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“Saint Joseph Parish began in 1855 with the building of a church at Paint Rock in the northeastern corner of the state in Allamakee County. The post office name of Paint Rock changed to Allamakee, to Adams Junction, to Waukon Junction, to Harpers…

"Saint Anthony’s was a school for several years before it was a parish. As a parish it was dedicated first to Saint Malachi, then to Saint Aiden in 1880. Later to Saint Ambrose and still later to Saint Anthony. The parish had its beginning when…

“When Father Patrick Burke was appointed pastor of Independence to succeed Father Gosker in 1878, he planned a church for Jesup congregation. It was built in 1880 and dedicated to Saint Athanasius. That year Father Peter O’Dowd succeeded Father Burke…

"Saint Benedict Parish was established in 1857 with Father Edmund Farrell as resident pastor. He directed the building of a log church near the present Bluffton church. Later Father Clement Lowery supervised the building of a limestone church in…

"Until 1897 the early Catholic settlers of Alta Vista in Chickasaw County attended either the Elma or the North Washington parish church. Rural roads that sometimes became impassible caused them to ask Archbishop John Hennessy for permission to build…

"Most parishes have only one patron saint, but the Garner parish has four. Late in the last century Father John McMahon procured a church hall and succeeded in uniting the various nationalities by dedicating the building to Saints Boniface, Rose,…

"The second half of the nineteenth century saw many immigrants come to Iowa from the Slavic areas of Europe. A large portion of them settled in Cedar Rapids and along the rail lines extending from Cedar Rapids to Marshalltown. Czechs built the first…

“The third pastor, Father Henry H. Forkenbrock, stayed for five years and saw to the building of the rectory and improvements in the church. In 1902 he equipped the second floor of the 1900 rectory with schoolrooms. Since Sisters were not available…

“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…

"The first settlers in Bluffton Township, Winneshiek County, arrived in 1851. The Catholics among them were the families of Michael Gelice, Terrence McDonnell, Charles McLaughlin, and Barney Sutton. Before any church could be built visiting…