
History of the Parish
Founded in 1857 through the zeal, hard work, sweat and generous donations of the Catholic citizens of Mascoutah and the surrounding towns, the first church, made of brick and timber, had a capacity of 60 families.
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Two years after the founding of the church, the parishioners began the education of the children for the community and Holy Childhood of Jesus Catholic School was born. With the growing Catholic communities in the area, this first church was quickly outgrown and replaced in 1882 by the considerably larger, beautiful church we still use today.
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Over the past 150+ years, Holy Childhood of Jesus has served thousands of Catholics and the community through faith, education, and service. Under the guidance of great pastors, including our current pastor, Reverend Mark Stec, our Parish has become a vital part of our community of Mascoutah and the Belleville Diocese.
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With God's grace and blessings, we will continue this mission for the next 150 years and beyond. We welcome you to join us in this quest.​​​​​​​
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1932 Double Jubilee
In 1932, Holy Childhood celebrated the Diamond Jubilee (75th Anniversary) of the parish and the Golden Jubilee (50th Anniversary) of the present church. Below is a souvenir book that was created for that event. It contains a lot of the history of our parish.