Archbishop (later Cardinal) Joseph Ritter wished to start a new parish in St. Louis South County to serve a growing suburban Catholic population, so he asked the Congregation of the Mission to begin the new parish. St. Catherine Laboure has been staffed by the Congregation of the Mission since its beginning in 1953. The members of the congregation are also known as Vincentian priests and brothers in honor of St. Vincent de Paul, the community’s founder.
St. Catherine Laboure was chosen as the patroness of the parish. St. Catherine was a Daughter of Charity who received apparitions of our Blessed Mother in 1830 at the Mother House of the Daughters in Paris, France. These apparitions led to the distribution of a medal honoring Mary’s Immaculate Conception which is popularly known as the Miraculous Medal. The Daughters of Charity were co-founded by St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac.
St. Catherine Laboure Parish has fostered a supportive relationship with St. Vincent de Paul Parish, one of the oldest parishes in the City of St. Louis. St. Vincent’s has a well-established mission of service to the poor of St. Louis.
Today, St. Catherine Laboure is a community of more than 2000 households. The cornerstone of the current church was laid in 1975. It seats 700 worshippers. Our parish has one of the largest K-8 schools in the archdiocese of St. Louis enrolling more than 450 students, and we have a large Parish School of Religion.
We are the People of God, a parish of brothers and sisters, Baptized in Jesus Christ and united in the Eucharist. We strive to follow Jesus Christ the evangelizer of the poor. Because the Eucharist is the font and source of our lives, We consciously commit ourselves to build and nourish A community to worship God and serve each other. We express our worship and our calling, By living as a People for the Poor In an active and practical manner, Inspired by the charism of Saint Vincent De Paul. With St. Catherine Laboure as our patroness, We commit to a dedicated love of Mary, the mother of Jesus.