Untitled - Digitizing America

On June 9, 7937,TheWeekly Independent
reported:
The tower of St. James Catholic
Church which has stood aloft for over 60
years is coming down to the dust only to
arise gloriously again in the Gothic style.
The entire church will be repaired. When
prosperity reigns again the church will be
tuck pointed and painted. The fence has
been completed, and awaits the dressing
of paint."
It took World War II and the rising postwar
economy to lift Potosi out of the doldrums. It
was also in this era that Americans became
"mobilel' that is, they le{t their home towns to
enter the armed services or urban areas offering
employment opportunities that war and advanced
technology had produced.
St. James Church lost some parishioners in
this period but gained others. Discussions about
building a school were held, and groundbreaking
ceremonies were held on July 12,
1950, with Most Reverend John P. Cody, auxiliary
bishop of St. Louis, of{iciating.
On April 72, 7957, Father Charles B.
O'Donnell, pastorfrom L947 to 1959, signed a
promissory note to the archdiocese for $6 1 ,200,
a sum to be applied towards construction costs
of about $150,000.
The school formally opened on September
2,7951 , with an enrollment of one hundred
students. There were three classrooms servicing
eight grades, with three nuns, Sisters of Charity
of the Incarnate Word, as the faculty. A section
of the first floor was partitioned off for use as the
nuns'quarters.
The mortgage for the school loan was liquidated
in 1969 during the pastorate of Father
Clement J. Burghoff , 7962 to 797 7 . ln May of
Reuerend Charles O'Donnell. builder of St. James
School, serues Moss to the Jirst graduating class in 1953
19
that year, due to low enrollment and the shortage
of teaching Sisters, the school was forced
to close down.
During May,7969, Father Burghoff celebrated
his Twenty-fifth Anniversary in the
priesthood. A color television set was the gift of
the parishioners. In a letter of thanks to a
friend he wrote:
After the Vatican Council it is
now becoming clear that the
priesthood consisls in a special
ministry of the Word of God,
reachlng its highest leuels ln the
Eucharlst. And so my work is to
serue the people by giuing them
God's Word in all the wags I can.
I pledge myself to this seruice, and
beg you pray for me. as I sincerelg
promise for you.
ln 1972 church renovations included the
purchase and installation of pews made
especially for the church. A new solarian floor
was installed, along with air-conditioning units
and the entire revamping of the heating system .
The whole interior was cleaned and painted,
and in the sanctuary a new altar of sacrifice was
put in place over new red carpeting. A new baptismal
font was located in the front of the church.
Clear glass double doors replaced the ancient
and delapidated wooden doors on the interior
entrance. Panelling was installed on the lower
part of the nave walls and a public address
system was put in operation.
Following this complete renovation of the
interior, the exterior underwent a rejuvenation
with tuckpointing of the brick, installation of
copperflashing, copper covered parapets, and
copper gabled louvers for ventilation. The
parking lot was paved with concrete, and over
379 cubic yards ofconcrete was poured around
the foundation of the building.
After the school closed in 1969.the school
and hall have been used forparish activities: the
Parish School of Religion, which meets Wednesdays
in the evening for first through eighth
grades plus high school, from September
through May; Fall Festivals; Fish Fries; and a
number of social events. It has been used in
more recent months as a meeting place for the
senior citizens of Washington County called
the "Happy Days Clubl' and for private and
community organizations.