Saint Martin's Catholic Church (Cascade)
Encyclopedia
Saint Martin's Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish
in the Dubuque County, Iowa
community of Cascade, Iowa
. It is the primary parish for the Catholic residents of Cascade, and is part of the Archdiocese of Dubuque.
. An independent parish named after St. Matthias was then established in Cascade. After several years that parish was then divided into two parishes - St. Mary's
was established for German residents of the city, and St. Martin was intended for the Irish residents of Cascade.
A small red brick building was built, and served for a number of years as the first church. In 1882 the present church building was erected. This building was made of stone quarried from the Iowa Township Quarry in Dubuque County.
In the 1990s St. Mary's and St. Martin's were combined into a single parish - which was named St. Matthias in honor of the first Cascade parish. Masses were conducted at both churches, but shared a pastor and staff. This was in response to the priest shortage
in the church. Later it was decided that one of the church buildings should be closed. The parish council decided to keep St. Martin's open, and close St. Mary's. St. Mary's was relegated to Profane Use
, or deconsecrated, and sold.
was removed from that church building. It is currently being restored, and new ranks of pipes, or stops, are also being added to the organ. Once that work is completed the organ will be installed in St. Martin's Church.
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
in the Dubuque County, Iowa
Dubuque County, Iowa
Dubuque County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 93,653 in the 2010 census, an increase from 89,143 in the 2000 census. The county seat is the city of Dubuque. Dubuque County is coterminous with the Dubuque, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the seventh...
community of Cascade, Iowa
Cascade, Iowa
Cascade is a city in Dubuque County and Jones County, Iowa, United States. The Dubuque County portion is part of Dubuque Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Jones County portion is part of Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,958 at the 2000 census, but is now...
. It is the primary parish for the Catholic residents of Cascade, and is part of the Archdiocese of Dubuque.
History
Settlers began arriving in the Cascade area in the 1830s. During this time the Catholic settlers were organized into a congregation. This first congregation was small, and priests only serviced the congregation occasionally. It also was not an independent parish, instead it was a mission of the Garryowen, Iowa parish. Soon the mission at Cascade was severed from Garryowen and attached to the parish at nearby Temple Hill, IowaTemple Hill, Iowa
Temple Hill is an unincorporated community in Jones County, Iowa, United States. Temple Hill is located on Iowa Highway 136 south of Cascade and north of Onslow....
. An independent parish named after St. Matthias was then established in Cascade. After several years that parish was then divided into two parishes - St. Mary's
Saint Mary's Catholic Church (Cascade)
Saint Mary's Catholic Church is a former Roman Catholic parish located in the town of Cascade, Iowa. It was built to accommodate the German residents of the city, while the nearby Saint Martin's was established for the Irish residents....
was established for German residents of the city, and St. Martin was intended for the Irish residents of Cascade.
A small red brick building was built, and served for a number of years as the first church. In 1882 the present church building was erected. This building was made of stone quarried from the Iowa Township Quarry in Dubuque County.
In the 1990s St. Mary's and St. Martin's were combined into a single parish - which was named St. Matthias in honor of the first Cascade parish. Masses were conducted at both churches, but shared a pastor and staff. This was in response to the priest shortage
Priest shortage
A priest shortage is the situation of a reduced number of priests in religions, especially the Roman Catholic Church.In 2008, 49,631 parishes in the world had no resident priest pastor. While the number of Catholics in the world nearly doubled between 1970 and 2008, growing from 653 Million to...
in the church. Later it was decided that one of the church buildings should be closed. The parish council decided to keep St. Martin's open, and close St. Mary's. St. Mary's was relegated to Profane Use
Profane use
Profane use is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to refer to closed parish churches that will no longer be used as churches. This is often done in preparation to sell the former church building to another party...
, or deconsecrated, and sold.
Recent events
When St. Mary's was closed, the Wangerin-Weichardt pipe organPipe 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...
was removed from that church building. It is currently being restored, and new ranks of pipes, or stops, are also being added to the organ. Once that work is completed the organ will be installed in St. Martin's Church.