Immaculate Heart of Mary in New Melle is hosting monthly events as one of nine local Jubilee Pilgrimage Sites
Off winding Highway D in southwest St. Charles County, a parish church is opening its doors to pilgrims of hope.
Immaculate Heart of Mary in New Melle is one of nine Jubilee Pilgrimage sites in the Archdiocese of St. Louis designated by Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski for the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope. The faithful can obtain a plenary indulgence — remission of the temporal punishment due to sins — by visiting any of the nine sites for a pilgrimage or pious visit, in addition to the usual conditions for indulgence.
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish dates back to 1945, when it was designated a mission parish with about 20 families. The first church was dedicated on Dec. 9, 1945, and the Our Lady of Fatima grotto, built by men of the parish, was dedicated on Oct. 26, 1947.
IHM was raised to the status of full parish in 1956, and a rectory was built for a resident priest. Ground was broken for a new, larger church to seat 750 people on Dec. 16, 2001, and it was dedicated on May 4, 2003. The first church was renamed St. Joseph’s Chapel.
To encourage pilgrims to visit, the parish is hosting monthly events throughout the year, most timed in conjunction with the Vatican’s Jubilee calendar of special events for certain groups. In February, about 150 people attended the parish’s Jubilee of Artists day, featuring a presentation by IHM parishioner George Capps, president of Goretti Fine Art, followed by a local artists showcase.
The events are largely timed around the parish’s Mass and confession times and include a prayer for the Holy Father to make it easy for pilgrims to meet all the requirements of the Jubilee indulgence, director of religious education Shawn Mueller said.
Mueller put together packets of information on the Jubilee Year, how to gain the Jubilee indulgence and a guide to the parish church and grounds, availabe in the back of church. There’s also a guest book for pilgrims to write prayer petitions.
While visiting the parish, Mueller recommends taking a tour of the stained glass windows, which depict titles of Our Lady and scenes from the documents of Vatican II. “The stained glass windows are a really beautiful draw for people to get to know,” he said. “…And on a nice day, we’ve got beautiful parish grounds. We’ve got a nice prayer Rosary path people can walk around, and we’ve got our St. Joseph Chapel where people can come in and pray.”
He also encourages people to take a visit seriously as a pilgrimage, focusing on the spiritiual opportunity of the indulgence rather than just a chance to take a pretty drive to a small town.
“We’re trying to educate people about how the Jubilee was (historically) a release from debts, and now we spritually apply that to the punishment, the debt, due to sins,” he said. “So we really try and encourage people to understand what an indulgence is and then how making the pilgrimage to IHM can make that happen.”
When Father David Skillman was appointed pastor of IHM in October, one of the first things he learned was that the parish had been chosen as a Jubilee site. The Jubilee Year has been a real gift because it offers parishioners and visitors a chance to “refocus on the essentials” of the faith, like prayer, Eucharist and confession, Father Skillman said. He has also made it a point to preach about the theme of hope on a regular basis.
“Hope is a very timely theme from the Holy Father,” he said. “It’s the virtue that is so essential when we face any trial or difficulty. There’s so much uncertainly on folks’ minds, when you think about the things happening in our world or in our country. Hope refocuses our eyes on the Lord so we can receive the grace we need to face these storms.”
Visit Immaculate Heart of Mary:
8 W. Highway D, New Melle, MO 63365
Mass Times: 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday; 6:30 p.m. Wednesday; 4 p.m. Vigil Mass on Saturday; 7:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sunday.
Confession: 7:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday; 5:30-6:20 p.m. Wednesday; after the 8 a.m. Mass on Saturday.
Eucharistic Adoration: The St. Joseph Chapel is open for adoration 24 hours daily from Monday from 9 a.m. Monday through 11 a.m. Friday.
Events: The parish is hosting monthly events throughout the Jubilee Year, including a Jubilee of Women on March 8, Jubilee of Pilgrims on April 12 and Jubilee of Choirs on May 14. For more information, visit ihm-newmelle.org/Jubilee-2025.
>> Jubilee Indulgences
Options to receive a Jubilee indulgence:
Pilgrimage to a sacred Jubilee site, where the faithful participate in Mass, another liturgical service such as Morning or Evening Prayer, or acts of piety such as Stations of the Cross, praying the Rosary or a penitential celebration.
Pious visit: Individually or in a group, devoutly visit a Jubilee site and engage in eucharistic adoration and meditation, concluding with the Our Father, the profession of faith from Mass, and a prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Those who are unable to take part in pilgrimages or pious visits for serious reasons, such as cloistered religious, the elderly, the sick and those who care for them, or the imprisoned, may obtain the indulgence by uniting themselves in spirit with those making pilgrimages or pious visits, reciting an Our Father, a profession of faith, and other prayers in harmony with the purpose of the Jubilee Year, and offering up their sufferings and hardships to the Lord.
Works of Mercy and Penance: This includes participation in formational activities on the documents of Vatican II or the Catechism, initiatives that put into practice the spirit of penance, and performance of corporal or spiritual works of mercy.
For the full details on Jubilee Indulgences, read the papal bull: stlreview.com/3POKFln
Usual conditions for a plenary indulgence:
• Be in a state of grace and have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin
• Sacramental confession (can be received several days before or after)
• Reception of holy Communion
• Prayer for the pope’s intentions
Help the souls in purgatory
The faithful who have carried out an act of charity on behalf of the souls in purgatory, if they receive holy Communion a second time that day within Mass, can obtain the plenary indulgence twice on the same day, applicable only to the deceased.
Designated Pilgrimage Sites in the Archdiocese of St. Louis
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis | St. Louis
Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France | St. Louis
Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters | St. Louis
The Carmel of Saint Joseph | St. Louis
Saint Mary’s of the Barrens – National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal | Perryville
Monastery of Saint Clare | St. Louis
Passionist Nuns of St. Louis | Ellisville
Immaculate Heart of Mary | New Melle
Immaculate Conception | Union
This is the second in a monthly series featuring each of the nine designated pilgrimage sites in the Archdiocese of St. Louis during the Jubilee Year 2025. To read other stories in the series, visit stlreview.com/Jubilee-2025-sites
