Sunday, April 12, 2009

5 mile Paques Vigil Run

This is one of my favorite runs.  Very nice this evening- all the churches were readying for Easter Vigil.  Here are directions in case you want to recreate my "Big Ass Beautiful Church Run."  Only in St. Louis can you run by 7 Catholic churches in 5 miles.  And I could have hit more with St. Raymonds and St. Mary of Victories (that's a 6 mile run).  Start somewhere on 12th Street and Soulard and run north.

St. Joseph Croatian at 12th and Russell.  We love our Croatian friends.  Merge onto Tucker.
St. John Nepomuk.  We love Czechs too!  Turn right on Park.
St. Vincent de Paul.   Check out VIncentian Press for your religious goods needs. Run behind the church to the foot bridge that takes you back into Soulard behind the Farmers' Market.  You'll see Trinity Lutheran (baptismal font below) and Sts. Peter and Paul on 8th.  Trinity and Peter/Paul join to operate a homeless soup kitchen and shelter.  Peter/Paul is my secondary parish.  Wonderful people, but they struggle with membership.  My idea?  The place is HUGE and very German in history.  How about a kindermass on Saturdays?  Just an idea.  My parish is so crammed with kids it would be nice to share our fortune with a struggling parish.  Back to the run...









Continue South on 8th to Utah near the brewery, turn right on Utah to St. Agatha's.  It's now the Polish parish until St. Stan's can be straightened out.  It used to be Latin until that was moved to St. Francis de Sales.  I liked it better at St. Agatha's- it was more, dare, I say, approachable.  I have no idea where the Coleman BBQ pit came from.  From St. Agatha, get to Arsenal near the brewery and take it all the way into Benton Park to St. Francis de Sales, now Latin, used to be Hispanic.  Tower is leaning and needs repair.  

From St. Francis de Sales, turn right on Jefferson to Sidney.  Make a right on Sidney past St. Agnes (no longer in use, closed some time in late 80's/early 90's).  Could someone PLEASE rehab St. Agnes into a house or lofts?  It's been empty for so long and it is sad.




















2 comments:

  1. St. Agnes. I didn't even know that was a Catholic church. That is sad. Wow.

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  2. The church is the only empty St. Agnes building left. the school is now senior apartment housing and the church hall, also on Sidney but closer to jefferson/gravois, is condo/loft housing. In fact, the rectory attached the church was just rehabbed. it's my understanding that St. Agnes was built a little late (1900's) and its buildings were therefore spread out around Benton Park. Don't even get me started on how cool it would be to convert the church into a house with a preserved altar.

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