HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
Saint Mary's Catholic Church of Milan, Missouri, was established in 1868 and the first building was constructed in 1882. The church's foundation is rooted in the Irish settlers of Ohio and Indiana, who in the 1850s migrated to the green hills of northern Missouri, driving the need (by 1860 to 1865) to construct a place of worship and seek a priest to care for their spiritual needs. Father John J. Hogan (later Bishop Hogan) celebrated the first recorded Mass in Sullivan County on May 19,1868, at the farm home of Dennis Ryan just east of Milan.

For first several years, Mass was celebrated in the homes of Catholic families. In 1871, a church was built in Unionville by J.J. Kennedy and he cared for the Catholics in the Milan area from there. He was succeeded by Father Francis Smith, who started the building of a church in Milan in 1881. Fr. Smith died of smallpox the following year, after having ministered to a family stricken with the disease. During the 1880s there were several interims priests.

In 1890, Father William F. Hanley built a residence in Milan, establishing the parish as the primary base and cementing its place. In 1902, Father J.J. Jermain began serving the parish and presided over the construction of the current brick rectory in 1908. From 1902 until his death in 1922, Father Jermain took care of various missions, including Mendota in Putnam County, as well as Novinger and Connelsville in Adair County. He also began the building of the present brick church in Milan to replace the frame church in 1921. It was completed by his successor, Father Hugh Hezinger, and the new church with its distinctive spire was dedicated on May 30, 1923.

Over the years, coal mining and railroad shops brought a number of Catholic immigrants to the area and church. They were served by a number of priests in order to serve the ever changing congregation.


MATTIVI FAMILY CONNECTION
Through the formative years of the first and seconod generation Mattivi family members, the St. Mary's Catholic Church and its priests served the family's religious needs. In the early days, the St. Rose Catholic Church in Novinger was not strong enough to maintain a permenant priest and functioned as a mission of St. Mary’s until 1925-26. During these years, Mass was held one to two times per month at St. Rose and officiated by the priest of St. Mary's. The priest usually traveled by train to Novinger, arriving at 3:30pm. on Saturday and leaving at 10pm. on Sunday.

According to his baptismal certificate, on Sunday, April 16, 1911, James MATTIVI, was baptized at St. Mary's by Father J.J. Jermain. The baptismal certificate identified the godparents as

It appears, based on the dates of the events, Father J.J. Jermain likely served

Source information was obtained from stmarymilan.parishesonline.com