History
St. George Church in Linn, Missouri, was established in 1866.
Immediately following the Civil War, there were about 12 families living in Linn and surrounding area who attended Mass at Immaculate Conception Church in Loose Creek because there were no churches in Linn. A group of citizens met in the Courthouse in September of 1866 and voted for the building of a Catholic church and pledged support.
The church was founded as a Mission of Loose Creek and Westphalia. St. George remained a mission church until Rev. Joseph Schroeder was appointed the first diocesan pastor in 1885. The first church, built in 1867, was a structure of plain red brick with three windows and was very sparsely decorated. The cornerstone for the first church was laid May 20, 1867. The patron, St. George, was likely in honor of George Fechter and George Hopkins who donated the site.
The parish population continued to grow because of the resident pastor and school, so in 1891 plans were made to replace the old church. The cornerstone for the new church was laid in October of 1894. The church was finished in 1896 and blessed. The interior of the new church was first decorated in1897. The pipe organ was installed in August, 1910.
The church was repaired and redecorated in 1934—the last time the building was redecorated until it was torn down in 1974 to make room for the present structure. The current church building was blessed May 2, 1976. The interior of the church was renovated in 2018 and formally dedicated by Bishop McKnight on Father’s Day, June 17, 2018.
The first rectory, established on the northwest corner of parish property, was used until 1896. The current rectory was built next to the church in the fall of 1898. Bricks used in parts of the building were from the old (first) church which stood near the present rectory. The rectory is currently in use as a home for pastors and the parish office.
The School Sisters of Notre Dame have continuously served St. George School since 1883. Currently one SSND teaches first grade at St. George.
St. George celebrated its sesquicentennial on October 1, 2016.
Pastoral Care
- 1883-1885: Rev. P. A. Krier, Served I. C. Parish in Loose Creek and its Mission of St. George
- 1885-1887:Rev. P. A. Krier, Served I. C. Parish in Loose Creek and its Mission of St. George
- 1887-1890: Rev. B. A. Tannrath, Second Pastor
- 1890-1896: Rev. A. J. Happe, Third Pastor
- 1896-1904: Rev. A. Mayer, Fourth Pastor
- 1904-1906: Rev. Max A. Rupprechter, Fifth Pastor
- 1906-1907: Rev. Herman Adrian, Sixth Pastor
- 1907-1925: Rev. H. J. Muckermann, Seventh Pastor (served parish 18 years)
- 1925-1937: Rev. Wm. Fisher, Eighth Pastor
- 1937-1949: Rev. G. H. Schmidt, Ninth Pastor
- 1949-1951: Rev. Louis H. Bruns, Tenth Pastor
- 1951-1966: Rev. Bernard A. Timpe, Eleventh Pastor
St. Alexander Parish in Belle was assigned as a Mission of St. George Parish during these years:
- 1954-1957: Rev Ferdinand C. Bonn, Assistant Pastor
- 1957-1958: Rev. John T. Pack, Assistant Pastor
- 1958-1963: Rev. John W. Buchanan, Assistant Pastor
- 1963-1965: Rev. Brendan Doyle, Assistant Pastor
- 1965-1969: Rev. Michael Flanagan, Assistant Pastor
- 1969-1972: Rev. Patrick O’Gara, Assistant Pastor
- 1972-1973: Rev. Pat Duggan, Assistant Pastor
- 1966-1970: Rev. Jerome Jaworski, Twelfth Pastor
- 1970-1971: Rev. John Degnan, Thirteenth Pastor
- 1971-1980: Rev. Edwin A. Schmidt, Fourteenth Pastor
- 1980-1986: Rev. James Offutt, Fifteenth Pastor
- 1986-1991: Rev. John J. Johnson, Sixteenth Pastor
- 1991-1998: Rev. Brendan Doyle, Seventeenth Pastor
- 1998-2001: Rev. Paul M. Hartley, Eighteenth Pastor
- 2001-2002: Rev. Daniel Lueckenotte, Nineteenth Pastor
- 2002-2012: Rev. I. C. Medina, Twentieth Pastor
- 2012-2014: Rev. John Schmitz, Twenty-first Pastor
- 2015-2020: Rev. Daniel Merz, Twenty-second Pastor
- 2020: Rev. Colin Franklin, Twenty-third Pastor
St. George School
- 1882: Plans made for a convent and school building, construction was started.
- September 10, 1883: St. George’s Mission of the School Sisters of Notre Dame opened by four sisters with 48 students. Some students boarded at the convent. Curriculum included some high school subjects.
- June 29, 1909: Cornerstone laid for a school building which consisted of four classrooms, basement and hall with a stage. The facility, known as Notre Dame Hall, continues to serve the parish.
- August 22, 1954: Groundbreaking for a new school. The former convent was torn down to make way for the school building.
- 1959-60 school year: Enrollment continued to grow so the first lay teacher, Miss Josepha Schrader, was added to staff.
- 1962: Convent committee was organized to plan a building across the street from parish property which could accommodate six sisters. The basement housed the Sewing Circle and later the Good Shepherd Center. The convent building was later sold.
- 1964: Classrooms in the old school building were renovated to provide additional classrooms for grades six, seven and eight, called St. George Junior High.
- 1992-93 school year: Kindergarten was started at St. George School. Mary Ann Burns was named the first lay principal.
- 1995: An Activities Center was added to provide additional classroom space and gymnasium facilities.
- 2017: Classrooms finished and 7th and 8th grades moved from Notre Dame to New School. All school children under one roof.