On the near South Side of St. Louis, in the LaSalle and Soulard neighborhoods where Frenchtown once gathered around its fur-trading families, St. Vincent DePaul Parish has stood at 1408 South 10th Street since the 1840s. Run from the beginning by the Vincentian Fathers of the Congregation of the Mission, the parish carries forward a single vocation: to follow Christ, the Evangelizer of the poor, through Eucharistic-centered worship, service to those on the margins, and preaching the Gospel in an ecumenical spirit. Today the parish is best known for the way that vocation shows up on the ground - a daily noon Mass beside a daily sandwich window, a food pantry run by a Daughter of Charity, and a robust Justice Jubilee that walks the parish through a year of Catholic social teaching.
From Holy Trinity to a Vincentian Parish
The story of St. Vincent's is the story of two churches and a city that would not stop growing. Before 1837 the only Catholic church in St. Louis was the Cathedral. Bishop Rosati, wanting to relieve the congestion and bring the sacraments south of the city, accepted land from Julia Soulard, widow of Antoine Soulard, and arranged to build a new parish. Work on Holy Trinity Church began on the southwest corner of that gift in 1839, but an economic downturn, a hard winter, and theft of construction materials left the foundation exposed and idle for years. When the chapel the Vincentians were using collapsed in 1843, the seminarians were given permission to dismantle what was left of Holy Trinity and carry the stones one block north, where a new church - St. Vincent de Paul - would rise.
Father John Timon, C.M., and Father Francis Xavier Dahmen, C.M. - the latter conducting Mass in German for the immigrant congregation - laid the cornerstone in February 1843. The Vincentians made one stipulation that shaped the parish for the next 180 years: St. Vincent's would be a Vincentian parish, owned and staffed by their order, with the Vincentians still serving the neighborhood today through the Western Province of the Congregation of the Mission.
Mass, Music, and the Sunday Coffee Hour
The parish gathers for Mass five days a week and twice on Sunday. Saturday Vigil is at 4:30 pm; Sunday Masses are at 9:00 am and 11:00 am; weekday Mass is at 12:05 pm Monday through Friday. The 9:00 am Sunday Mass is livestreamed, with the feed beginning about five minutes before the opening hymn.
Music at St. Vincent's reflects the diversity of the community. Different celebrations of the Eucharist draw on a range of styles, and the choir is open to new members who want to sing. After both Sunday morning Masses, the parish gathers in the Church Hall for coffee and donuts, a casual time for newcomers to meet the regulars.
The parish offices at 1408 South 10th Street are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and on Saturday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. The parish phone number, (314) 231-9328, reaches the office during those hours.
Sacraments for the Whole of Life
St. Vincent's prepares parishioners and seekers for the sacraments at every stage. Infant baptism follows a three-step process: a Baptism Request Form, an online video course through Ascension Press's Belonging series, and an in-person session with the Family Faith Formation Coordinator alongside other parents. Parents of older children are still welcome to take the videos and join the session. Adults and children over seven who have not been baptized enter the parish through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), a process of study, faith-sharing, and liturgical rites that also welcomes baptized Christians from other denominations into full communion with the Catholic Church.
First Communion preparation is folded into the parish's Family Faith Formation program. Couples planning to marry at St. Vincent's are asked to contact the pastor or parochial administrator at least six months in advance and complete the FOCCUS program; both members of the couple are expected to be registered parishioners or to have a close family connection to the parish. For funerals, the parish office asks to be called as soon as possible after a death so that the staff can walk the family through the arrangements; readings from the USCCB are available online to help families select scripture passages.
Family Faith Formation
Family Faith Formation is the parish's answer to the more familiar PSR or CCD model of weekly religious education. It is a single program designed for the whole household - parents and children together - with one monthly gathering at the parish on the fourth Sunday of the month, after the 11:00 am Mass, plus materials for shared prayer, reflection, and discussion at home during the week. The Sunday gathering begins with the 11:00 Mass, moves into lunch in the Annex, splits into adult and children's formation after lunch, and closes with a brief prayer time together. A second, optional Sunday gathering is offered in some months for seasonal preparation around Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter.
Families with children from birth through twelfth grade are welcome. The parish also welcomes adult mentors who have raised children to serve as coaches for the parents in the program.
A Food Pantry, a Sandwich Window, and a Monthly Meal
If the parish's Mass schedule is its rhythm of prayer, the outreach schedule is its rhythm of service. Sister Germaine Price, D.C., a Daughter of Charity, organizes and operates the food pantry on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:15 am to noon, by appointment, for neighbors in the 63104 zip code. A Free Bread Table, supplied by donations from local shops and individuals, is set out Monday through Thursday from noon to 2:00 pm. The Sandwich Window hands out more than 100 sack lunches a day, Monday through Saturday from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Once a month, the parish hall becomes a soup kitchen. The Meals Program, organized by Kitchen Manager Tony Lonero with volunteers coordinated by Desiray Taylor, serves a hot meal from 5:00 to 6:00 pm every evening from the 22nd of one month through the 1st of the next - ten dinners in a row, no reservation required. A volunteer appreciation gathering each summer and an annual golf tournament help fund and sustain the work.
The Ladies of Charity run the Clothing Window on Tuesdays from noon to 1:30 pm and a monthly Rummage Sale on the first Saturday of each month from 9:00 to 11:00 am. Senior Bingo brings parishioners and neighbors together for a weekly game, a hot lunch, and a chance to win donated prizes, with a $2 donation supporting the program. Emergency utility assistance for households in the 63104 zip code is available through the parish's St. Vincent de Paul Conference.
The Ladies of Charity and the St. Vincent de Paul Society
Two companion organizations extend the parish's reach. The Ladies of Charity of St. Louis, a centuries-old lay apostolate, operate the Clothing Window and the monthly Rummage Sale out of St. Vincent's, drawing volunteers from across the area. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the international Catholic network of charity, fields the parish conference that responds to emergency utility needs for households in the service area. Both groups are listed among the parish's helpful links and are closely woven into the parish's day-to-day life.
The Justice Jubilee Year
For the liturgical year running from Advent 2024 through the end of 2025, the parish launched a Justice Jubilee Year, a joint effort of the Justice and Service Commission, the Faith Formation Commission, and the Anti-Racism and Equity Working Group. Each month takes up a different area of Catholic social teaching - immigration in January, racial inequities in February, housing in March, food insecurity in April, justice for women in May, income inequality in June, criminal justice in July, healthcare in August, care of creation in September, education in October, and voting rights in November. Weekday morning prayers follow a weekly pattern: Monday scripture, Tuesday Catholic social teaching, Wednesday a saint or role model, Thursday a Vincentian connection, and Friday a Pope Francis reflection.
Parishioners are encouraged to move from prayer to action. During the housing month, the parish circulated a sample letter opposing Missouri HB 595, a bill that would limit local source-of-income discrimination protections for housing voucher holders. During the immigration month, parishioners were asked to call Missouri's senators to oppose the Laken Riley Act. The parish also publishes an ongoing monthly Zoom discussion on racism and other social justice topics on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm.
Cabrini Academy and the Grade School Partnership
St. Vincent's does not operate its own grade school. Instead, the parish is one of the sponsors of St. Frances Cabrini Academy, a Catholic school on the near South Side that welcomes children of all faiths. The school is identified on the parish's About page as the parish's grade school option, and the parish lists Cabrini Academy among its helpful links.
Leadership and Staff
The parish is led by Father Kevin McCracken, C.M., as Parochial Administrator, with Father Rajesh Lakra, C.M., serving as Associate Pastor. Permanent Deacon Terry Collins assists at Mass and in pastoral ministry. Sharon Essner serves as Pastoral Associate. Dennis Wells directs liturgy and music. Sister Germaine Price, D.C., manages the food pantry; Desiray Taylor coordinates volunteers and outreach. Russ Struttmann directs operations, Tony Lonero manages the kitchen, and Kaity Murphy serves as secretary and events coordinator.
Getting Involved
Newcomers are welcome to register as parishioners through the online form on the Get Involved page or by downloading a fillable PDF registration form. Volunteer opportunities range from the Lunch Window, Food Pantry, Meals Program, Senior Bingo, Suds of Love, and Christmas Program to parish events such as the auction, golf tournament, TurkeyFest, and Christmas party. The parish also asks for volunteers to help with Family Faith Formation, both with children and as mentors for parents. Baptisms, weddings, funeral arrangements, and inquiries about becoming Catholic are all handled through the parish office at (314) 231-9328.
St. Vincent DePaul Parish is, in the end, what its Vincentian founders intended it to be: a parish that sits inside the life of its neighborhood, that opens its doors several times a day for prayer and several more times for service, and that takes seriously the call to follow Christ, the Evangelizer of the poor, in the streets just outside its doors.