Ep 3.18: The Outer Ring: Rural Parishes Beyond the County Line

This episode continues our journey through the Catholic roots of the St. Louis region, moving beyond the county line to explore the historic rural parishes that shaped Catholic life in the 18th and 19th centuries. Monsignor and Teresa trace a wide arc—from the banks of the Mississippi to the rolling farmland of St. Charles County—revealing how faith communities took root long before suburban growth transformed the landscape. We begin with St. Francis of Assisi in Portage des Sioux (1779), one of the oldest parishes in the region and a community whose resilience was on full display during the Flood of ’93. From there, we move into St. Charles to rediscover St. Charles Borromeo (1791)—a parish born under Spanish rule and forever linked to St. Rose Philippine Duchesne and the early days of the Sacred Heart sisters.