Sharing the Gospel + Preparing Members for Ministry + Caring for Community.
PASTOR BOB BERNHARDT
pastorbob612@gmail.com
314-772-8633
PASTOR paul gaschler
paulgaschler@gmail.com
314-772-8633
Fellowship at Holy Cross
Our History
Holy Cross was the second Lutheran church on the south side of St. Louis. It began as a school in 1850 and organized as a church in 1858, worshipping in the chapel of Concordia Seminary, which was then located across the street. C. F. W. Walther managed Holy Cross and Trinity on the city's south side, along with the first two Lutheran churches on the north side, Immanuel and Zion, under one organization until his death in 1887. The setting of the present building, on a hill in a grove of old oaks, retains some of the suburban character it had when this was the edge of town. The cruciform plan of the church, reflecting its name, was suggested by Walther to the architect Charles Griese of the firm Griese & Weile of Cleveland. The nave and spire were erected in 1867, but the apse and transepts were not completed until 1889. Holy Cross' steeple was destroyed by the tornado of 1896. It was rebuilt, but considerably shorter. More work was done in 1908, when two more doors were added to the front. During that period, the interior was embellished with new art glass windows, a marble replica of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, and a painting, Christ in Gethsemane.
The school on Ohio Street was erected in 1914. At the time, this area was a hub of activity for the Missouri Synod Lutherans. Concordia Seminary was near here from 1850 to 1926, while Lutheran Hospital moved to a building just across the street in 1883. Concordia Publishing House, founded in 1869, remains at 3558 South Jefferson, and the German Cultural Society, founded in 1945, is at 3652 South Jefferson.