The History of Our Parish

The Vincentians

Tradition indicates that during the early 1800s missionary priests visited our region periodically - arriving on the river bank by boat.  The Vincentian Fathers, of Perryville, Missouri, and the pastor of the parish in New Hamburg, Missouri, served the Catholics living in what is now Mississippi County.  They built a log chapel near the banks of the Mississippi River in Tywappity Bottom to accommodate the small congregation.  The location of the original log chapel is unknown today.

The people of Texas Bend and St. Henry Parish remain grateful to the Vincentian Fathers for their early work in bringing the Church to our corner of the wilderness.  In recent years the Congregation of the Mission has again generously answered our call by assigning to the Bishop several of their priests to serve as pastors of St. Henry Parish.  Thank you, Vincentian Fathers, from all of us in Charleston.

Parts excerpted from St. Henry Parish 1873 - 1973.