Saint Joseph's Prairie Church

Last updated
St. Joseph's Prairie Church StJoePraireSep04.JPG
St. Joseph's Prairie Church

Saint Joseph's Prairie Church is a former Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The parish was located in Washington Township, Dubuque County, Iowa - which is about ten miles south of Dubuque.

In 1843, Father T.J. Donaghoe and five Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (B.V.M.) were invited to move to the Dubuque area by Bishop Mathias Loras. They moved from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a wooded area in nearby Table Mound Township. A chapel and a convent were built on the land. The Sisters remained in the area until their original convent was destroyed by fire. At that point the Sisters moved north to Dubuque. [1]

After the death of Fr. Donaghoe in 1869, Bishop Hennessy of Dubuque sent Father Monaghan to establish the St. Joseph's Prairie parish. Matthew Powers, who was an area farmer, donated land for the church and cemetery. The church was built by 1875 for $4,000. A bell was added to the church, it had the distinction of being the largest bell in the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The bell weighed 5,247 pounds. For many years the bell stood in a tower at the north side of the church building. Eventually the bell was placed on a concrete platform on the church grounds. In 1894 the rectory was built for $1,500.

One of the more famous pastors of St. Joseph's was Raymond Ettledorf, who as an Archbishop served as Apostolic Delegate to New Zealand, as a pro-Nuncio to Ethiopia, and as an Official of State at the Vatican.

In 1952, nearby Holy Family parish had been put under the supervision of the Archdiocese after having been the responsibility of the New Melleray Abbey for many years. St. Joseph's Prairie and Holy Family were affiliated, and shared pastors from then until the closing of the parish.

In 1989, it was decided to place the church on oratory status. The rectory was sold at this point. Most of the families were transferred over to Holy Family parish. The parish still owned the church building and grounds. For the next five years regular Sunday Masses were not celebrated at the church, but the church building could still be used on special occasions - such as weddings and funerals. In 1994, it was finally decided to permanently close the church. One last Mass was held at the old church building.

A decree was issued relegating the church to Profane Use - or that it was no longer a church building. The building was sold to the family that had purchased the rectory. The building has since been converted into a storage shed. The bell has since been moved from its location just north of the church, south to the church cemetery.

See also

Related Research Articles

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque

The Archdiocese of Dubuque is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the northeastern quarter of the state of Iowa in the United States.

St. Raphaels Cathedral (Dubuque, Iowa) Church in Iowa, United States

St. Raphael's Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral and a parish church in the Archdiocese of Dubuque located in Dubuque, Iowa. The parish is the oldest congregation of any Christian denomination in the state of Iowa. The cathedral church, rectory, former convent, and former parochial school building are a contributing properties in the Cathedral Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known by their initials BVM, is a Roman Catholic religious institute founded in the United States by Mother Mary Frances Clarke. The founders were from Ireland. BVM sisters work in twenty-five U.S. states and three foreign countries.

Sacred Heart Cathedral (Davenport, Iowa) Church in Iowa, United States

Sacred Heart Cathedral, located in Davenport, Iowa, United States, is a Catholic cathedral and a parish church in the Diocese of Davenport. The cathedral is located on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River to the east of Downtown Davenport. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Cathedral Complex. This designation includes the church building, rectory, and the former convent, which was torn down in 2012. The cathedral is adjacent to the Cork Hill Historic District, also on the National Register. Its location on Cork Hill, a section of the city settled by Irish immigrants, gives the cathedral its nickname Cork Hill Cathedral.

Saint Patricks Church (Iowa City, Iowa) Church in Iowa, United States

Saint Patrick's Church is a Catholic parish located at 4330 St. Patrick Drive in Iowa City, Iowa. The church is part of the Diocese of Davenport. The parish was formerly located at 228 East Court Street, near downtown Iowa City, before its church building was destroyed by a tornado in 2006.

Our Lady of the Scapular Parish Church in Michigan, United States

Our Lady of the Scapular Parish, is a Roman Catholic personal parish that specifically ministers to Polish immigrants and those of Polish descent. Our Lady of the Scapular Parish was established on August 1, 2013 as a result from a merger of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish and St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish. The activities of the parish are located at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Wyandotte, Michigan, Wayne County, United States.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church United States historic place

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church is a church located at 13770 Gratiot Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It is commonly known as the Assumption Grotto Church. The church was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1990 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

Most Holy Trinity Church, Mamaroneck Church in New York, United States

Most Holy Trinity Church, located on the Boston Post Road, is a historic Roman Catholic church in the Latin rite parish of Most Holy Trinity-Saint Vito in the Archdiocese of New York, in Mamaroneck.

St. Marys Church and Rectory (Iowa City, Iowa) United States historic place

St. Mary's Catholic Church, also known as St. Mary of the Visitation Church, is a parish church of the Diocese of Davenport which is located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The church building and rectory were listed together on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. They were both included as contributing properties in the Jefferson Street Historic District in 2004. The parish's first rectory, which is now a private home, is also listed on the National Register as St. Mary's Rectory. It is located a few blocks to the east of the present church location at 610 E. Jefferson St.

St. Marys Catholic Church (Davenport, Iowa) Church in Iowa, USA

St. Mary's Catholic Church was a parish of the Diocese of Davenport. The church building is located in the west end of Davenport, Iowa, United States, at the corner of Fillmore and W. 6th Streets. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church Complex. The designation includes the church building and rectory on the west side of Fillmore Street, and the former parochial school building and convent on the east side. A former school building operated by the parish two blocks north on West Eighth Street is also on the National Register and is listed as St. Mary's Academy. The parish ceased operations in July 2020 when it was merged into St. Anthony's Church downtown. The parish campus is being acquired by the nonprofit organization Humility Homes & Services, which is operated by the Congregation of the Humility of Mary.

St. Josephs Catholic Church (Bauer, Iowa) United States historic place

St. Joseph's Catholic Church is a former parish of the Diocese of Davenport. The church is located in Dallas township in rural Marion County, Iowa, United States. It was part of the now defunct village of Bauer. The closest communities are Melcher-Dallas and Lacona. The church building still stands and together with the adjacent cemetery comprises an historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

St. Marys Catholic Church (Riverside, Iowa) United States historic place

St. Mary's Catholic Church is a parish church of the Diocese of Davenport. The church is located at the corner of St. Mary's and Washburn Streets in the town of Riverside, Iowa, United States. The entire parish complex forms an historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places as St. Mary's Parish Church Buildings. The designation includes the church building, rectory, the former church, and former school building. The former convent, which was included in the historical designation, is no longer in existence.

Holy Family Catholic Church (Fort Madison, Iowa) Church in Iowa, United States

Holy Family Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Davenport. The parish is the result of a merger between Saints Mary and Joseph Parish and Sacred Heart Parish in the city of Fort Madison, Iowa, United States. It maintains both of the former parish church buildings as worship sites. The oldest parish in town, St. Joseph, and St. Mary of the Assumption had merged in the 1990s. St. Mary of the Assumption Church, which became Saints Mary and Joseph, is located at 11th Street and Avenue E. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Sacred Heart Church is located at 23rd Street and Ave I.

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church United States historic place

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church is a historic Catholic church in Cassella, an unincorporated community in Mercer County, Ohio, United States. One of several Catholic churches in Marion Township, it has been designated a historic site because of its well-preserved nineteenth-century architecture.

Francis John Dunn was a bishop in the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Dubuque in the state of Iowa from 1969 to 1989.

St. Boniface Catholic Church (Sioux City, Iowa) United States historic place

St. Boniface Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Sioux City. The church is located in a residential area west of downtown Sioux City, Iowa, United States. The parish buildings form a nationally recognized historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 as St. Boniface Historic District. At the time of its nomination it contained three resources, all of them contributing buildings.

Corpus Christi Catholic Church (Fort Dodge, Iowa) United States historic place

Corpus Christi Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Sioux City. The church is located in Fort Dodge, Iowa, United States and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

St. Mary Magdalen Church United States historic place

St. Mary Magdalen Church is a historic Roman Catholic church at in Abbeville, Louisiana. In 1988 the church, along with the associated rectory and cemetery, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

St. Josephs Church Complex (Fort Madison, Iowa) United States historic place

The St. Joseph's Church Complex is a collection of historic buildings located in Fort Madison, Iowa, United States. At one time the complex housed a Catholic parish in the Diocese of Davenport. St. Joseph and St. Mary of the Assumption parishes merged in the 1990s to form Saints Mary and Joseph Parish. In 2007 when that parish merged with Sacred Heart on the west side to form Holy Family Parish, St. Joseph's Church was closed. The former church, chapel, rectory, convent, and school were included as contributing properties in the Park-to-Park Residential Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

The Parish of Annunciation-Our Lady of Fatima is a Roman Catholic parish located in the Crestwood section of Yonkers, New York, and has two parish churches, the Church of the Annunciation located in Crestwood and Our Lady of Fatima Church located in Scarsdale, New York. The parish came into existence after the canonical merger of the original Parishes of Annunciation and Our Lady of Fatima on August 1, 2015. The Archdiocese of New York merged the two parishes while keeping both church buildings open. The site on which Annunciation is located consists of a church building, the parish school of Annunciation, a rectory and a convent. The site on which Our Lady of Fatima is located consists of a church building, the former rectory and the former Our Lady of Fatima School.

References

  1. "Timeline of History 1833-2007". Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Retrieved 2010-07-19.