Shrine of St. Joseph

Shrine of St. Joseph, 1220 N 11th St, St. Louis, Misuri, Združene države Amerike

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The Shrine of St. Joseph

This beautiful old church, at the corner of 11th Street and Biddle in St. Louis, Missouri has a vast and interesting history. The church had its beginning in 1843.

The Jesuits founded the parish to serve a pleasant residential community consisting mostly of German immigrants. Also, the church is the site of the only authenticated miracle in the Midwest. See top 15 Catholic shrines in the world

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The Altar of Answered Prayers

The magnificent Main Altar is the result of a pledge made by grateful parishioners who made a promise to St. Joseph.

The altar became known as The Altar of Answered Prayers because of St. Joseph’s intercession in the midst of a cholera epidemic in 1866. Because of St. Joseph’s intercession, the parishioners, who made the promise, and their families were spared.

History of the Shrine of St. Joseph

This beautiful old church, at the corner of 11th Street and Biddle in St. Louis, Missouri has a vast and interesting history. The church had its beginning in 1843. The Jesuits founded the parish to serve a pleasant residential community consisting mostly of German immigrants. Also, the church is the site of the only authenticated miracle in the Midwest.

After founding the parish in 1843, the Jesuits immediately began plans for building a church. Mrs. Ann Biddle, a wealthy widow, known for her many philanthropic deeds, donated the land for the new church. The cornerstone was blessed by Bishop Kenrick on April 14, 1844. The completed structure was a modest building facing west toward 11th Street.

St. Joseph Parish soon became a very active community. In 1862, a large parish school was built nearby. The Sisters of Notre Dame staffed the school for the many children of the area. In late 1864, a German immigrant, Ignatius Strecker, was suffering from an injury he incurred while working at a local soap factory. Despite every known treatment, Mr. Strecker grew worse and was finally told by doctors that he had two weeks to live.

Let us remain close in the same prayer! May the Lord bless you abundantly!

The Altar of Answered Prayers

The magnificent Main Altar is the result of a pledge made by grateful parishioners who made a promise to St. Joseph. The altar became known as The Altar of Answered Prayers because of St. Joseph’s intercession in the midst of a cholera epidemic in 1866. Because of St. Joseph’s intercession, the parishioners, who made the promise, and their families were spared.

THE CHOLERA EPIDEMIC Asiatic cholera is generally caused by contaminated drinking water and is contagious. The symptoms, chiefly severe diarrheas and stomach cramps, appearsuddenly, requiring early and energetic medical treatments. If not, the victim may be dead within twenty-four hours. Although modern sanitation has practically conquered this disease, there are still sporadic outbreaks of it in various parts of the world.

The growing City of St. Louis had its share of cholera epidemics, in 1833-34, 1848-49, 1854, 1856 and 1866. These were due to an inadequate sewer system. Several situations were to blame, such as unhealthy spots like Chouteau’s Pond, the influx of immigrants landing at New Orleans, and people coming up the Mississippi River by steamboat to establish homes in St. Louis and other points further west.

280 DEATHS DAILY The last cholera epidemic was particularly virulent. It began, without warning, in August and lasted two full months, causing an average of 280 deaths daily. The St. Louis newspapers played it down in hopes of deterring panic among the people. But the city’s health situation was really critical. Along with many others, the Jesuit Fathers and Brothers of St. Joseph’s Parish worked day and night to render assistance to the parishioners and other victims. There were ten, and sometimes as many as twenty-five, funerals a day from St. Joseph’s Church located on the northeast corner of Eleventh and Biddle Streets. There were also many burials of parishioners in unblessed ground.

THE PROMISE Father Joseph Weber, pastor of the parish and superior of the Jesuit community, gathered the parishioners together on a Sunday morning. They all made a solemn vow to God. If, through the intercession of St. Joseph, the parish were spared further deaths from cholera, they would, in thanksgiving, erect a suitable monument in honor of St. Joseph. St. Joseph would be the patron of that parish church. To this end the parishioners pledged an initial four thousand dollars which was a considerable sum in those days.

THE MIRACLE To the amazement of the pastor, his assistants, religious brothers, and all the parishioners, their prayers of fervent petition were heard. Not one member of all the families who had signed the vow and the pledge was stricken with cholera after that day. Miracle or not, these are the facts testified to in the old yellow-edged documents in the church’s archives.

Let us remain close in the same prayer! May the Lord bless you abundantly!

History of the Shrine of St. Joseph

This beautiful old church, at the corner of 11th Street and Biddle in St. Louis, Missouri has a vast and interesting history. The church had its beginning in 1843. The Jesuits founded the parish to serve a pleasant residential community consisting mostly of German immigrants. Also, the church is the site of the only authenticated miracle in the Midwest.

After founding the parish in 1843, the Jesuits immediately began plans for building a church. Mrs. Ann Biddle, a wealthy widow, known for her many philanthropic deeds, donated the land for the new church. The cornerstone was blessed by Bishop Kenrick on April 14, 1844. The completed structure was a modest building facing west toward 11th Street.

St. Joseph Parish soon became a very active community. In 1862, a large parish school was built nearby. The Sisters of Notre Dame staffed the school for the many children of the area. In late 1864, a German immigrant, Ignatius Strecker, was suffering from an injury he incurred while working at a local soap factory. Despite every known treatment, Mr. Strecker grew worse and was finally told by doctors that he had two weeks to live.

In 1880, the church was once again enlarged and remodeled. This work, which was completed in 1881, included the addition of an elaborate Romanesque face and twin towers surmounted with delicate cupolas.
After the Jesuits left the parish, it was staffed by a priest of the Archdiocese. Further alterations had to be made in 1954, under the supervision of the Shrine’s pastor, Father Anthony Corey. At this time, for reasons of safety, the beautiful original towers were shortened and the cupolas replaced by heavier hexagonal caps. This altered the exterior of the building considerably and detracted from its former beauty.

Let us remain close in the same prayer! May the Lord bless you abundantly!

Posted in North America and United States