Little Flower Parish:
Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
by Joellen McDonnald

In 1922, Cardinal John J. Glennon, Archbishop of St. Louis, paid $15,000 to purchase land at Boland Place and Arch Terrace for a future parish. Originally, Cardinal Glennon encouraged Father Tim Dempsey to establish a new St. Patrick’s Parish at this site. Father Dempsey, after much consideration, decided to remain at St. Patrick’s Church in the City of St. Louis. This fortuitous decision allowed the cardinal to choose another priest, Father Joseph Tammany, to become pastor. The parish name was to be chosen later.

When Father Tammany arrived in the fall of 1925, there were only a few houses on Clayton Road, as well as Boland Place and Arch Terrace. In fact, 70 families comprised the entire parish. The very first Masses were celebrated in the home of Fenton and Marian Petersen, located at the northwest corner of Wise Avenue and Boland Place A temporary wooden church was constructed on the present site of the school building and was referred to as ‘the cardboard cathedral.’ The first Mass in this church was celebrated at midnight on Christmas Eve, 1925. At this Mass, parishioner John C. Gallagher passed his derby to take up the first collection. This derby lies in the cornerstone of the present church. The commemorative booklet, Golden Teresian Memories, published for the 50th anniversary of Monsignor Tammany’s ordination, describes this original church, “Although it served the spiritual needs of the parish, the old church was not a thing of beauty. It was air-conditioned in an inverse order; that is, too much heat in the summer and too much cold in the winter.”

The parish boundaries in 1925 extended from Clayton Road. on the north to West Bruno on the south, and from Big Bend Boulevard on the east to East Linden Avenue on the west. Ann Marie Petersen was the first baby to be baptized on November 29, 1925. The first marriage actually was celebrated at the Petersen home between John B. O’Reilly and Josephine Dugan on January 30, 1926, and the first funeral was held on September 9, 1926, for Audrey Smith.

In the early winter of 1926, parishioners met with Father Tammany to decide on a name for the new parish. It was agreed by all that St. Therese of Lisieux, “The Little Flower,” who had recently been canonized, would be “a beautiful patroness.”

During the first few months, Father Tammany commuted from All Saint’s rectory in University City, then took up residence on Boland Place, and in 1928 moved to a flat on Gissler Avenue. He finally moved to the present rectory in 1931.

The education of their children was a primary concern of those first members of the parish. In May 1926, a group met with Father Tammany to discuss building a school. He did not see how the parish could afford the $5000 deemed necessary to construct a two-room school. After Father left this meeting, a group of indignant parishioners talked about moving away if a school could not be built. This unhappiness led to a compromise and by September 1926 a two-room wooden building at the corner of Boland Place and Arch Terrace stood ready to receive 50 students. Two Sparkill Dominican sisters, Sister Georgiana, O.P., and Sister Louis, O.P., greeted the Little Flower students on their first day of school. The sisters commuted from St. Mark’s Parish in the City of St. Louis until the combination church and school building was constructed in 1929. The sisters lived in part of the upper floor of the school until 1942. Enrollment in 1929 was 150 students and 5 sisters were on the faculty. The third floor of the present school building was not added until 1937. By 1958, there were 9 sisters teaching 470 students.

The first parish organization to be founded was the St. Vincent de Paul Society in 1929. The Great Depression afforded this group more than enough needy people to assist over the first few years of its existence. Robert F. Lyons was the first president.

The rectory, located at 1264 Arch Terrace, was completed in January 1931. In 1941, the parish purchased the Sala home at 1275 Arch Terrace for the Dominican Sisters, adding a chapel and some other rooms. The sisters moved into the convent in 1942.

Under the direction of associate pastor, Cornelius Callahan, a Young People’s Club for singles only was organized in the 1930s to produce plays. The purpose of the club was to provide opportunities to socialize but also to entertain. One news release advertised Broken Dishes, to be performed on April 15, 1934, at the Knights of Columbus Hall. The performance was followed by an informal reception and dance, music provided by Buddy Duddy and his orchestra. General admission prices were 50 cents, with reserved seats for 60 cents. Some of the parish talent featured in this production were Ed Adler as the detective, Rosemary Noland as Elaine Bumpstead, and Robert Imbs as her boyfriend. Youth and adult theater continued to be a mainstay throughout the parish history. The two theatrical groups that survived the longest were the Ball and Chain, which was sponsored annually by the Men’s Club for 10 years from the 1960s until the early 1970s, and the current Little Flower Theatre Group still performing under the direction of Tod Mueller. This organization grew out of an earlier C.Y.C. theater group directed first by Father Vernon Gardin and later by Father James Grady. Two parishioners, Al and Mary Ann Mahon, supported each production with many hours of creative energy designing and making the sets and handling other essential chores. Many of the cast members have been involved with these yearly productions since they were teenagers.

In 1935, the men of the parish decided to organize the Little Flower Men’s Club and elected Walter E. McEnery as their first president. One year later, two women’s groups officially combined – the Mother’s Club and the Sanctuary Society of the Little Flower Church – and became the Ladies of the Little Flower Church. Nona Stout served as the first president. The combined club’s first formal function was a luncheon and card party held in the portable school building on March 12, 1936. The women of the parish had been sponsoring card parties as fund-raisers since 1927.

In 1937, a third floor was added to the school building to provide an auditorium and social center for the parish. The problem was that there was no kitchen. When parish dinners were held, food was prepared in various homes; dishes were picked up, delivered to the school, hauled up three flights of stairs, and put into steam tables. This was hard work for all involved.

The people of Little Flower, like others everywhere, were deeply impacted by World War II. After the United States entered this war in 1941, local citizens volunteered, including assistant pastor Father Joseph Anler, who left to become an army chaplain. A list of those parishioners serving during the war was posted in the vestibule of the church/school so that parishioners could remember them in their prayers. Another sad first was the death of Lt. Eugene J. Flood in Europe in 1942. In January 1944, a booth was set up in the vestibule for the sale of war bonds and stamps. Many women in the parish had been meeting since 1941 with the Red Cross to prepare packages to be shipped overseas. Plaques on the wall of St. Joseph Chapel commemorate those who died in this war, Vietnam, and in other service-related incidents. In 1965, Marine Major Donald J. Reilly’s name was added, followed by S/4 Heinrich (Henry) Ruhlmann in 1969.

Despite the impact of World War II, the parish continued its life and yearly events were still celebrated. The 1946 the school picnic was held in an amusement park on Oakland Avenue called “The Forest Park Highlands,” the current site of Forest Park Community College. The roller coaster and tunnel of love were especially popular.
The next major goal of the parish was to build a church. However, the lot where the building needed to be constructed was not deep enough to accommodate a more traditional structure. Exploratory trips to other places took Father Tammany to Royal Oaks, Michigan, where he discovered the prototype for our church at the Little Flower Church in that city. Local architect Harry Hellmuth was retained and ground was broken for the church building in January 1946.

On November 2, 1947, Archbishop Joseph E. Ritter laid the cornerstone. The new church was dedicated by Archbishop Ritter at a celebration on the Sunday before Christmas 1949. The Reverend Rowland Gannon delivered the sermon.

Some of the unique architectural features of the Church of the Little Flower include a 97-foot center circle directly under a dome that is only 41/2 inches thick made of reinforced concrete with a center skylight 25 feet in diameter. Supporting the dome are eight large stone piers and sixteen smaller stone piers drawn together in a Gothic arch. The outer walls of the church are octagonal in shape and 15 feet high. Off the ambulatory, which completely circles the perimeter of the church interior, are four chapels, four confessionals, a baptistery, sacristy, and cry room/bride’s room. The sanctuary is also circular in design and measures 41 feet across. Inside the central wrought iron railing is a marble floor with a marble altar. There are five gates leading into this area. Above the altar is a wrought iron baldachino in gold and black. The wooden crucifix hanging over the altar replicates an original carving that initially sat on top of the dome. Lightening struck this outside crucifixion scene in 1971 and burned it. The present gilded cross was later erected to replace it. In 1949, when the church opened, there were eight rows of pews to seat approximately 950 people. Final costs for the original construction came to $600,000. The parish Silver Jubilee was celebrated in the brand new church on the feast of St. Therese, October 3, 1950.

Other interesting features inside the new church were eight large statues in the ambulatory, which were imported from Italy and donated by various parishioners. In order of placement, beginning at the Boland Place entrance, are St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Dominic, St. Joan of Arc, Pius X, a statue honoring all saints, St. Dominic Savio, and St. Maria Goretti. Smaller statues in the ambulatory include the Infant of Prague, St. Gerard Majella, St. Patrick, St. Dismas, and St. Jude. In the various chapels located off the ambulatory, St. Joachim and St. Anne are in the Blessed Mother's Chapel, St. Joseph and St. Anthony of Padua are in the St. Joseph's Chapel, the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the focus of the All Souls' Chapel, and St. Therese of Lisieux stands above the altar in the chapel named after her. Father Tammany encouraged people of the parish to hold wakes in the All Souls' Chapel, a tradition that continues to be practiced today. Beginning in 1951, the names of deceased parishioners were inscribed on bronze nameplates hung on the wall of this chapel. The names of deceased parishioners were moved in 1996 to St. Joseph's Chapel.

In 1951, a parish C.Y.C., youth recreation center, opened on the third floor of the school building. Added for this purpose were facilities for dancing, shuffleboard, playing cards, and serving soft drinks.

The church was the scene of another major event when Father Tammany was invested with the robes of a monsignor on March 16, 1958. His boyhood friend, Bishop David F. Hickey, S.J., officiated at this ceremony. The mayor of Richmond Heights, Lee M. Duggan, presented Monsignor Tammany with a scroll commemorating his many years of service to the community.

During the 1950s, Little Flower, along with the rest of Richmond Heights, struggled to adapt when the state of Missouri decided to build Highway 40 through the middle of the community. As houses were taken, families were forced to look elsewhere to live, sometimes by creatively moving houses. Unfortunately, despite some inventive solutions, the parish lost some of its members.

After almost 37 years as pastor of Little Flower, Monsignor Tammany died on February 3, 1962. He had seen the parish grow from a piece of vacant property to a complex set of buildings, including a church, school, rectory, and convent. Associate pastor Robert L. Roedig served as acting pastor until Monsignor Bernard J. O’Flynn was assigned as pastor. Monsignor O’Flynn was a native of Ireland and spoke with a rich Irish brogue. He continued as pastor until his retirement in April 1967. He was succeeded by Bishop George J. Gottwald who remained pastor until 1988.

By 1973, Bishop Gottwald found it necessary to inform parishioners about the need for significant parish property repairs. One of the more immediate problems was the radiant heating system that had been originally installed in the church and rectory and was not functioning effectively. The cost to repair the old system was prohibitive, so it was replaced by a separate system of hot air conducted through fan coils. This decision also allowed air conditioning to be installed. At the same time, the front steps of the church at Boland Place were redone. These improvements cost the parish $79,958.

By the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Little Flower in 1975, the parish family had grown to 845 families. The parish celebrated its first half century from September 27 through October 5, ending with a special Mass on the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux. Of the founding parishioners, only Adrian and Marian Dorlac still lived in the parish. They were featured in newspaper photographs along with associate pastor, Father Benz, and Jubilee chairperson, Don Mueller, in September. Parishioner John Stewart wrote a history of the parish that appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch prior to the jubilee celebration.

During the 1970s enrollment in the parish school declined to the point where its viability was of serious concern. At one point, the student population was as few as 130 students. Parents and parishioners expressed their concerns to Bishop Gottwald, which resulted in some administrative changes. At a parish meeting, Bishop Gottwald announced that he would no longer meet with the parents of prospective students and assigned that duty to the School Board. The School Board launched a marketing campaign to emphasize the benefits of the school and actively began recruiting students. The Bishop also agreed to allocate some financial resources to replace the windows in the school and upgrade the maintenance of the building. Other sources of school financial support came annually from the Ladies’ Club, weekly bingos under the direction of Jane Brady and Marguerite O’Brien, and special fund-raisers.

A unique and important part of parish life began in 1983 when recently retired parishioner John Stewart published the first edition of the monthly newsletter, The Spirit of Little Flower. John had been encouraged by friends and neighbors to produce this newsletter. Over the years the format has changed somewhat and the technology has changed enormously. John had been a printer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and was central to the production of this newsletter. Despite John’s death, the publication remains true to the purposes stated in the very first issue, “… to supply news and information to parishioners and others interested in the welfare of our parish ...” Features like “Parish Profile” and “Parish and People,” continue to be popular with readers, as evidenced in responses to various parish surveys.

During the time Father Robert Lampert was pastor from 1988-1992, the rectory was renovated. In addition, he introduced an important organizational improvement, the Pastoral Team concept, wherein the pastor, associate pastor, Director of Music and Liturgy, Director of Faith Formation, and the school principal gather weekly for organizational meetings. The idea behind this concept is to share ideas, perspectives, and information so that consensus can be attained relating to parish goals and then to determine the best process to implement these goals.

Father James Benz returned to Little Flower as pastor in 1992. By 1993, significant problems relating to the parish buildings and grounds had been identified. A joint agreement by the pastoral team, parish council, and finance commission led to the hiring of a professional fund-raising team, and parishioner Jack Lally agreed to chair the fund-raising effort. The recommended goal was $530,000, with a challenge goal of $700,000. Ultimately, generous parishioners contributed more than $1,000,000. The first Mass held in the refurbished church was celebrated on Christmas Eve, 1996.

The most recent major addition to the church occurred in the summer of 1998. Through the joint efforts of parishioner Rudy Motard and Sr. Mary Ellen Proulx, Director of Music and Liturgy, funds were raised to install carillon bells that can be heard ringing through the neighborhood and act as a reminder of God’s presence. The bells ring hourly throughout the day and different patterns can be digitally set for seasonal music or funerals, or to change the ringing sound.

A reflection offered by Father Benz captures, perhaps, our common experience as members of this parish. He describes his return to Little Flower as pastor in 1992 as a “Rip Van Winkle experience.” His time as an associate pastor here at Little Flower ended in 1979. He returned to an older parish, older as a functioning group, older as individuals, and older in terms of the physical plant. There were, of course, many new people as well. However, remarkably, the spirit of the people remained much the same as he remembered. The obvious parallels to Little Flower Parish being like a small town manifests itself in people having a sense of ownership about the church and school and the community beyond. The Church of the Little Flower and its members represent genuine caring, commitment, willingness to work faithfully to accomplish goals, sharing of time and talent, and great pride in what has evolved through the efforts of so many people over the last 75 years. This is the legacy we recognize with our Jubilee Celebration and commit to continuing for generations to come.