Shrine of St. Joseph Fact Sheet

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	Shrine of St. Joseph DESCRIPTION: The Shrine of St. Joseph is an historic church and the only example of Baroque church architecture in the St. Louis area. It is also the site of the only authenticated miracle in the Midwest. The Shrine's beautiful altar has become known as the Altar of Answered Prayers and people often tuck pieces of paper with prayers written on them into crevices on the altar in the hopes they will be answered. At one time, the Shrine was the largest parish church in St. Louis but as the neighborhood population declined, the Shrine was transferred to the archdiocese. During the late 1970s, plans called for tearing down the old building but a group called the Friends of St. Joseph was formed and worked to save the Shrine. Since it was formed, the group has raised thousands of dollars for a massive restoration of the building. As the restoration work continues, the building has been returned to its former splendor. Sunday mass usually draws several hundred participants, and the Shrine has become a popular venue for weddings. A record 78 weddings were held at the Shrine in 2000. SLOGAN: Where Miracles Occur ADDRESS: 11th & Biddle Streets, St. Louis, MO 63106 LOCATION: Downtown PHONE: 314-231-9407 WEB SITE: www.shrineofstjoseph.org GETTING THERE: From downtown, take Tucker to 11th Street. Turn left on 11th and follow it two blocks to Biddle. The shrine will be on your right. MASS: Mass is said every Sunday at 11 a.m. There is also a First Friday Mass at noon each month. TOURS: After Sunday Mass or by appointment. ADMISSION: Free ANNUAL ATTENDANCE: Approximately 15,000 WHAT'S NEW: The Shrine's 112-year-old hand-carved, wood Pfeffer organ is being restored. Of the organ's 1,895 pipes, almost 300 of them are constructed entirely of wood. HIGHLIGHTS: The Shrine's beautiful altar in the Italian Renaissance style was carved in wood by Bueschers in Chicago, a company renowned for its religious artwork, and installed in 1867. The cost was $6,131. The altar is a replica of the altar of St. Ignatius at the Jesuit Gesu Church in Rome. St. Ignatius, however, has been replaced with St. Joseph and the Child Jesus on the Shrine's altar. The altar includes statues of St. Matthew assisted by the angel of inspiration, St. Mark with a lion, St. Luke with an ox, St. John with an eagle and the edict "Ite ad Joseph" or "Go to Joseph." There are also statues of the foster father St. Joseph and the Christ child; St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, and St. Francis Xavier, one of St. Ignatius' early followers. The colors of the altar and the qualities they symbolize are white, innocence; red, love; green, hope; blue, loyalty and gold, total consecration to the heavenly father. A statue of Saint Peter Claver was presented to the church by the descendants of Ignatius Strecker in gratitude for the miracle he performed for Strecker. The Shrine's delicately carved pulpit was designed and hand cut by a Jesuit brother who was stationed at the church in its early years. There are side altars to the Virgin Mary and to St. Alphonsus Roderiguez, patron saint of lay brothers. Stained glass windows that are more than 150 years old grace the church. Some years ago they were stolen from the church before it was renovated. The cost of replacing the windows with replicas was going to be substantial but one day before that was done, the priest at the Shrine received a phone call from someone who told him the caller had a surprise for him if he would wait for about an hour. The priest was instructed to wait in his study and not to call the police. At the end of the allotted time, the priest went into the church to find the original windows were once again in place. A basement rummage store and religious goods department is open 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays and the first Friday of each month. ANNUAL SPECIAL EVENTS: Each spring the Friends of the Shrine of St. Joseph hold a dance to raise funds for the upkeep of the church. Each May a Media Mass is held with members of the St. Louis media participating and singing in the mass. The service is followed by a buffet meal. The Shrine's Annual Festival is held each June with ethnic food, folk music and a silent auction. Guided tours of the Shrine are also given during the festival. The Shrine celebrates the Feast of St. Joseph each March with the Italian custom of sharing bread. Each person who attends noon mass on March 18, St. Joseph's Feast Day, or the 11 a.m. mass on the Sunday preceding the feast day receives a loaf of bread. HISTORY: The cornerstone for the original St. Joseph's Church was laid in 1844 on land donated by Mrs. Ann Biddle, daughter of John Mullanphy, St. Louis' first philanthropist. A parish school was built nearby in 1862 and became the first installation in St. Louis of the Notre Dame sisters. A substantial addition was made in 1865-66 and is often referred to as the second St. Joseph's Church. Another major addition, referred to as the third St. Joseph's, was begun in 1881 when a new façade and twin towers were added. The towers, for safety reasons, were abbreviated in 1954. The Altar of Answered Prayers is the main altar of the second church. At that time the church served the German Catholic working class population living in the surrounding area, and Mass was said in German. Tenements in the area housed large families with five families living on each floor of the building. The church was also the first parish of the Notre Dame Sisters in St. Louis. In the parish house of the Shrine hangs an elaborate needlepoint done by a 2-year-old girl in 1882. The only authenticated miracle in Midwest America happened at the Shrine of St. Joseph. In 1861 a German immigrant named Ignatius Strecker was struck in the chest by a piece of iron in the soap factory where he worked. Although there was no open wound, Strecker was in constant pain and months later a tumor-like inflammation set in. His doctor tried to treat the wound with no success. A leading specialist was called in who opened the wound to find the breastbone and several ribs at the beginning of decomposition. Strecker's injuries were later complicated by the development of tuberculosis. Finally, Mr. Strecker was given two weeks to live. In the meantime, Strecker's wife attended a service by Father Francis Xavier Weninger who had newly arrived in St. Louis to preach a mission. At the service Mrs. Strecker attended Father Weninger sermon on the Blessed Peter Claver, called at the time, "Apostle of Negro Missions," who was believed to have great intercessory powers with God. On March 16, 1864, Strecker went to the church as Father Weninger was blessing the congregation with a relic of Peter Claver. The priest allowed Strecker to kiss the relic. Immediately Strecker experienced a resurgence of strength. His symptoms abated, his breastbone and ribs began to heal and he returned to work a few days later. He lived until 1880 and his death was ruled to be from typhoid fever and unrelated to the earlier injury. In 1887 the miracle was declared authentic by the Vatican and Peter Claver was canonized. The relic can still be seen at St. Joseph's, and a legend of assistance to the afflicted soon grew around the church in St. Louis. In 1866 a massive cholera epidemic swept St. Louis killing 140 people each day. St. Joseph's Church held 10-15 funerals a day as a result of the epidemic. Father Weber, the pastor of St. Joseph's, called the parishioners together in a vow that if St. Joseph would intercede for them, they would erect a monument in his honor. The congregants pledged $2,000, a goodly sum for those times, for construction of the monument. No one from any family signing the pledge died from cholera, and the parish's monument of thanksgiving, the Altar of Answered Prayers, was installed in 1887. HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBILITY: The Shrine of St. Joseph is handicapped accessible. WHERE TO GET LUNCH: There are many good restaurants in Downtown St. Louis just south and west of the Shrine. GIFT SHOP: The Shrine has no gift shop but it sells a video of the history of St. Joseph's, its restoration and a tour of the shrine as it is today. WHAT'S NEARBY: Nearby is America's Center, St. Louis' Convention Center and to the south and west are the Old Cathedral, the Gateway Arch, the Old Courthouse, Busch Stadium and Union Station. PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT: Ralph Ellerbrock, volunteer and church organist, 314-231-9407
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