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"Father John Ziebelk, pastor of Saint Wenceslaus Parish in Cedar Rapids, took charge of the Prairieburg Catholics in the 1870s. In 1874 he directed the building of a brick church on five acres given by Richard and Mary Lacy. It was capable of seating…

"While pastor of Parkersburg, Father B. W. Coyle served Shell Rock for nine years, from 1882 to 1891. He led them to build a church in 1891 and dedicated it to the Holy name of Jesus. From Father Coyle’s time, the Holy Name Mission continued to be…

History of the St. Joseph church and parish in Prairie, Iowa.

History of the St. Nicholas church and parish of Spruce Creek, Iowa

"Saint Wenceslaus Church was built in the Winneshiek County town of Spillville in 1860, but the parish’s double beginning was earlier. First, nearby Saint Clement Parish was established by German settlers about 1853 on the banks of Spielman’s Creek,…

"The cornerstone for Saint Aloysius Church was laid in November 1892. The frame building was blessed in June 1893. A few years later an interior balcony and a sacristy were added. Bishop Hennessy designated about fifty families as the nucleus, almost…

"As early as 1891 Father James Mulligan, pastor of West Union, visited the Hawkeye area Catholics and celebrated Mass in the home of Michael Riley, the railroad section foreman. In 1893 under Father Mulligan’s direction, they built a small frame…

"Sacred Heart Parish began as a branch school of the Stacyville parish for the Meyer area pioneers. Both communities are in Mitchell County. Toward the close of the 1880s, the Stacyville parish had grown so large as to need a larger school. The Meyer…

"On April 8, 1928, Father Joseph F. Wiehl and three members of his parish in Chester drove through muddy roads to nearby McIntire in the northeast corner of Mitchell County. There he celebrated the Easter Mass with more than one hundred faithful of…

"Landolm Haas, a veteran of the Mexican War, was the first settler in Saint Mary Parish, arriving in 1851 to take advantage of choice land at a low price. Father David Slattery was the first resident pastor and began the parish records. He came in…