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"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…

"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,…

"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…

"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…

“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…

"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…

“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…

"Two years after Father Thomas J. Conroy returned from his World War II role as military chaplain he was appointed pastor of Sacred Heart Parish at Osage. The first Mass in the new church was celebrated on the morning of September 8, 1951. The…

"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…

"In 1875 Timothy Ahern arranged with Father Daniel H. Murphy of Ossian to come to Calmar twice a month to celebrate Mass, at first in the Ahern home and then in the public school at three dollars a month rent. Father Murphy made the trip to Calmar by…