Basilica of St. Louis, King
Everyone I know refers to the Basilica of St. Louis, King as the “Old Cathedral” in St. Louis. It may be old but it’s still going strong. The Basilica sits right off I-70 under the St. Louis Arch so it can’t be easier to find or get in to. There is a weekday, including Saturday, Mass at 7am and my wife and I have attended a number of times over the years.
I did so yesterday on my way to Lexington, KY for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. That’s my home away from home for a couple days. I’m getting ready to decide on which church to attend Mass this morning and will probably feature it here later this week.
The history of the Old Cathedral and the early history of the City of St. Louis are intertwined. The Old Cathedral Museum, located on the west side of the Cathedral, contains many artifacts and relics from the early days of the Catholic Church in St. Louis and also historical information. When Pierre Liguest Laclede and his First Lieutenant Auguste Chouteau founded the City of St. Louis in 1764, Laclede dedicated the square just west of where he built his home, to church and graveyard purposes. The first Catholic Church in St. Louis built on this site, was a small log house built in 1770. St. Louis IX, King of France, is the Patron Saint of the City and of the Church. In 1776, the mission of St. Louis became a canonical parish and the second log cabin church was built. Its bell, the gift of Lieutenant Governor Don Piernos and enriched by 200 Spanish silver dollars in its casting, can be seen today in the Old Cathedral Museum.
It would be great to see you and Cindy sometime at St. Francis de Sales Oratory the next time you visit St. Louis. Blessing to you and your family!