History

“The following comes from the history of CONCEPTION ABBEY, Missouri….”  

In late 1872, the [Swiss] government’s escalating intolerance of Benedictines convinced Abbot Anselm [Villiger of Engelberg Abbey, Switzerland] to consider the need for a place of sanctuary outside the country in case his abbey was suppressed and forced to disband. He presented Bishop[John] Hogan’s request to the monastic chapter and it was approved on January 7, 1873. Two men were chosen for the journey, Father Frowin Conrad and his former novice Father Adelhelm Odermatt. The two men were opposites in almost every way, and the decision to send them to Missouri together would be a decision of consequence.

The priests left Engelberg in April of 1873, and after a stopover at St. Meinrad Abbey, Indiana arrived in Northwest Missouri in September. Father Frowin became pastor of the parish in Conception and was appointed prior of the new Benedictine community, while Father Adelhelm moved into the parish house in nearby Maryville. Despite the objections of some members at the motherhouse in Engelberg, Prior Frowin asked to form a novitiate at Conception. There were concerns among his brother monks in Switzerland that the new Missouri community would become estranged from its motherhouse.

Frowin assured his brother monks of his faithfulness, received his abbot’s blessing, and began the work of establishing “New Engelberg.”

While he was committed to establishing a classic Benedictine community, Prior Frowin did not feel bound by any one monastic observance. One of his most profound influences was a long friendship with the Benedictine community at Beuron in Germany. That inspiration can be seen today at Conception in the monks’ habits, in their liturgy, and in their church’s famed collection of Beuronese murals.

Ironically, the abbey’s most visible influence was in those first years a source of controversy and division between Frowin and the motherhouse in Switzerland. The implementation of Beuronese principles at Conception drew heavy criticism and accusations of disobedience from Prior Frowin’s Engelberg superiors. And it drove a wedge between Conception’s two founders, Frowin and Adelhelm Odermatt. Father Adelhelm engaged in a letter-writing campaign to the motherhouse, accusing his fellow founder of deviant monastic practices.

While Prior Frowin eventually made compromises, it is obvious today that he held tight to his Beuronese influences. The split between Frowin and Adelhelm never healed and the latter left Conception to eventually establish Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon.
 

German Catholic settlers began to influence this area in 1867. With the arrival of Mathias Butsch, the Catholic community discovered their leader and founder. He was so impressed with what he found that he immediately advertised through German newspapers this hidden “Paradise of the West”. It wasn’t long before the sound of German became commonplace in the settlement.

About 1880 two events coincided which gave a promise of growth and success to Mt. Angel. First, the railroad between Portland and Mt. Angel was completed. Second, a small bank of Catholic families built a church in 1881, just a few months before the arrival of Father Adelhelm Odermatt. Fr. Odermatt was commissioned by his Engelberg Abbey in Switzerland to establish a Monastery for his Swiss Community of Benedictine Monks.

Father Adlhelm told the Archbishop of Oregon City that he had chosen “the butte near Filmore” (Mt. Angel) as the new home for the Oregon Benedictines. Father Adelhelm influenced the postmaster to change the town’s name form Filmore to Mt. Angel, (the anglicized name of the Mother Abbey in Switzerland.

On November 9, 1886, the Benedictine Sisters, from Maria Richenbach in Germany purchased 23 acres of land on the edge of town and constructed their priory, the first brick building in Mt. Angel. The arrival of the Benedictine monks and sisters had a profound impact on Mt. Angel and the Northwest. The town soon became known as an important agricultural hub and a center of Catholic learning and culture.

Building a church large enough for the rapidly growing community of Mt. Angel was an ongoing problem during the first forty years of St. Mary Parish. The congregation outgrew its original church within three years. The Abbey Church was finished at this time and became a combined Abbey Parish Church.. Having a parish church as part of a monastery was a tradition the Benedictines transplanted from Europe. So this became the second parish church.

In less than ten years, the parish had grown to forty-eight families. Early in 1892, fundraising was begun to enlarge the Abbey church. When both monastery and church burned in 1892, the funds were used to build a third parish church across the street from the present church. Unfortunately, after only 17 years of use, it also became too small.

On June 12, 1910, the cornerstone for this 4th magnificent structure was laid. The church was to be massive, built ornate in the Revival Gothic style with locally produced pressed cement bricks. Its soaring 200-foot bell tower dominates the town, and seen throughout the surrounding countryside for miles. Local parishioners did much of the construction under the direction of Architect Engelbert Gier and his brother Emil. Both brothers were members of the parish who had come originally from Texas. Our forefathers hoped to build a church of great beauty that would last for generations to come. As you can see, they truly succeeded.

Archbishop Alexander Christie blessed the finished church on June 30, 1912, with 26 large stained glass windows. It was a historic day of liturgical and festive celebrations for the 280 parish families of Mt. Angel.

On March 25, 1993, at 5:34 a.m., a violent earthquake of 5.7 magnitudes on the Richter scale shook the Mt. Angel area.

Parishioners arriving at 7:00 a.m. Mass found a sign on the church doors saying that Mass would be held in the Parish Center. Father Edmund was the first one to see the interior of the church. After the dust clouds had settled, he was amazed that none of the windows had imploded and that relatively little damage was done to the statues and altar candles. Fr. Emmanuel immediately joined him, and after a quick assessment, they realized that the church could not be used. Jerry Lauzon, the Sacristan, quickly set up a temporary chapel in the newly constructed Parish Center. No one on that morning realized the extent of the damage.

After two days of Mass in the Parish Center, the county emergency crew closed off the use of the building. It was discovered that structural damage to the church was severe, and they feared future aftershocks might cause the bell tower or other parts of the church to collapse.

That weekend, parish members found themselves at Mt. Angel’s Oktoberfest building. The stage became the setting for the alter, and Oktoberfest benches formed pews. Parishioners celebrated the Sacred Mysteries within this unusual setting throughout the Lenten / Easter season. In May, the celebration of daily Mass was moved to the Unger Mortuary in downtown Mt. Angel. These locations were used until mid-May, when weekday and Sunday liturgies returned to the Parish Center.

Restoration planning began in late May 1993, and the restored and the renovated church was solemnly dedicated on December 2, 1995. It was a day of liturgical and festive celebrations for the more than 850 parish families of St. Mary’s.