It all started with the Philadelphia Settlement Society, nearly 200 years ago…

The Philadelphia Settlement Society had purchased about eleven thousand acres in the Frene Valley area just south of the Missouri river (present day Hermann, Missouri) and sold land to German colonists in 1836. Among these immigrants were 33 Catholics.

For over ten years, these Catholic immigrants could only attend Mass whenever a Jesuit priest visited from Washington, MO.

In 1845, the settlers were finally able to begin building a church.

They received their first priest in 1849, Fr. Lawrence Kuepfer, sent by the bishop of St. Louis, and in 1850, under the patronage of St. George the Martyr, the parish was started.

They longed for a church of their own and in 1845 they were finally able to begin construction.

They received their first priest in 1849 sent by the bishop of St. Louis. They graciously welcomed Fr. Lawrence Kuepfer and in 1850 and under the patronage of St. George the Martyr, the parish realized its first church.

In 1875 the Kulturkampf (culture struggle) in Germany between the government of Prussia and the Roman Catholic Church drove many Franciscans from Germany.

Several migrated to a newly established mission in Teutopolis, Illinois and American bishops in the Midwest asked for, and received, Franciscan priests and brothers to staff their German speaking parishes… Hermann among them.

Parishioners had long been asking for a school and in 1879, just 4 years after the Franciscans arrived, we built our first school.

The Franciscans spent their time well with us....

They were able to design and build a larger church, laying the cornerstone on August 15, 1915. The church was dedicated on July 9, 1916. In the same year, they built a friary next to the church and blessed it on Feb 12, 1916.

These structures are what you see today as St. George Church and the Rectory attached.

Under the leadership of The Sisters of the Most Precious Blood, St. George Parish built St. George High School in 1950, which graduated many young men and women until its closure in 1970.  

The Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration staffed the school from 1887-1989, the School Sisters of Notre Dame followed them from 1989 to 1993.

In 1993 lay people took over the administration of the school which continues to present day.

We’ve come a long way since our conception and the school and church have both undergone many restorations to accommodate our modern curriculum and growing parish.

Our school now has both a pre-school and Kindergarten program, and produces students who become the top of their classes in high school and beyond. 

Many of the parishioners that attend our church today share the same last name as the ones who constructed it over 100 years ago.

Nonetheless, we look forward to welcoming new families to the parish as they come.

Whether you are catholic or non-Catholic, you are always welcome here, at St. George.