County of church: Franklin County
Location of church: MO-YY & Krakow Loop, Krakow
Phone: (636) 239-4216
Built: 1856
Architectural Style: Romanesque Revival
"Back in 1856 when parishioners at St. Gertrude Parish in Krakow set out to build a new church, their goal was for "a more substantial building made of brick."
"Substantial it was, and is. The 150-year-old church still stands as strong and proud today as it did in 1856. It is older than St. Francis Borgia's current church (built in 1867) and many other area churches.
"St. Gertrude's church amazingly has weathered the test of time and beat the odds against Mother Nature's wrath — fires, floods, tornadoes, violent storms . . . and parishioners are celebrating.
"This weekend St. Gertrude kicks off a year of festivities to mark the church's milestone. An anniversary year opening Mass with Bishop Hermann will be held this Saturday, Nov. 18, at 4 p.m. An invitation-only dinner will follow.
"Next week, St. Gertrude will celebrate the actual anniversary day of the church dedication. It was dedicated Nov. 23, which this year is Thanksgiving Day. Mass will be held at 9 a.m.
"The church was built and dedicated in 1856. It was only half the size St. Gertrude parishioners know today.
"An addition in 1869, under the leadership of the Rev. Father Alexander Mathaushek, expanded the church to its present size.
'"A basement was added as well as a bell tower to the west or front section of the old church," reads one church history. "To the east, small rooms were added for the use of the priest when he stayed at the church."
"The architectural design of the church is of no particular style, but it does have some general Romanesque lines. One of the most distinctive features of St. Gertrude church is the bell tower ( added in 1869) with its domed or onion-shaped cap. That wasn't part of the original design.
'"The builders planned a spire to rise from the top of the present brick construction, but farmers and tradesmen feared to climb higher and the tower was brought to a rather abrupt end," history notes. "Originally the cupola was augmented with a pinnacle at each corner of the tower, but these pinnacles were removed many years ago as a safety measure."
"Now parishioners are taking steps to remove the onion-shaped dome and replace it with the traditional spire that was originally planned 150 years ago. A capital campaign is under way to raise funds to "fulfill the dream" parishioners had back in 1856, said Deacon Charlie Gildehaus, chairman of the church anniversary committee.
"Inside the bell tower are three bells that date back to 1871. The largest bell was christened "Gertrude" in memory of the donor, Mrs. Gertrude Voss, whose generosity to the church, according to oral history, led members to select her patron saint to name the church after.
"The two smaller bells were named Mary in honor of the Blessed Mother and Joseph in honor of St. Joseph.
"Renovations and Modifications
"Over the last century and a half many modifications have been made to the interior and exterior of the church.
"When the parish celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1945, it was noted that the interior had recently been "torn out to the ground and rebuilt with new concrete footings, streamers and floors. The furnishings and floor plan were completely altered. Three new altars, lighting, new pews and furnishings were installed" at a cost of $10,000.
"By 1971, extensive repairs for the church were again needed. Preliminary steps were taken on exterior tuckpointing and waterproofing, but the project stalled when the pastor, Rev. Clement Burghoff, was transferred in 1972.
"His successor, the Rev. Alphonso Westhoff, moved forward with the renovation plans. The church interior was renovated in 1973 and, for several months, Mass was forced to be held in the school cafeteria.
"The bulk of the renovation work was done by contract, but there was a group of parish men who volunteered their time to the project.
"The church interior was completely redecorated in the summer of 1987.
"In 1995, as part of the parish's sesquicentennial celebration, the oval window above the main altar was uncovered from the early days when the building was constructed and a stained-glass window was installed.
"In 1999, a large "dove" stained-glass window was installed at the rear of the choir loft. The organ was completely rebuilt and moved.
"In 2001, parishioners rejected a proposal to build a new church and instead moved forward with a $150,000 project to renovate the existing church, according to a 2003 church history.
"Much of the interior was gutted, new supports were added to the floor and a new subfloor was installed, along with new ductwork. The sanctuary was shortened to allow for three more pews on either side of the church.
"The old "stained-glass" windows along the side walls of the church were taken down and found not to be stained-glass at all, but rather painted. They were replaced with oversized, double-hung windows.
"Also at this time, all of the pews were refinished and new kneelers, brackets and floor coverings were installed.
"The interior decor was changed to a colonial style including fluted woodwork with rosettes and pediments.
"A marble pulpit was installed and the existing altar was given a marble finish.
"The church roof was painted, all exterior fascia was covered with white aluminum and the bricks were sealed and waterproofed. Finally, a large awning was installed at the main entrance.
"Although the size of St. Gertrude has not stopped growing — today's membership stands at nearly 800 families — no major additions have been made to the church since 1869.
'"We're not sure the structure could withstand an addition now," Deacon Gildehaus remarked.
"To accommodate the increased membership, St. Gertrude offers additional Mass times, he said. The parish holds five Masses over the weekend. To assist pastor Rev. Rich Coerver manage that busy schedule, a Franciscan friar from Dittmer comes to Krakow each weekend to help.
"Much of the credit for maintaining the church all these years goes to the members, said Deacon Gildehaus.
'"There is a pride of ownership here," he said. "We do have a staff to maintain the grounds, but whenever something has needed to be done, people step up to help.
'"For specific projects, volunteers always come forward to get the job done. It's just part of who they are," he remarked.
"Longtime Members
Remember Their Church
"One of the features several longtime members of St. Gertrude remember most about their beloved church was the original staircase that led to the front doors. The steps were taken down in the 1971 renovation project, but they are well documented in people's memories and photos.
'"From the side, they had this arch that was great for wedding photos," said John J. Elbert, 79, a St. Gertrude member all of his life. "Everybody had a wedding photo taken there.
'"They were horrible, though, for funerals," he pointed out. "You had to carry the caskets all the way up those steps."
"One St. Gertrude funeral many people may well remember or heard about, however, is known not for the steep walk up the front steps but for what happened in the choir loft just before the crowd was leaving church.
"In the 1930s, the funeral for Al Tobben, a former school board president, was so well attended that the crowded choir loft actually slid down its pillars, Florentine (Marquart) Peters, 83, recalled. Termite damage was the culprit.
'"I remember the Sisters just told us to pray and that everything would be all right," said Peters, who was in the loft at the time.
"Later to repair the damage, jacks were put underneath the loft to lift it up so the pillars could be rebuilt, she noted. During the construction, workers found debris from the 1869 addition, she said.
"Pat Osseck, a St. Gertrude member since 1960 and one of the people involved in putting together a history book on St. Gertude, mentioned a couple of the items that may make it into the book.
"The Rev. George Fugel, who was pastor at St. Gertrude from 1907 to 1932 and a hobby taxidermist, used to decorate the church's Nativity scene with stuffed wildlife animals like foxes and birds, said Osseck.
"And, per tradition, families in the early 1900s who were holding a wedding used to invite relatives and friends for the occasion by going house to house with a "wedding stick."
'"Back in those days, Wednesday was the popular day for weddings," Osseck noted. "The church actually frowned on any weekend activities. Even picnics and things were held during the week."
"Elbert and his wife, Verona (Hoelscher), also 79 and a lifelong member, recalled another St. Gertrude tradition — the annual Corpus Christi processions St. Gertrude used to hold.
'"We went to Mass at 8 a.m. and then there was a procession to three altars that had been set up at the steps, at the rectory and at the cemetery," said Verona. "One (altar) was for young people, one was for married ladies and one was for married men."
"The procession wasn't unique to St. Gertrude, she noted. It was a Catholic tradition followed by many churches.
"One aspect of St. Gertrude history that is unique to the church is the work of the now defunct Krakow Improvement Club, jokingly referred to by some as "the Piddle Club."
'"We did things like start the barbecue stand that used to be at Highways A and YY," recalled Peters, who was a member with her husband. "People used to joke that all we did was piddle, but we did things to try and improve the church and parish."
"Here's to Another 150
"In all of the written church histories that were provided to The Missourian for this article, there isn't a notation of any major damage ever occurring at St. Gertrude Church. Several members did mention a lightning strike that hit the steeple during Mass back in the 1970s. It started a fire, but there was no major damage.
"St. Gertrude's parishioners are praying their luck continues another 150 years." ~ The Missourian, By Karen Cernich, Nov. 15, 2006