Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Maplewood smelled of furniture polish on Wednesday.
A conference is bringing Cardinal Timothy Dolan to St. Louis on Saturday, and Sunday he’s set to celebrate mass at 9:30 a.m. at the Maplewood church.
“It might not be as big as we’re thinking, but it could be, because people love him,” church office manager Anne Arias said. “He’s a St. Louisan. He lived in Ballwin. I’m sure he’ll have family who will come to the mass, so it could be packed.”
Dolan is coming to Maplewood to baptize his great nephew; Dolan’s niece belongs to the parish. The baptism will be private and take place after the mass.
Arias said Dolan was baptized at Immaculate Conception, and much of his family were either baptized, married or had their funerals there.
“We’re trying not to make a big deal about it, because we really don’t want a big fuss,” she said. Still, she’s notified Maplewood police for traffic control, and asked permission for folks to use the Schlafly Bottleworks parking lot.
Dolan is currently the Archbishop of New York. He previously served as Archbishop of Milwaukee from 2002 to 2009, according to Wikipedia.
