Welcome to St. Brendan
St. Brendan is a Roman Catholic parish in Mexico, Missouri. We belong to the Diocese of Jefferson City and serve people in Mexico and the surrounding area.
Mission Statement
DISCIPLES who PRAISE GOD, SPREAD the GOSPEL, and SERVE OTHERS
Our History
Original Church ca. 1920
The Body and Blood of Jesus was first brought to Audrain County, Missouri by an Irish immigrant priest, Father John J. Hogan. He celebrated Mass at the home of Thomas Fagan in Mexico, Mo. on Oct. 27, 1857. Father Hogan made periodic visits to Mexico from his headquarters in Chillicothe. Just after the end of the Civil War, he was arrested for refusing to take a Loyalty Oath to the Union. He was indicted for exercising the function of a priest without taking the Oath of Loyalty. The Circuit Court of Adair County dismissed the case against Father Hogan finding that the Loyalty Oath law violated his religious freedom.
Father John Joseph Hogan
In October 1874 Father Cornelius O’Leary established a priest’s residence in Mexico and solicited money from Irish railroad workers for the construction of a church. The parish church was built in 1878 and placed under the patronage of St. Brendan the Navigator. Brendan was an Irish monk, who legend states undertook a historic voyage with other monks which lasted for several years. The legend has it that he landed in North America.
Easter 1920
From these humble beginnings, St. Brendan is now the spiritual home to 450 families and provides an education from pre-school through the 8th grade for over 170 students.
We humbly pray and work to bring the Catholic faith to our community, educate our students, and strengthen our families. This has been our mission for over 150 years, with the Lord’s blessing, we hope to continue in His service.