It took a lot of moxie. The men who would found the Missouri Province of the Jesuits set off down the Ohio River in 1823 with little to guide them but an intense faith that God would lead them safely through twisting channels and submerged tree trunks to a small frontier town where they could begin building their dream of a church in a new world.
Seven novices, two brothers and two priests walked from Maryland to the Ohio River and then set off in two humble rafts tied together. Keelboats, skiffs and barges crowded the river but did not cow the eleven Jesuits who bought a book called The Riverman's Guide and trusted they could learn enough to make their way where less adventuresome (or less prayerful) travelers would have declined to go.
Where did their faith lead them? More...
A brief chronology of the history of the province once the pioneer Jesuits arrived in St. Louis. More...