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“The first Catholics came to the county in the 1850s and their number increased as the Civil War veterans came west to claim government land. They were visited by Father William Edmonds of Iowa City and Father Clement Lowry of Cedar Rapids. Father…

“Missionaries came early to this center of agriculture, manufacturing, and railroading in eastern Cerro Gordo County, and by 1864 the Catholics were organized into a parish. Father Patrick Feely, located at Waverly after Father Murphy’s death, was…

“Father William Emmonds, the pastor of Saint Mary’s in Iowa City, first offered Mass in Mount Vernon and Lisbon area of Linn County in 1857. With the completion of the railroad to Cedar Rapids in 1859 came an influx of Irish immigrants. A year later…

Historical documents pertaining to the history of Saint John parish in Lisbon, Iowa.

“Under the guidance of Father Louis Cornelis of Lansing, during the winter of 1867, nine men cut and hauled logs to a site three miles southwest of the present town. The church and cemetery were dedicated in June 1867, receiving the name Holy Cross.…

“Plans for the new parish in Marshalltown were in 1953 by Archbishop Henry P. Rohlman and Msgr. Bernard H. Skahill, pastor of Saint Mary’s. It was to be attached temporarily to Saint Mary’s. Property for the new parish was purchased in April 1954.…

“Saint Boniface Parish traces its beginning to the first Mass offered in the village of New Vienna by Bishop Mathias Loras on Jan. 6, 1846. They were a community of 17 German families who had settled along the North Fork of the Maquoketa River about…

“In 1868 Bishop John Hennessy sent Father Daniel Cogan to be pastor of Castle Grove and to build a church in Monticello. He conducted open air forums in Monticello and surrounding communities and later moved to Monticello. The parish built a large…

“North Washington in Chickasaw County was established as a trading center in the early 1850s. As the number of settlers increased, they saw a need for a church. Then the death of a child was the occasion for Paul Roethler to donate a portion of land…

Historical documents pertaining to the history of the Epiphany Parish Merger in Mason City, Iowa.