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“Saint Mary Church at Spencer’s Grove, two and a half miles north of Urbana, “stood out in the prairie like a lonely sentinel of the Lord,” according to Father Hubert Holsters, writing in the Centennial History of the Archdiocese. For many years…

"Father John Zlebcik, a native of Bohemia and missionary to the Bohemian and German Catholics from Tama to Cedar Rapids, established many parishes while resident at Norway, Iowa. One of them is Saint Mary Parish at Vining in Tama County. In 1874,…

“After the appointment of Father P. C. Kenny, churches were constructed in Vinton and Dysart under his direction. In 1879 the Church of Saint Mary in Vinton was dedicated on the feast of Mary’s Maternity, October 12, and the church in Vinton was…

"The second parish in Waterloo Catholic history is Saint Mary’s, which began with the appointment of a pastor in 1898. “The German Catholic Saint Mary’s Building Association” was formed in 1894 to work toward a German parish. The German Catholics…

“Several Brannon families came from Ohio in 1852 and were followed by their friends in later years. They built a stone church dedicated to Saint Rose, which was supplanted by a larger frame church in 1877. When lightning struck the church in 1881,…

“In 1854 the Waverly area settlers gathered for the first Mass in Bremer County. A few years later Bishop Mathias Loras bought a block of property from Frederick Cretzmeyer in 1855. It became the site of the first church and came to be known as…

“While resident pastor of Ackley from 1870 to 1881, Father Peter O’Dowd covered at least five counties in his missionary work among the scattered Catholic settlers. After visiting the Williams area in Hamilton County to celebrate Mass in their homes…

Historical documents pertaining to the history of Saint Mary parish in Eladora, Iowa.

“Eight men organized Eagle Township in Black Hawk County in 1858. At least three of them are buried in the Eagle Center parish cemetery. A majority of the first settlers were Catholic. The first church was built on five acres of high ground, but…

"Saint Matthew Parish began in August 1922 when Archbishop James J. Keane sent Father DanielP. Mulcahy from Vinton to Cedar Rapids. He had no church and only a few parishioners. In 1926 a combination brick church-school-rectory was completed and…