For 163 years, the St. Ignatius Catholic Church and School have been a central part of life in the community of Concord Hill.

This summer, 90 years after the construction of the church’s current building, one local resident was inspired to shine a spotlight on the role the church has had in the community.

High school senior Jacob Lierman, who graduated from eighth grade at St. Ignatius School in 2017, created a four-part video documentary, released through the church’s Facebook page, to help Concord Hill residents connect with the past of their church and community.

“I’d become interested in my family’s history in the area. I realized that my dad, my grandparents and my great-grandparents all went to the school, and were lifelong parishioners,” Lierman said of how he became interested in the project.

That type of family history is common in the Concord Hill community. Many area residents are parishioners of St. Ignatius, and most of those parishioners grew up going to the church’s school, Lierman said.

He explained that the project actually started out as just a history presentation for students at the school. But Lierman wanted to share what he learned with the whole community, so he recorded the video series and edited in historical photos he found through the project.

To provide a look through the church’s past, he relied on two history books authored by parishioners.

“The story was there the whole time. I just put it in a video,” Lierman commented.

Besides connecting with his own family history, one of the reasons Lierman took on the project was to remind community members how much the church and school have meant to their own families.

Catholic schools have been struggling with enrollment and finances throughout the St. Louis region for several years. St. Ignatius was being considered for consolidation with other nearby schools in 2019, and it was only through strong community support that the school was preserved, Lierman said.

“The future isn’t as secure as it once was. ... My reward is bringing awareness so I know the school has stability and the parish continues to live on,” he said. “I remember how unique and special my experience was. ... Hopefully people will see these videos and realize what a special place this is.”

Father Steve Robesen, the pastor of St. Ignatius, said he was excited when Lierman started the video project, and said it’s important to document the history of the church and community.

“It’s very valuable to know the original history of the culture of the parish,” Robesen said, commenting that many early settlers in the area were German immigrants who brought their culture and values. “Values of family, taking care of the land and nature ... the value of human life and respect for all human beings. Those values are found in this parish, and they came in no small part from that German culture.

“We’re still a farming community, so the values of family and farming that were true 160-plus years ago are true now, and those are values that need to be preserved,” Robesen added.

St. Ignatius’ history also includes having to rebuild the church building multiple times. Robesen said he hopes the historical highlight will help convey “the determination of the people to keep reinventing the church, and passing on those values.”

Lesa Leopold, St. Ignatius School principal, said she wasn’t surprised to hear about Lierman’s documentary project. He’s always been energized for creative projects, she said.

Leopold said the videos help highlight the long history of the relationship between the parish, school and community.

“The school has always been a focal point of the community of Concord Hill. ... When we have events for the school, we attract a large part of the community, not just parents,” Leopold commented. Some families have been part of St. Ignatius School for six generations, she said. The students are actively involved in the community, and the community actively supports the school.

Leopold said she hopes projects like this video series will inspire new interest for anyone who sees them.

“Hopefully they would seek to be a part of our community, because of the rich history and all those involved,” Leopold said.