St. Agatha Catholic Church, St. Louis, Missouri

With today being St.Agatha's feast day, here is a trio of photos from St. Agatha Catholic Church in St. Louis, Missouri.  This Gothic Revival church building is one of many noteworthy churches in The Gateway City. 

The initials of St. Agatha sit above the main doors into the church.  As with many Gothic churches, buttresses are prevalent.  These ones are projecting somewhat unusually from the steeple in a diagonal fashion.

St. Agatha sits just a few blocks south of the Anheuser-Busch (that's Budweiser folks) brewery in the historic Soulard neighborhood of St. Louis.  Largely cut off from the more vibrant areas of the neighborhood's bar and restaurant scene, nineteenth century homes are still prevalent around the parish, making for a pleasant walking environment.  St. Agatha serves as the parish for Polish-language masses in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

St. Louis' historic wealth of impressive neighborhood catholic churches earned the city a noteworthy moniker as "Rome of the West."  Today, a lovely blog, Rome of the West, has a lovely photo set and description of St. Agatha's which you can visit here.  The author of Rome of the West has done a fine job of photographing churches in and around the St. Louis metro area and his site is definitely worth a visit!

St. Agatha Church

3239 S. 9th St.  St. Louis, MO 63118

http://www.polishchurchstlouis.org/

Two Basilicas in One Day, Part 2 - St. Josaphat

The second basilica visit on this day was nearly as hectic as the first.  By the time I arrived at St. Josaphat, it was already dark, after the vigil mass.  Fortunately, the Basilica was hosting a concert that evening, so I was able to catch some photos with the evening lighting.

Altar of the Annunciation, with the advent wreath, votive candles, and the umbrellino all nearby.

Detail of the altar, featuring the Black Madonna and Child.  The Black Madonna, often referred to as Our Lady of Czestochowa, is the patroness of Poland.  The neighborhood of the Basilica began as a large Polish immigrant stronghold, starting many parishes in south Milwaukee.  To this day, Polish-American traditions still hold sway around the south side of the Milwaukee metro area, including at the Basilica.

A side altar, originating from the previous St. Josaphat's parish church from the 19th century.  With the altar's center devoted to Our Lady of the Rosary, we also see Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Milwaukee's prominent south-siders are newer immigrants and their descendants from Mexico.  Their presence around the south side of Milwaukee makes for one of the most culturally vibrant parts of Wisconsin.  Their devotion to Catholicism is also vital to keeping many of Milwaukee's parishes open after the departure of other ethnic groups. 

Detail of St. Joseph and the Christ Child, from a matching side altar.

The Annual Helping Tree.

Many of these anecdotes come from The Basilica of St. Josaphat, a book produced by the Basilica in 2002.  It is a rich guide on the history of the community, architecture, and decor of the Basilica.

The Basilica of St. Josaphat

2333 S. 6th St.  Milwaukee, WI 53215
http://thebasilica.org/