Saint Mary's Catholic Church is a former Roman Catholic parish located in the town 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 was built to accommodate the German residents of the city, while the nearby Saint Martin's was established for the Irish

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 residents.

The church featured Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....

. It also featured a Wangerin-Weickhardt

Wangerin Organ Company

The Wangerin Organ Company was a manufacturer of pipe organs based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was also known as the Wangerin-Weickhardt and Hann-Wangerin-Weickhardt company. Many of their organs are still being played in churches today....

 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...

. This organ was removed and is currently being restored. The organ will then be installed at Saint Martin's church.

In the mid-1990s Saint Mary's parish and Saint Martin's parish were merged into one parish known as St. Matthias. The parish initially had the two church buildings as worship centers. Eventually the parish decided to close Saint Mary's church. Saint Mary's church 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...

 and sold. At the time the Cascade library considered moving into the church, but decided against doing so. An antiques store opened within the former church, and still operates .