Parish History

In 1907 Archbishop John J. Glennon realized the importance of forming a new parish to accommodate the needs of the people of St. Louis who numbered over 600,000 and were beginning to settle further from the city center.  The dominant feature in the area was cemeteries, so the new parish was aptly named Our Lady of Sorrows.  There were 77 families in the parish when it was formed.  The boundaries were so vast that eventually six other parishes would be carved from her: St. John the Baptist, 1914; St. George, 1915; St. Mary Magdalen, 1919; St. Gabriel, 1934; St. Raphael, 1950; and Immaculate Heart of Mary, 1956.  The center was to be in the area of Kingshighway and Gravois.  The task of starting this new parish fell to Reverend Bernard S.A. Stolte, a young priest who had been ordained in Rome just 11 years earlier.  On October 20, 1907, Mass was celebrated for the first time.  Since there were no actual parish buildngs yet, Mass was celebrated in the chapel of Sts. Peter and Paul cemetery on Gravois where they continued to be held until 1911.  

September 8, 1908 marked the opening day of our parish school at 6838 Gravois in a double flat that was the parish residence and the parish meeting place.  The school was located on the first floor and Father Stolte's residence on the second.  Over a half dozen nationalitites were represented among the 51 children who had come from 20 different schools in grades 1-5.  Their teachers were two School Sisters of Notre Dame, Sister Mary Regis and Sister Mary Peregrina.  In 1909, SIster M. Delphina joined their faculty.

In April 1909, the present site of slightly more than three acres was purchased through a straw party for $5,500.  Father Stolte repurchased the land for $5,501.  In March 1911, work began on a combination building which would accommodate a basement entertainment hall, a first floor consisting of the pastor's residence in the front portion and four classrooms in the rear.  The church would be on the second floor.  By now 130 families were members of the parish.  On September 4, 1911, 250 children were enrolled in the new school.  June 23, 1912, marked the first graduation class - four girls and one boy.

In 1912, due to overcrowding in the school, another building was constructed at Kingshighway and Rhodes.  The building housed the school and was also the home of the Pastor and the Sisters.  In 1927, again due to overcrowding, a new rectory was built on Rhodes.  The convent was moved next to the rectory and an addition was added on the convent.  By moving the convent from Kingshighway, the church could finally be constructed.  Archbishop Glennon blessed the cornerstone of the church on May 17, 1927, and the church was completed in February, 1928.  In 1929, the parish boasted 1,000 families, and by 1933 the parish had grown to 1,130 families and the school had an enrollment of 820 students.

In May 1946, Monsignor Stolte celebrated his 50th Jubilee.  He served as the Pastor at OLS until he passed away on November 29, 1953.  Since then OLS has had 8 new Pastors, including our current Pastor, Father Sebastian Mundackal.  Each Pastor has put their mark on our beloved church and school by making many significant improvements and renovations to the existing buildings, led the construction of new buildings, and by leading us, their parishioners, to know and love Jesus Christ more intimately.  They were also instrumental in leading their parishioners through many changes in the parish and church over the last 112 years.

In 2005 it became apparent that our parish school was about to change.  The gradual loss of both the city population and an even larger loss of Catholic population left the Archdiocese struggling to maintain and staff the same number of parishes and schools.  The Pastoral Plan recommended that a number of parishes be closed or consolidated.  Fortunately both OLS Parish and its neighbor, St. Mary Magdalen, would remain open.  St. Mary Magdalen school, however, would not.  The Pastoral Plan recommended that OLS School likewise would cese to operate under its present name.  The two schools would combine under the name of St. Katharine Drexel, which opened in the fall of 2005 in the former OLS school building.  In 2011, the school name was changed back to OLS until the school closed in the spring of 2017 due to declining enrollment.  A new partnership model school was created with the joint support of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and the parishes of Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Joan of Arc.  A new chapter in our history began in the fall of 2017; South City Catholic Academy (SCCA) opened and serves as our parish school.  It is located in the former St. Joan of Arc school building.   

Over 112 years have passed since the humble beginning of this vibrant parish in the confines of Sts. Peter and Paul Cemetery.  Its life continues with the grace and blessing of Mary, our Mother, and God, our Father, along with the work and sacrifices of its parishioners and priests.  With your continued prayers and support, we hope to serve our beloved South St. Louis neighborhood for many more years to come.  Our Lady of Sorrows, Pray for Us!