A funeral Mass for Father Urban Knoll was celebrated Sept. 24 at St. Charles Borromeo Church in St. Charles. Father Knoll died Sept. 19. He was 95.
He was born on April 1, 1930, in O’Fallon to John and Mary (Patton) Knoll. He was baptized three days later at Assumption Parish in O’Fallon. He attended Assumption High School in O’Fallon, Saint Louis University and Kenrick Seminary.
Father Knoll was ordained to the priesthood on June 7, 1969, by Cardinal John J. Carberry at the Cathedral of St. Louis. His first assignment was as associate pastor at Most Holy Rosary in St. Louis (1969-70). He then served as associate pastor at Assumption in Mattese (1970), Sacred Heart in Crystal City (1970-72), Our Lady of Lourdes in University City (1972-75), Sacred Heart in Florissant (1975-76) and St. John the Beloved Disciple in Imperial (1976-79).
From 1979-90, he served as chaplain at St. Joseph Hospital in St. Charles. After two months as temporary parochial administrator at Good Shepherd in Hillsboro and four months as senior associate pastor at St. Alban Roe in Wildwood, he became pastor of St. Theodore in Flint Hill (1990-94). He took a yearlong sabbatical, then retired to a private residence in 1995. He moved to Mount Carmel Senior Living in 2018.
