St. Stephen (Chester, Iowa)
"Chester had a post office as early as 1858, but it was only in 1916 that Catholics had their first church. With the help of Father John P. Wagner of Assumption Parish in Cresco, they bought the Presbyterian church for $1,500. In 1919 Father Edward J. Bendlage was appointed the first resident pastor of Chester and remained a long time, until 1928. During his pastorate Archbishop James J. Keane administered confirmation for the first time in the Chester church. The parish made improvements on the church and bought a large house to serve as a rectory." <br /><br />-Msgr. Edgar Kurt, "Profile #146," <em>The Witness</em>.n.d.
The Archdiocese of Dubuque.
The Center for Dubuque History at Loras College.
Loras College
Kucera Center for Catholic Thought
Frank and Ida Goedken Series: "Spiritual Life in the Upper Mississippi River Valley"
Burback, Emily. Burns, Daniel. Gibson, Michael. Oberfoell, Carol. Waldmeir, Helen. Waldmeir, John.
English.
Various primary and secondary sources.
1916-
The history of St. Stephen church and it's parishioners.
St. Joseph (Greeley, Iowa)
"Michael J. Quirk and Father Michael Lynch were the first priests to visit the Greeley area to care for the early Catholic settlers in the 1860s. On those occasions the James Fitzpatrick home became a temporary chapel for the Greeley and Edgewood faithful. Under Father Quirk’s supervision the first Catholic church was built in Greeley in 1870 and dedicated to Saint Joseph. It was a frame structure 50 x 30 and served until 1952."<br /><br /> - Rev. Edgar Kurt, "Profile #190," <em>The Witness</em>, 9 September 1990.
The Archdiocese of Dubuque.
The Center for Dubuque History at Loras College.
Loras College
Kucera Center for Catholic Thought
Frank and Ida Goedken Series: "Spiritual Life in the Upper Mississippi River Valley"
Burback, Emily. Burns, Daniel. Gibson, Michael. Oberfoell, Carol. Waldmeir, Helen. Waldmeir, John.
English.
Various primary and secondary sources.
History of the parish, including information about its priests and parishioners.
St. Joseph (Independence, IA)
Historical documents pertaining to the history of Saint Joseph parish in Independence, Iowa.
The Archdiocese of Dubuque.
The Center for Dubuque History at Loras College.
Loras College
Kucera Center for Catholic Thought
Frank and Ida Goedken Series: "Spiritual Life in the Upper Mississippi River Valley"
Burback, Emily. Burns, Daniel. Gibson, Michael. Oberfoell, Carol. Waldmeir, Helen. Waldmeir, John.
English.
Various primary and secondary sources.
History of the parish including information about its priests and parishioners.
St. Martin (Cascade, Iowa)
"Saint Martin Parish and Saint Mary Parish sprang from one parish named Saint Mathias to provide for the language difference of the early settlers of this Dubuque County area. For a long time Saint Martin's was the Irish parish and Saint Mary's the German parish. At first Irish Catholics traveled ten miles to Saint Patrick's at Garryowen. Then father John Perrodin, the Garryowen pastor, came to The Falls in Cascade Township to minister to them. Under his direction the first church, Saint Mathias, was built in Cascade about 1848. This building was destroyed by a group of Know Nothings, the anti-Catholic Party, which was far more active in the East. Then German and Irish neighbors began rebuilding and petitioned Bishop Loras for a resident pastor. In response Father Jeremiah Trecy from Garryowen provided monthly Mass." <br /><br />- Rev. Edgar Kurt, "Parish Profile #12," <em>The Witness</em>, n.d.
The Archdiocese of Dubuque.
The Center for Dubuque History at Loras College.
Loras College
Kucera Center for Catholic Thought
Frank and Ida Goedken Series: "Spiritual Life in the Upper Mississippi River Valley"
Burback, Emily. Burns, Daniel. Gibson, Michael. Oberfoell, Carol. Waldmeir, Helen. Waldmeir, John.
English.
Various primary and secondary sources.
1848-
History of the parish over the span of about 140-170 years, including information about its priests and parishioners.
Sacred Heart (Grundy Center, Iowa)
"Pioneer Catholic families settled in Grundy County in the late 1860s, during the hard times following the Civil War. Father Patrick Smith visited them from Cedar Falls almost monthly. His successor, Father Charles McCabe, continued to provide for their spiritual needs. In 1884 Father John J. Hanley was appointed to Vinton and its missions. In 1885 the Grundy Center parish bought two lots at the east edge of town, the present location. They built a church dedicated to the Sacred Heart, even though there were less than a score of families. About this time two acres outside of town were purchased for a cemetery."<br /><br /> - Rev. Edgar Kurt, Parish Profile #174, <em>The Witness</em>, 13 May 1990.
The Archdiocese of Dubuque.
The Center for Dubuque History at Loras College.
Loras College
Kucera Center for Catholic Thought
Frank and Ida Goedken Series: "Spiritual Life in the Upper Mississippi River Valley"
Burback, Emily. Burns, Daniel. Gibson, Michael. Oberfoell, Carol. Waldmeir, Helen. Waldmeir, John.
English.
Various primary and secondary sources.
ca. 1885-
History of the Sacred Heart church and parish in Grundy Center, Iowa for over 133 years.
St. Mary (Cascade, Iowa)
"Saint Mary Parish was established in 1857 with the appointment of Father John Baumgartner to care for the German speaking Catholics who had been members of Saint Martin Parish in Cascade along with their Irish neighbors. They began the construction of a stone church, where Mass was offered for the first time on Christmas 1859. It stood for over a century, but was used for other purposes when another church was built in 1884. After Father Baumgartner's death in 1875, Father John Baumann was appointed pastor of Worthington and Saint Mary's to serve the German speaking people of the two Dubuque county towns ten miles apart. Language and ancestry was a divisive factor in the Cascade community for many decades. It delayed the merging of the schools years after the needs of the German speaking population ceased."<br /><br /> - Rev. Edgar Kurt, <em>The Witness</em>, Parish Profile #33, n.d.
The Archdiocese of Dubuque.
The Center for Dubuque History at Loras College.
Loras College
Kucera Center for Catholic Thought
Frank and Ida Goedken Series: "Spiritual Life in the Upper Mississippi River Valley"
Burback, Emily. Burns, Daniel. Gibson, Michael. Oberfoell, Carol. Waldmeir, Helen. Waldmeir, John.
English.
Various primary and secondary sources.
1857-mid 1990s
History of the parish over the span of about 140 years, including information about its priests and parishioners.
St. Mary (Corwith, Iowa)
"On January 15, 1902, the Diocese of Sioux City was formed from the western half of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, following county lines. The Catholic church in Corwith found itself less than a mile east of the diocesan line. In both directions, Catholics of one diocese belong to a parish in the other. The next month Father William J. Baxter directed the building of the present Saint Mary Church in Corwith in 1913. Father Joseph P. Quirin also served a long pastorate, from 1918 to 1942. The annual catechetical summer schools began in 1926." <br /><br />- Rev. Msgr. Edgar Kurt, "Parish Profile #184," <em>The Witness,</em> July 29, 1990.
The Archdiocese of Dubuque.
The Center for Dubuque History at Loras College.
Loras College
Kucera Center for Catholic Thought
Frank and Ida Goedken Series: "Spiritual Life in the Upper Mississippi River Valley"
Burback, Emily. Burns, Daniel. Gibson, Michael. Oberfoell, Carol. Waldmeir, Helen. Waldmeir, John.
English.
Various primary and secondary sources.
ca. 1913-2002
History of the parish over the span of 89 years, including information about its priests and parishioners.
St. Mary (Dike, Iowa)
"In the 1860s Irish immigrants came to Grundy County to settle fertile Grant Township several miles south of Dike. The first settler was John B. Murphy in 1866. Having first farmed in Michigan, he was attracted to the Iowa farmland. He was soon followed by others of the same name: John Murphy from Wisconsin and six Murphy brothers from near New Melleray Abbey west of Dubuque. It is no wonder the area came to be known as Murphy Settlement, which predates the founding of Dike by more than 25 years. It was probably the first permanent Catholic settlement in Grundy County."<br /><br /> - Rev. Edgar Kurt, "Parish Profile #194," <em>The Witness</em>, 7 October 1990.
The Archdiocese of Dubuque.
The Center for Dubuque History at Loras College.
Loras College
Kucera Center for Catholic Thought
Frank and Ida Goedken Series: "Spiritual Life in the Upper Mississippi River Valley"
Burback, Emily. Burns, Daniel. Gibson, Michael. Oberfoell, Carol. Waldmeir, Helen. Waldmeir, John.
English.
Various primary and secondary sources.
ca. 1866-
History of the parish, including information about its priests and parishioners.
St. Mary (Dubuque, Iowa)
"Saint Mary Parish came into being in response to the petition of German families to Bishop Loras in 1819 for permission to establish a parish to provide for the German speaking Catholics of Dubuque. The first church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was built of stone in 1851 on the corner of 8th and White Streets in Dubuque. Because of rapid growth, plans for a new building were made in 1863, and the structure became a reality in 1867 at the corner of 15th and White Streets. It was named Saint Mary’s under the title of her Assumption. In late afternoon of January 9, 1976, the interior of the church was extensively damaged by fire and smoke. Msgr. Anthony Sigwarth, the pastor, directed the restoration of Saint Mary’s to its former glory."<br /><br /> - Rev. Msgr. Edgar Kurt, Parish Profile #14, <em>The Witness</em>, March 8, 1987.
The Archdiocese of Dubuque.
The Center for Dubuque History at Loras College.
Loras College
Kucera Center for Catholic Thought
Frank and Ida Goedken Series: "Spiritual Life in the Upper Mississippi River Valley"
Burback, Emily. Burns, Daniel. Gibson, Michael. Oberfoell, Carol. Waldmeir, Helen. Waldmeir, John.
Primarily English, some German.
Various primary and secondary sources.
1867-
History of the parish over the span of 151 years, including information about its priests and parishioners.
St. Mary (Goodell, Iowa)
Historical documents pertaining to the history of Saint Mary Parish in Goodell, Iowa.
The Archdiocese of Dubuque.
The Center for Dubuque History at Loras College.
Loras College
Kucera Center for Catholic Thought
Frank and Ida Goedken Series: "Spiritual Life in the Upper Mississippi River Valley"
Burback, Emily. Burns, Daniel. Gibson, Michael. Oberfoell, Carol. Waldmeir, Helen. Waldmeir, John.
English.
Various primary and secondary sources.
History of the parish including information about its priests and parishioners.