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"Before any Catholic church was built in Dumont, priests from neighboring parishes ministered to the Catholics of the area. Four Ackley pastors are especially remembered, Father Peter O’Dowd, D. H. Murphy, Lawrence H. Burns, and Michael A. Meagher.…

"Before the early settlers built their first church, Father James Harding from Cresco began to visit Ossian in 1858 and celebrated Mass in the railroad depot or the John Collins home. Before that it was not uncommon for the Catholic pioneers to walk…

"Saint Francis of Assisi Parish at Fayette began as a mission of Clermont in the 1870s. At that time Fayette County Catholics were visited by Father Eugene Sullivan, pastor of Clermont from 1876 to 1879. The Holy Name congregation at West Union was…

“In the fall of 1883 Father John W. Toohill became pastor and purchased a house to be used as a rectory. During his pastorate, Thomas Barry became the area’s first candidate for the priesthood. He was ordained Dec. 17, 1894, and served Iowa parishes…

"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…

"Foreseeing the need for a much larger church, Father Kortenkamp worked with his assistant, Father Joseph Brinkmann, to plan and construct the present Gothic style church with twin spires towering over 200 feet, until recent years the largest church…

“Readers need to remember that St. Anthony is the name of a town in Marshall County east of Zearing. St. Anthony is named for two men, Saint and Anthony. The Catholic church in St. Anthony is named for the Sacred Heart of Jesus. While Father Dennis…

“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.…

“The Parish of Saint Isidore was canonically resurrected on March 22, 1961, the Feast of Saint Isidore the Farmer. At Father Engler’s suggestion the new parish was dedicated to God in honor of Saint Isidore, the Patron of Farmers. Isidore and his…

"The history of the Forest City and Lake Mills parishes is intertwined and involves the Bristol parish, which never had a church of its own. From about the year 1870 Catholic settlements developed at Bristol, Forest City, and Lake Mills. According to…