The Church Where Our Families Prayed tells the remarkable story of St. Joseph Parish in Willisville, Illinois, for young readers and their families.

For more than a century, St. Joseph was at the center of life for generations of Catholic families in southern Illinois. This children's companion brings that history to life through memorable true stories: Italian immigrants building a parish, Father Ermenegildo Senese's adventures and mistakes, a threatening Black Hand letter, a priest traveling to Mass by boat during a flood, a wedding that lit up the town, a coal miner who won a fortune in the Irish Hospitals Sweepstakes, and the parish's famous spaghetti suppers.

Along the way, readers meet the priests, families, children, miners, cooks, musicians, and parishioners who made St. Joseph more than a church building. Historic photographs and illustrations help younger readers imagine the people and events that shaped the parish.

Written especially for children but intended to be enjoyed by parents, grandparents, and anyone with ties to Willisville, the book invites families to share their own memories and discover how local history becomes family history.

It is a children's companion to John E. Miles's History of St. Joseph Parish in Willisville, Illinois.