose, like its two predecessors, is for the worshipping community to praise God. It reflects our Catholic Christian faith while also challenging us to grow in it. The new St. Patrick Church is a source of great pride for parishioners and hopefully also for our neighbors and friends in the community and surrounding area of Rolla of which we are a part. It is also a source of great humility and gratitude to God for his presence and guidance.
Diocesan Shepherds
Bishop W. Shawn McKnight was born on June 26, 1968 and grew up in a large Catholic family and attended Catholic schools.Our Pastor Through the Years
- 1862 - 1865 Rev. Francis Patrick Gallagher
- 1865 - 1868 Rev. F. W. Graham
- 1868 - 1875 Rev. Thomas J. Moran
- 1875 - 1879 Rev. E. Smith
- 1879 - 1880 Rev. Thomas Bonacum
- 1880 - 1918 Rev. Patrick B. O'Loughlin
- 1918 - 1921 Rev. John P. Lynch
- 1921 - 1941 Rev. Sidney P. Stocking
- 1941 - 1952 Rev. Harry J. Lambert
- 1952 - 1960 Msgr. Gerold J. Kaiser
- 1960 - 1970 Rev. Thomas D. Sullivan
- 1970 - 1972 Rev. William D. Ludwig
- 1972 - 1980 Rev. Fred Elskamp
- 1980 - 1985 Rev. John Fischer
- 1985 - 1994 Rev. Donald Antweiler
- 1994 - 1998 Rev. Donald L. Wallace
- 1998 - 2003 Rev. I. C. Medina
- 2003 - 2010 Msgr. David Cox
- 2010 - 2012 Fr. Michael P. Murphy
- 2012 - 2016 Fr. Charles Pardee
- 2016 - 2019 Fr. David J. Veit
- 2019 - 2024 Fr. Gregory Meystrik
- 2024 - 2025 Msgr. Gregory Higley
- 2024 - present Fr. Doke