Notre Dame in LaGrange absorbed into St. Joseph in Canton

You take those memories with you and teach them to your children and grandchildren and pass that down as you become part of another parish and share your gifts and talents and wisdom and even the grief of saying goodbye to this place.”

Father Christopher Aubuchon

As part of an effort to solidify the Catholic presence in northeastern Missouri, Bishop W. Shawn McKnight issued a decree folding the Notre Dame mission in LaGrange into neighboring St. Joseph parish in Canton, effective Aug. 23.

He did so in response to a written request signed by Father Robert Fields, canonical administrator of the parishes in Lewis County and pastor of the Clark County parishes; Sister Jane Weisgram SSND, parish life collaborator for the Lewis County parishes; and the members of the Notre Dame pastoral council.

The diocesan Presbyteral Council reviewed the request on Aug. 20, 35 years and one day after the dedication of the current Notre Dame Church building.

Based on several factors, most notably the spiritual wellbeing of all the faithful, the Presbyteral Council unanimously advised Bishop McKnight to grant the request.

All patrimony of the Notre Dame mission “will be assumed by the St. Joseph Catholic Parish,” he wrote in the Aug. 23 decree.

The Notre Dame mission had 25 registered families.

At last count, the average weekend Mass attendance at Notre Dame was 52.

St. Joseph Church is seven and a half miles from LaGrange.

“Way marks in the wilderness”

The Notre Dame mission dates back to 1865, when local Catholics bought land to build their first church building.

Named in honor of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, that church was completed and blessed in 1867.

Throughout its history, the congregation remained a mission of St. Joseph in Canton, which by 1900 was also maintaining missions in Alexandria, Lewistown, Monticello, Wayland and Williamstown.

Father John O’Shea, who became pastor in 1883, wrote of riding for hours over the rough roads between the parishes and missions.

“Make ye way marks in the wilderness,” he would say, echoing Jeremiah 31:21.

A new church, incorporating some of the bricks and windows from the old, was completed in 1949 and given the name Notre Dame, which is Latin for “Our Lady.”

That church was damaged in flooding of the Mississippi River in 1973. The building was repaired while parishioners went about planning to build on higher ground.

A new, multipurpose church building and parish hall was completed in 1983 and dedicated on Aug. 19, 1984.

Parishioners at the Notre Dame mission organized catechetical programs for children and annual social events to raise money and fellowship.

Sunday Mass continued in Notre Dame Church until the summer of 2018, following an intensive process of ascertaining the vitality and long-term viability in each of the parishes and missions in the diocese.

Father Christopher Aubuchon, who was serving as pastor at that time, offered the final weekend Mass in Notre Dame Church.

He remembers that Mass well.

In his homily, he talked about it being a turning of a page in the lives of the people of the Notre Dame parish family.

 “We talked a lot about the importance of unity and community and how we can become better and stronger together through this transition,” he recalled.

He said it was important for people to acknowledge their sense of loss before God and one another.

“Grieving is healthy, and it comes in many forms,” said Fr. Aubuchon. “You can have anger and denial and sadness and sometimes all of these at once.”

But while acknowledging that grief with compassion, it’s important also to recognize the benefits of enhanced unity and community in keeping with the bishop’s vision of being better together.

He encouraged the people of Notre Dame to remain focused on the future and what’s best for everyone collectively, especially future generations.

“This building is not the heart of the parish,” he reminded them in his homily. “Christ and His Church and the people of God and the truth are at the heart.”

Fr. Aubuchon emphasized the importance of keeping the memories of Notre Dame alive.

“You take those memories with you and teach them to your children and grandchildren and pass that down as you become part of another parish and share your gifts and talents and wisdom and even the grief of saying goodbye to this place,” he said.

Upon reflection, the people decided to hold onto the memory of that moment rather than organize a last Mass in the church this year.

Honor the legacy

Bishop McKnight, Fr. Fields and Sr. Jane urge everyone who was a part of the Notre Dame mission to become active in another parish and continue to grow in their relationship with Christ.

“I urge everybody to continue practicing their faith and to become active wherever they may be,” said Fr. Fields.

“The best way I can think of to honor the great legacy of Notre Dame in LaGrange is to continue practicing your faith, going to Mass and immersing yourself in the life of the Church,” said Bishop McKnight.

Some of the former Notre Dame parishioners now go to Mass at of St. Joseph in Canton or Queen of Peace in Ewing.

Others go to Mass at St. Joseph in Palmyra or one of the parishes in Quincy, Illinois.

“Please don’t pass up any opportunity to expand your vision, grow in holiness and preach the Good News to one another and the people, especially those within the territorial boundaries of your parish,” said Bishop McKnight.

Sister Jane, who was appointed parish life collaborator for Canton, Ewing and LaGrange last summer, said she admires how the people of Notre Dame are handling the transition.

“Even with the greatest of difficulty, they made this decision and did what needed to be done,” she said.

Along the way, many experienced a sense of loss, some sadness and some anger.

“They loved their mission deeply and still do,” she said. “But they are handling it very admirably.”

She said they’re now hoping for at least part of their former church building to be put to use for the benefit of the greater community.

“This is a very tight community,” she noted, “and these are very community-minded people.”