The story of Our Lady Queen of Peace begins in the early 1800's with Irish Catholics settling in the area between the Meramec and the Big River. In 1844 the first parish to serve the settlers of this area was established by Bishop Kenrick, the first Archbishop of St. Louis. The first church built to serve the new settlers was St. Patrick's of Down, located on the Meramec river about four miles south of Pacific.
As the population of the area increased, St. Patrick's was no longer centrally located. A new St. Patrick's was built, as well as the church of St. Columbkille in the present House Springs area in Byrnesville. Initially, both churches were served and administered from St. Patrick's. It wasn't until 1880 that a resident pastor was appointed to St. Columbkille's and the House Springs area had an independent parish.
The population of the area continued to grow and new parishes emerged. By the turn of the century, many Catholics from House Springs and High Ridge who had been attending Mass at St. Columbkille's were now attending at St. John's Church in Rock Creek or St. Joseph's Church in Kimmswick.
In 1905, St. Philomena's church was built in House Springs as a mission of St. Columbkille's. It remained a mission church until 1948. During World War I, Fr. Jeremiah Murphy was appointed to serve the two Byrnesville-House Springs parishes. He remained pastor until his retirement in 1955. Through the time of the two World Wars and the Great Depression, the population of St. Columbkille's remained rather stable or decreased slightly, while the construction of Highway 30, giving easy access to St. Louis, contributed to the development of subdivisions and a rapid expansion in the population of House Springs and St. Philomena's. In 1957, St. Columkille's no longer had a resident pastor, but was administered by Fr. James Curtin, the resident pastor of St. Philomena's until the two parishes were merged in 1959.
A new, larger church to accommodate the parishioners of the merged churches and intended to be the new St. Philomena's, was built on the present site. With the reorganization of the calendar of saints, the Church was dedicated by Joseph Cardinal Ritter on July 20, 1961 as Our Lady Queen of Peace.
Since its dedication in 1961, Our Lady Queen of Peace has served the needs of Catholics in a large area of Jefferson County. By the parish's Twenty Fifth Anniversary in 1986, an excellent parish school was operating and a large PSR program was in place. Parish based service groups and faith formation groups were in place to nourish the spiritual needs of parishioners and take the spirit of Catholic faith at Our Lady Queen of Peace beyond our borders.
Our Lady Queen of Peace has moved into the new millenium and has celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2011. In 2012 a new Strategic Plan for Renewal and Growth was implemented. This plan will lead us into our future.
The parish remains a vibrant community of faith, a caring family of believers, and a model of Christian Witness in Jefferson County and the Archdiocese of St. Louis.