St. Jude's Episcopal

St. Jude’s parish in Monroe City owes its existence primarily to the dedication and efforts of one man, Mr. (later Rev.) Frederick B. Scheetz, a farmer and onetime civil engineer for the old Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, who lived near the community of Sharpsburg, Mo., around the middle of the 19th century. After he had lived in this area for awhile, Mr. Scheetz became aware that there were other Episcopalians living on farms near him, so he gathered these people together to worship in services using the Book of Common Prayer, which services Mr. Scheetz conducted himself. This small group grew and so on St. Simon’s and St. Jude’s Day, Oct. 28, 1855, three of the Episcopalian men met in Mr. Scheetz’ home to organize a parish, called “St. Jude’s” from the day on which they met. The first service was held on Christmas Day of 1855, and was conducted by the Rev. G. P. Comings of St. Paul’s College, Paimyra, Missouri.

Mr. Scheetz was ordained deacon around the time of the parish’s founding and served as minister-in-charge until the vestry of St. Jude’s called as its first Rector the Rev. George Sheets, Frederick’s father (Frederick was the first to change the spelling of the family name), and although in his 80’s and retired from the active ministry, the Rev. Sheets accepted the call and fulfilled his duties during the first years of St. Jude’s life, but his son, Frederick, did the major work of min­istering to the parish, helping his father in the capacity of assistant minister.

When the Rev. Mr. Sheets died in 1867 in his 90’s, Frederick Sheetz was called as Rector, and was ordained Priest in 1868 at the dedication of the new church building in Monroe City. Although his father showed an almost heroic devotion to his ministerial cal­ling in coming all the way from the East Coast to be Rector of St. Jude’s when he was in his 80’s, because of infirmities of age, Frederick had to perform many parochial duties for his father. And so it is that to this day Frederick B. Scheetz is considered as the real “first” Rector of St. Jude’s parish.

When it became evident that Sharpsburg was not to be the leading community in the area, St. Jude’s decided to move into Monroe City. In 1866, the parish bought its present site and began construction of a church building. Again, Frederick Scheetz was the leading light, design­ing the present building himself and aiding in its construction. It was com­pleted in the summer of 1867, and St. Jude’s moved from its original “home” in an outbuilding on the Scheetz farm to its new place in Monroe City. Mr. Scheetz was or­dained Priest in 1868 at the time the church building was dedicated.

The original building, finished in 1867, stands today in excellent condi­tion, having had the bell-tower added in the early 1900’s. Not only is it the oldest church building, but St. Jude’s parish also has the distinction of being the first organized Christian fellowship in Monroe City.

St. Jude’s church of early medieval architecture is as lovely an example of rural English church architecture as can be found anywhere. The stone is native Missouri limestone quarried near Monroe City. The church was built by the early parishioners them­selves, being designed entirely by Frederick B. Scheetz, St. Jude’s founder.

Originally the interior walls were unplastered, giving them an unusual rough effect since the stone inside had not been finished and smoothed down it protruded at odd distances. The interior plaster was done in fairly recent years. It is said that because of the unfinished nature of the stone, the plaster in some places is an inch or so thick, while others it is a foot or more.

The altar end of the church faces east the traditional direction in which all of the earliest churches were built. The auditorium inside the church where the congregation sits is the nave. The choir sits in the section between the nave and the altar rail. They face each other in the Episcopal St. Jude Episcopal Church stands at the corner of Main and church. In the choir area also are the pulpit, where the minister preaches, and the lectern, where he reads the Bible to the people.

The interior section between the altar rain and east wall is the sanctuary. This area encloses the central feature of the church, the altar, and is entered during services only by ordained cler­gy and certain trained lay assistants, acolytes and servers, who help the clergy with certain aspects of the ritual. During any Episcopal service, the closest the lay-people get to the altar is up to the altar rail. The two large candles on the altar are lit only when Holy Communion is celebrated. The small credence on the north side of the altar in St. Jude’s church is the original one made by Frederick B. Sheetz, its founder.

The visitor to St. Jude’s may note many items of historical interest in the church itself and in the collection in the south wing of the building, that bears on the founding of the parish; a baptismal font at the rear of the church carved from native limestone by three of the original parishioners; the font cover was carved by Mr. Scheetz, as well as a “credence” carved by him hanging on the front wall between the altar and the hymn-board; a bronze plaque over the pulpit dedicated to F. B. Scheetz, telling of his accomplishments relating to St. Jude’s; pictures of F. B. Scheetz, Dr. Moses McClintic, and Bishop Hawks of Missouri (Bishop when St. Jude’s was founded); the original offering-plates used in the parish; an original railing and kneeling-bench from the interior furniture of the first church building on the Scheetz farm; an old “pulpit Bible” used in the parish; prayer books and hymnals in use at the time of St. Jude’s founding; and receipt No. I of St. Jude’s cemetery.

During the past few years, the Church has had a good house cleaning. St. Jude’s priceless stained glass windows have been cleaned and re­leaded, the exterior has been sand blasted and tuck pointed, and a new walk has been poured.

Inside the church, there have also been changes. The congregation, which averages 20 and is growing, now enjoys organ music, thanks to a faithful friend, and acolytes for the first time in many years. During the past months, a wedding, 3 confirmations and a baptism have been celebrated. The baptism was of Robert Lewis Hawkins IV, the fifth generation of the Hawkins family to be baptised in St. Jude.

St. Jude is affiliated with the River Area Parishes. Father Maurice Kaser, from Louisiana, provides service to his five parishes - Louisiana, Eolia, Clarksville, Palinyra and Monroe City. The Convocation of the Northeastern Quarter is trying to provide full-time ministry to our area. Services are held every Sunday at 11:30.