Holy Family Catholic Church (Fort Madison, Iowa)
Encyclopedia
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
. The parish 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, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Sacred Heart Church is located at 23rd Street and Ave I.
. Initially, he stayed in the home of John Gerhard Schwartz, where he also celebrated the first Mass in the town. Schwartz also offered his assistance in building the first Catholic church in the community. St. Joseph parish was organized in 1840 in what was then the Diocese of Dubuque
. Besides John Schwartz, the first parishioners included his brother Henry Schwartz, Herman Dingman, Joseph Hellman, Henry Tieken, Bernard Tieken, Richard Fahey, Liborious Nelle, Henry Becker and their families. Within six years their numbers had swelled to 75 families, and the small brick church the first families built became too small, so a new church was built in 1847. Father Alleman lived in a room in the basement of the church and, at the request of Bishop Loras
, ministered to the German people of Southeastern Iowa, as well as the Illinois community of Nauvoo, Illinois
.
Father Alleman also established the first parochial school
at St. Joseph’s and was its first teacher. The School Sisters of Notre Dame
from St. Louis were the first sisters to teach in Fort Madison. They were replaced at St. Joseph by the Congregation of the Humility of Mary. The school grew to include elementary and secondary grades.
The last church building for the parish, which still stands on the east side of downtown, was built in 1886. It was constructed of brick in the Gothic Revival style. It has a central bell tower and spire
, with three entrance doors across the front. It was the smallest of the three Catholic Churches in town. Bishop Martin Amos
celebrated the last Mass in the church on November 17, 2007.
s and the large wood carved altars are still in the far end of each nave. There is a pipe organ
in the gallery. The parish also supported its own school, where the Sisters of Mercy
, and then the School Sisters of Notre Dame, taught. The school had both elementary and secondary grades.
The church is built in the Romanesque Revival Style. There is a corner tower and spire, and a statue of the Sacred Heart
sits on the peak of the front gable
of the facade
. The interior has three naves and the old altars were removed sometime after the Second Vatican Council
. The church has a pipe organ
in the gallery in the rear of the church.
Like the other two parishes in town, the parish supported its own school. Unlike the other two schools, Sacred Heart School held only elementary grades. The School Sisters of Notre Dame taught in the school.
Sacred Heart Hospital was established adjacent to the parish property in 1912. It was founded by the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis of East Peoria, Illinois
. It sold its assets for a dollar to a new local hospital corporation in 1977, and became Fort Madison Community Hospital. The old Sacred Heart Hospital building became a continuing care center.
were both struggling. A fund drive was held and property was purchased west of Fort Madison. A new school named Holy Trinity
opened in July 2005.
Demographics in the city of Fort Madison and the Diocese of Davenport began to change in the latter half of the 20th century. Fort Madison lost population and the religious habits of Catholics started to change. The diocese also experienced a decline in the number of priests. A plan to consolidate parishes in the diocese was developed under Bishop O’Keefe
. St. Joseph’s and St. Mary’s merged in the 1996 and used both parish names in the name of the new parish, Saints Mary and Joseph. In the first decade of the 21st century Saints Mary and Joseph merged with Sacred Heart and formed Holy Family Parish.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport is a diocese of the Catholic Church for the southeastern quarter of the state of Iowa. There are within the diocese...
. 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
Fort Madison, Iowa
Fort Madison, situated on the Mississippi River, is a city in and one of the county seats of Lee County, Iowa, United States. The other county seat is Keokuk. The population was 10,715 at the 2000 census...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The parish 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, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Sacred Heart Church is located at 23rd Street and Ave I.
St. Joseph’s Church
The Catholic Church in Fort Madison was organized by a missionary priest to the Midwest named John George AllemanJohn George Alleman
John George Alleman was a missionary Catholic priest who served in the states of Ohio, Iowa and Illinois. He served as a priest in the Dominican Order from 1834–1840, after which time he was expelled from the order. He then served as a secular priest in the Diocese of Dubuque from 1840–1851, and...
. Initially, he stayed in the home of John Gerhard Schwartz, where he also celebrated the first Mass in the town. Schwartz also offered his assistance in building the first Catholic church in the community. St. Joseph parish was organized in 1840 in what was then the Diocese of Dubuque
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northeastern quarter of the state of Iowa in the United States. It includes all the Iowa counties north of Polk, Jasper, Poweshiek, Iowa, Johnson, Cedar, and Clinton counties. ...
. Besides John Schwartz, the first parishioners included his brother Henry Schwartz, Herman Dingman, Joseph Hellman, Henry Tieken, Bernard Tieken, Richard Fahey, Liborious Nelle, Henry Becker and their families. Within six years their numbers had swelled to 75 families, and the small brick church the first families built became too small, so a new church was built in 1847. Father Alleman lived in a room in the basement of the church and, at the request of Bishop Loras
Mathias Loras
Bishop Mathias Loras was an immigrant French priest to the United States who later became the first bishop of the Dubuque Diocese in what would become the state of Iowa.-Early Life & Ministry:...
, ministered to the German people of Southeastern Iowa, as well as the Illinois community of Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
.
Father Alleman also established the first parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
at St. Joseph’s and was its first teacher. The School Sisters of Notre Dame
School Sisters of Notre Dame
School Sisters of Notre Dame is a worldwide order of Roman Catholic nuns devoted to primary, secondary, and post-secondary education. Their life in mission centers on prayer, community life and ministry...
from St. Louis were the first sisters to teach in Fort Madison. They were replaced at St. Joseph by the Congregation of the Humility of Mary. The school grew to include elementary and secondary grades.
The last church building for the parish, which still stands on the east side of downtown, was built in 1886. It was constructed of brick in the Gothic Revival style. It has a central bell tower and spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
, with three entrance doors across the front. It was the smallest of the three Catholic Churches in town. Bishop Martin Amos
Martin John Amos
Martin John Amos is a bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland in the state of Ohio from 2001–2006, and as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Davenport in the state of Iowa since 2006.-Early Life & Ministry:Martin John Amos...
celebrated the last Mass in the church on November 17, 2007.
St. Mary of the Assumption Church
Fort Madison’s second parish was established west of the downtown area in 1865. St. Mary’s, like St. Joseph, was founded in the Diocese of Dubuque. The present church structure was built in 1871. The church is built of red brick with a large and tall central tower and spire. The interior has three naveNave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
s and the large wood carved altars are still in the far end of each nave. There is a pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
in the gallery. The parish also supported its own school, where the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
, and then the School Sisters of Notre Dame, taught. The school had both elementary and secondary grades.
Sacred Heart Church
The third parish in Fort Madison was founded in the town's Santa Fe neighborhood near the Santa Fe Railroad yards. Sacred Heart Parish was established in 1893, and the church building was constructed in 1900. It is the only one of the original three parishes that was founded in the Diocese of Davenport, which was created in 1881.The church is built in the Romanesque Revival Style. There is a corner tower and spire, and a statue of the Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart
The Sacred Heart is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of His divine love for Humanity....
sits on the peak of the front gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
of the facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
. The interior has three naves and the old altars were removed sometime after the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
. The church has a pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
in the gallery in the rear of the church.
Like the other two parishes in town, the parish supported its own school. Unlike the other two schools, Sacred Heart School held only elementary grades. The School Sisters of Notre Dame taught in the school.
Sacred Heart Hospital was established adjacent to the parish property in 1912. It was founded by the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis of East Peoria, Illinois
East Peoria, Illinois
East Peoria is a city in Tazewell County, Illinois, United States. The population was 23,402 at the 2010 census. East Peoria is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area, located across the Illinois River from downtown Peoria. It is home to many Caterpillar Inc. facilities...
. It sold its assets for a dollar to a new local hospital corporation in 1977, and became Fort Madison Community Hospital. The old Sacred Heart Hospital building became a continuing care center.
Mergers
The first merger of the Catholic Community in Fort Madison happened in the parochial schools. Both St. Joseph’s and St. Mary’s high schools merged in 1959 to form Aquinas High School on the city’s northwest side. The two parishes continued to operate their own grade schools until the late 1970s when they were consolidated with Sacred Heart to form Aquinas East, which was at St. Joseph’s, and Aquinas West at Sacred Heart. The school at St. Mary’s burned down shortly before it was scheduled to be torn down. By the 1990s the Catholic Schools in Fort Madison and the Marquette Catholic Schools based in West PointWest Point, Iowa
West Point is a city in Lee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 980 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Fort Madison–Keokuk, IA-MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
were both struggling. A fund drive was held and property was purchased west of Fort Madison. A new school named Holy Trinity
Holy Trinity High School (Fort Madison, Iowa)
Holy Trinity Jr/Sr High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Fort Madison, Iowa. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport. Other sites include the Early Childhood Center in St...
opened in July 2005.
Demographics in the city of Fort Madison and the Diocese of Davenport began to change in the latter half of the 20th century. Fort Madison lost population and the religious habits of Catholics started to change. The diocese also experienced a decline in the number of priests. A plan to consolidate parishes in the diocese was developed under Bishop O’Keefe
Gerald Francis O'Keefe
Gerald Francis O'Keefe was a 20th century bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of St. Paul in the state of Minnesota from 1961–1966 and bishop of the Diocese of Davenport in the state of Iowa from 1966-1993.-Early Life &...
. St. Joseph’s and St. Mary’s merged in the 1996 and used both parish names in the name of the new parish, Saints Mary and Joseph. In the first decade of the 21st century Saints Mary and Joseph merged with Sacred Heart and formed Holy Family Parish.