Diocese of Belleville Bishop Michael McGovern greets parishioners as they exit the church following the 200th Anniversary Mass and celebration at St. Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Church on Oct. 19 in Hecker (Tim Vizer photo).
We’re part of a story
That’s over a century old,
A tale of Catholic settlers
Who weren’t looking for gold.
They sought a place to settle
Where they might till the land,
Where they could raise children
With God’s helping hand. …
So begins the “Centennial Poem” by Sharon Martin, written in 1993 for the 100th anniversary of the current church building of St. Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Church in Hecker.
In 2024, an updated adaptation of this poem was released during the 200th celebration of the beginning of the parish.
On Oct. 19, Diocese of Belleville Bishop Michael McGovern celebrated the Bicentennial Mass, followed by presentations, dinner and entertainment by Tim Berg and the Kurtz Family Band at the Hecker Community Center.
Hecker is a village in Monroe County, located about 15 miles south of Belleville and six miles from Red Bud and Smithton. The population was listed as 429 in the 2020 census. It was founded as “Freedom” in 1849, but the name was changed to the Village of Hecker when it was incorporated in 1895.
“In 1824, St. Augustine of Canterbury Parish began in the hearts and minds of English Catholic settlers who came from Lancashire, England,” said Aaron Eckart of Hecker, who serves on the parish council and the bicentennial committee. “These settlers were dedicated Catholics who sought to pass on their Catholic faith, their values and their strong work ethic to the next generations.”
Some of the early settlers had the surnames of Bamber, Coop, Cottam, Gregson, Ibision, Newsham, Threlfall, Williams and Winstanley, Eckart said.
This information came from a book written about the history of the parish in 1976 for its 150th anniversary, “History of Saint Augustine of Canterbury Parish 1824-1974,” by Josephine Wittenauer.
The parish’s beginnings date to 1824, when Mass was celebrated at the Winstanley settlement. The name of the parish reflects the strong English ties of its parishioners. St. Augustine of Canterbury is considered one of the great saints of England.
The first log church was built in 1824 on the Winstanley settlement, which is the current location of the parish cemetery.
In 1838, a larger stone church was built and dedicated at the same location. This church was replaced in 1854 and was built on the original foundation.
The former log church structure became the first school at the Winstanley settlement.
In the 1890s, the trustees decided to build a new church in a new location in Freedom (Hecker), a village about two miles east of the Winstanley Settlement.
… They knew they needed our dear Lord
To be with them each and every day,
And they felt they also needed
A Church in which to pray.
So by working hard together,
By making a Church their goal,
They built this stony structure
Which now is a hundred years old. …
Eckart discussed details of the building of the current church that opened in 1893. He said the capacity is about 200 people.
“Our building is a sandstone structure,” he said. “The sandstone came from Prairie Du Long Creek, located about three miles west of Hecker. In the 1890s, they had to use a horse and buggy to move the stones three miles from out of town. It’s pretty remarkable the work it took to build the church.”
In 1908, generous parishioner contributions were used to purchase a new altar. In the United States, there is only one other altar of this kind, located in a Franciscan church in the state of New York. It has two scenes of the life of St. Augustine of Canterbury, which were carved in Germany. The two side altars were created in Quincy.
In 1965, the Church was redecorated, and the main altar was modified to provide for the new liturgy per Vatican II, having the altar facing the congregation.
From 1897 to 1985, the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ answered the call to provide nuns as teachers at St. Augustine’s School. St. Augustine Catholic School closed in May 1997 because of low enrollment.
“Most of the history we shared at the bicentennial celebration is from Josephine Wittenauer’s book, which was written 50 years ago,” Eckart said. “But the committee has updated the information and timeline from 1976.”
At the bicentennial celebration, Carolene Wittenauer, daughter of the author, presented the committee with a signed and numbered copy of the history book — No. 200.
“We were honored to receive this gift for the 200th anniversary,” Eckart said. “Carolene’s mom must have saved that book to give to the church when that milestone came, 50 years after she wrote the book.
“We also wanted to use the ‘Centennial Poem’ by Sharon Martin at the celebration, although we modified some of the words to reflect our bicentennial,” he said. “The poem was still relevant to our celebration and what we were doing. It encapsulated everything about the village and the church together.”
… The story still continues
As we ask God to bless us here,
To guide us at St. Augustine
As we begin the next hundred years.
The complete “Centennial Poem” can be found at www.staugustineofcanterburyhecker.com. Click on the “October 20th 2024 Bulletin,” scrolling to the last page. Call (618) 473-2217 for more information on the church.