Copyright © 2022 by "St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, DuBois, IL" · All Rights reserved · E-Mail: stcharleschurch@wisperhome.com
St. Charles Borromeo
Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
History of St. Charles Borromeo
223 S. 3rd St.
DuBois, IL 62831
DuBois, IL 62831
The first Baptismal record of St. Charles Borromeo is listed on December 26, 1868. Father Charles Klocke baptised Katherine Oberhofer, daughter of Lawrence and Anna Meier Oberhofer. Father Klocke traveled from DuQuoin on occasion to say Mass for the settlers of DuBois. Father Klocke was administrator of St. Charles until 1877. The first marriage listed was that of Joseph Drezka and Magdalen Przygoda on August 16, 1877.
The first meeting of the trustees of the Roman Catholic Church at Coloma ( the original name of the Village of DuBois), Washington County, Illinois was on March 2, 1871. Adam Kuhn and William Oberhofer were the first Secretary and Treasure of the church. The highlight was the building of the first church building in 1877, (a picture of it is in the photos page of this site). The original building stood southeast of the present church and was 75 feet long and 36 feet wide. The first Mass was offered on the third Sunday of Advent, December 16, 1877. In 1878 Father L. Riesen came from Pinckneyville to serve as pastor of St. Charles Parish. He was followed by Father Dezyderjusz Liss in 1879 to 1881. There were several other pastors of the parish, but a huge problem arose. Most settlers of the parish were of Polish descent and the pastors were mainly German so many of the sermons were in German which the Polish settlers did not understand. That and a huge debt problem caused the parish to be closed on April 12, 1883. The church was reopened on September 30, 1883 with the help of the original administrator, Father Charles Klocke.
On July 16, 1898, Father Joseph Ceranski was appointed pastor of St. Charles. The parish quickly outgrew it's church building, resulting in a new parish to be organized in Scheller, Il. Continued growth because of the railroad that came through DuBois led to the establishment of new parishes in Tamaroa and Posen. A fund was started to build a new church building and by 1908 it had $8,000 in it. Father Ceranski served as the architect of the new building, modeling it after St. Stanislaus Kostka in St. Louis. Construction began in May of 1908 and completed in 1910. It is 131 feet long, 80 feet wide and 58-1/2 feet high with its twin towers reaching a peak of 116 feet. Total cost was around $30,000.
Monsignor Ceranski died on August 9, 1962 after serving as pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Church for an amazing 64 years.
In 1922 the original school was built using wood from the original church building. The current rectory was built in 1938. A new school and convent was built in 1966 and the church underwent an extensive renovation in 1999.
Much more information on the parish is available in our 125th Anniversary book, available as a PDF file by clicking on this link. Many thanks to Norma Richardson and Mary Ksycki for their work in putting together the history.
The first meeting of the trustees of the Roman Catholic Church at Coloma ( the original name of the Village of DuBois), Washington County, Illinois was on March 2, 1871. Adam Kuhn and William Oberhofer were the first Secretary and Treasure of the church. The highlight was the building of the first church building in 1877, (a picture of it is in the photos page of this site). The original building stood southeast of the present church and was 75 feet long and 36 feet wide. The first Mass was offered on the third Sunday of Advent, December 16, 1877. In 1878 Father L. Riesen came from Pinckneyville to serve as pastor of St. Charles Parish. He was followed by Father Dezyderjusz Liss in 1879 to 1881. There were several other pastors of the parish, but a huge problem arose. Most settlers of the parish were of Polish descent and the pastors were mainly German so many of the sermons were in German which the Polish settlers did not understand. That and a huge debt problem caused the parish to be closed on April 12, 1883. The church was reopened on September 30, 1883 with the help of the original administrator, Father Charles Klocke.
On July 16, 1898, Father Joseph Ceranski was appointed pastor of St. Charles. The parish quickly outgrew it's church building, resulting in a new parish to be organized in Scheller, Il. Continued growth because of the railroad that came through DuBois led to the establishment of new parishes in Tamaroa and Posen. A fund was started to build a new church building and by 1908 it had $8,000 in it. Father Ceranski served as the architect of the new building, modeling it after St. Stanislaus Kostka in St. Louis. Construction began in May of 1908 and completed in 1910. It is 131 feet long, 80 feet wide and 58-1/2 feet high with its twin towers reaching a peak of 116 feet. Total cost was around $30,000.
Monsignor Ceranski died on August 9, 1962 after serving as pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Church for an amazing 64 years.
In 1922 the original school was built using wood from the original church building. The current rectory was built in 1938. A new school and convent was built in 1966 and the church underwent an extensive renovation in 1999.
Much more information on the parish is available in our 125th Anniversary book, available as a PDF file by clicking on this link. Many thanks to Norma Richardson and Mary Ksycki for their work in putting together the history.
