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Blessed Sacrament Parish
Queen
of Peace Parish
Sacred Heart Parish
St. Edward Parish
Previous
Parishes
Hispanic
Ministry
Historical
Timeline
The
Catholic Parishes in Waterloo
Parish Profiles
Blessed Sacrament Parish
Blessed Sacrament Parish
in Waterloo
is a faith community of 2511 Catholics in 1,124 households, located in
a residential neighborhood about three and a half miles
northwest of the city's central business district and near the city's western
boundary with Cedar Falls. [map]
Blessed
Sacrament Parish was formed in
1947, with a population of 723 people in 200 households. The
new parish celebrated its first Mass in the small theater of
Edison School on January 4, 1948. In July of that year, a
temporary church building was completed on Falls Avenue; First
Communion for 38 boys and girls was celebrated in June and
Confirmation for 21 children and 32 adults was celebrated in
November.
In December 1948, seventeen acres of
land were purchased at the present site on Stephen Ave. The cornerstone was laid on September 17, 1950
for the first building--a combination of church and school in
which the basement served as the church and the first floor as the school. The
first Mass in the new building was celebrated on December 1,
1950.
The School Sisters of Notre Dame arrived
from Mankato, Minnesota, to begin classes for 130 children in
September, 1951. The first addition to the school, providing a
total of 12 classrooms for over 300 students, was added in
1951. A second addition in 1961 connected the school and the
convent in order to accommodate 570 children.
Continued growth demanded a larger space
for worship, and permission to build a separate church was given
in December 1964. Construction of the new church and rectory
began in July, 1965, and the cornerstone was laid on March 21,
1966. The first Mass was celebrated in the new church on
Thanksgiving Day, 1966; the new church was dedicated on April 9,
1967. In 1991 the parish completed the Anne Sulentic Parish Center to serve as both a parish center and gymnasium.
In the
first 21 years the parish increased from 200 families to 564. Over the next five years the parish grew to 660 households. An associate pastor assisted the pastor until 1974, when a
Franciscan Sister was hired as pastoral minister. A
director of religious education joined the staff in 1975.
The parishs first permanent deacon was ordained in 1979 and was
joined over the years by three additional permanent deacons. By 1993, parish members numbered over 2,500 souls in 906
households.
Blessed
Sacrament Parish is currently served by Fr. Thomas McDermott,
who was appointed pastor in 2011, and four permanent deacons: Norman
Schauls, Jim Freet, John Herman and Bob Stirm. John Herman
also serves as Music Director. Sr. Madonna Friedman OSF serves in a
parttime capacity as Pastoral Minister and Barb Duggan is the
Director of Faith Formation. The parish participates in
adult formation and youth ministry provided by the Catholic
Parishes in Waterloo.
(01/12)
Blessed Sacrament Parish Mission
Because our hearts are burning within us, we the Community of
Blessed
Sacrament
are disciples of Christ, witnessing the love of God through
worship, service
and lifelong faith formation.
Queen of Peace Parish
(Parroquia Reina de
la Paz)
Queen of Peace Parish
in Waterloo
is a faith community of 2,295 Catholics in 984 households, located on
the east (north) side of the Cedar River in downtown Waterloo. [map]
Queen of
Peace Parish was established on
July 1, 2002, following the merger of four of existing local
parishes: St. John, St. Joseph and St. Mary Parishes in
Waterloo and St. Nicholas Parish in Evansdale. (See
Previous Parishes below.)
The merger
of these historic urban parishes required many difficult
choices, including the decision to close some existing church
buildings. During the first year a decision was
made to use the former St. Joseph Church in downtown Waterloo as
the main worship site for the new parish; the buildings and
grounds of the other parishes were subsequently sold. Elementary schools at St. John, St. Mary and St. Nicholas
sites were merged into a single facility at the St.
Mary site in 2001, and incorporated into the Cedar Valley
Catholic Schools system in 2003. The Queen of Peace
attendance site was closed in 2005. The former
St. Joseph rectory, adjacent to the church on Mulberry Street,
currently houses the parish offices as well as offices for the
Coordinator of Hispanic Ministry, the
Episcopal Vicar of the Waterloo and the Director of Adult Faith Formation for the
Catholic Parishes in Waterloo.
The
Queen of Peace parish community is a diverse mix of Anglo and
Hispanic families, including immigrant families from five
different indigenous cultures in Mexico, Central and South
America. For many of these Hispanic Catholics, their
native language is their first language, Spanish their second
and English their third. Integration of these immigrant
families is facilitated by a Coordinator of Hispanic Ministry,
who collaborates with other parish ministers, other local parishes, and local social service agencies.
Fr.
James Goedken and Fr. Kenneth Glaser were appointed the first
pastor and associate pastor when Queen of Peace Parish was
formed in 2002. Fr. Dennis Colter was appointed pastor
when Fr. Goedken died in 2003.
Queen of
Peace Parish is currently served by Fr. Jose Luis Comparan, who
was appointed pastor in 2009, and three permanent deacons: Ed Weber,
Clarence Gram, and Rigoberto Real. Rigoberto Real
also serves as Coordinator of Hispanic Ministry; Bev Byford is the
Director of Faith Formation. The parish participates in
adult formation and youth ministry provided by the Catholic
Parishes in Waterloo.
(01/12)
Queen of Peace Parish Mission
We, the Queen of Peace Community, believe our Mission is to serve God and to
worship together. We are committed to promoting unity, while bringing
peace, acceptance and
justice to those we meet. We seek to live our faith and to become a healing community that is open to change and growth
with respect to one anothers heritage.
Sacred Heart Parish
Sacred
Heart Parish in Waterloo is a faith community of 2,603 Catholics in
957 households located on the south side of the Cedar River, several
blocks from downtown Waterloo [map].
Sacred
Heart Parish was the first Catholic parish established on the
west (or south) side of the Cedar River in Waterloo. Until the parish
was founded in 1909, Catholics living on that side of the river
had to cross the Cedar by fording, ferry or bridge to
worship at St. Joseph Church on the east (or north) side of the
river.
In 1908,
Catholics living on the west side met to discuss founding a new
parish. Fr. John J. Hanley was appointed founding pastor
of the new parish in January, 1909 and pledges were sought to
provide funds for building a new church. This resulted in
over $15,000 from 47 Catholic and 67 non-Catholic citizens. The Pickett residence at the corner of West 4th and Randolph
Sts. was purchased to serve as the rectory and land was
acquired for a new church adjacent to the rectory.
Mass was celebrated in the Knights of Pythias Hall during
construction of the new church, designed in the Lombardic
Romanesque style and considered at the time one of the first of
that style constructed in the United States. The first Mass was
celebrated in Sacred Heart Church at 5:00am on Christmas Day, 1909; the church was formally dedicated
on October 8, 1911.
Sacred
Heart School opened in August, 1909, and was staffed for many
years by Sisters of Mercy from Cedar Rapids. Additions to
the school, a gymnasium and convent were completed in 1931. The church was renovated in the early 1970s to accommodate the
liturgical changes which followed the Second Vatican Council and
an elevator was installed in the church in 1988. A
major renovation of the church, including a new,
enclosed entrance, was begun in 1988 and
completed in 2000.
At
present the Sacred Heart community is comprised of almost 2,400
members in over 975 households. Parish members consider
themselves to be a warm and welcoming community of faith, which
is open to Catholics of diverse backgrounds. Sacred Heart
is a stewardship parish which is actively involved in social
concerns and social justice. The parish works closely with
other churches in the "Church Row" neighborhood to reach out to
those in need in the neighborhood and the city. Since
2010, the parish has made a special effort to welcome Burmese
Catholic families who have left Myanmar as political refugees
and are settling in the neighborhoods near Sacred Heart.
Sacred
Heart Parish is currently served by Fr. Louis Jaeger, who was
appointed pastor in 2006, and a permanent deacon, Al Weber. Nancy Rigel serves as Pastoral Associate, parish nurse and health
minister. Sr. Kathleen Grace OSF serves as Pastoral
Associate for Immigrant Ministry and Pam Johnston is the
Director of Faith Formation. The parish participates in
adult formation and youth ministry provided by the Catholic
Parishes in Waterloo.
(01/12)
Sacred Heart Parish Mission
We the faith community of Sacred Heart Parish, are a beacon of
hope, reaching out and welcoming people of all ages and
cultures. We worship and minister in the heart of Waterloo,
offering our gifts of acceptance, care, and formation in the
Catholic Faith.
St. Edward Parish
St.
Edward Parish in Waterloo is a faith community of 3,936
Catholics comprising 1,587 households, located in a residential area about
one and a half miles south of the city's downtown business
district. [map]
The
parish was established in the mid-1940s in response to the
growth of the Catholic community on the west (south) side of the Cedar
River. In 1944 Archbishop Henry Rohlmann appointed
Fr. John M. Fischer to secure a location for the establishment
of a new westside parish. Five acres of land known as
Longwood, the Bickley Estate, were purchased at the corner of
Kimball and Mitchell Avenues, and the new parish was founded in
January, 1945.
The
first Masses in the new parish were held in the gymnasium of
Kingsley School until space could be converted in the Bickley
home for a temporary church. Five Franciscan Sisters from Dubuque
arrived in the summer of 1945 and St. Edward School opened that
fall. Construction of St. Edward Church, located in front
of the Bickley home, began in 1946; within a year the basement
of the new church was completed and Masses were celebrated there
until the new church was finished. Over 1,000 worshippers
celebrated Mass in the newly completed church on Christmas Eve,
1948 and the new church was formally dedicated in 1949.
A new
school building was built behind the Bickley home in 1953 and a
rectory was constructed north of the church in 1957. The
original Bickley home, which served for many years as the
convent, now serves as the parish's New Life Center containing a preschool, daycare center and meeting rooms.
St. Edward Church was renovated in the early 1970s to
accommodate the liturgical changes which followed the Second
Vatican Council; a second major renovation of the church was
completed in 1996.
Over the years, the
St. Edward community has developed a commitment to active lay
leadership, full and active liturgical participation, stewardship of time and talent, and support for
social justice activities and organizations. The parish
has maintained sister-parish relationships with
St.
Theresa Parish in Okolona, Mississippi since 1992
and St.
Therese de'enfant Jesus Parish at Grison-Garde, Haiti since 1999. Volunteers from the St. Edward community make
regular mission trips to both sister parishes.
St.
Edward Parish is currently served by Fr. Jerry Kopacek, who was
appointed to his second term as pastor in 2006, and three
permanent deacons: John Baker, Ray Larsen and Rick Lynch.
Karol Rae Hoth is the Pastoral Associate and Family Life
Director; Hazel Martin is the Director of Faith Formation; Mary
Conway serves as Liturgy Director and Faye Hansen is the Music
Director. The parish participates in adult
formation and youth ministry provided by the Catholic Parishes
in Waterloo.
(01/12)
St.
Edward Parish Mission
We are disciples of Christ called together
in a Catholic community to: Worship God through celebrating and
responding to His love; Teach by proclaiming and living the Gospel; Serve through works of justice, mercy and
peace; Grow as a loving family where all share our
diverse gifts and talents
Previous Parishes
St. John Parish
in Waterloo was founded in
1923 to serve members of St. Mary Parish who found it
difficult to travel when St. Mary's moved from downtown Waterloo to a residential
neighborhood on the city's north side. Property for St.
John's was
purchased in the Linden residential area east of downtown Waterloo,
adjoining the Rath Packing Co. plant and near the city's
affluent Highland neighborhood. A vacant store was rented
and used as a chapel until a church and school could be built in
the 1700 block of Mulberry St. [map]. The new church was dedicated on Sept. 1, 1924. Under the
leadership of the founding pastor, Fr. Nicholas Lentz, the
parish founded a credit union in 1930 and provided low-cost life
insurance through the Family Benefit Society, founded in 1936. St. John Church
was enlarged in 1932 and redecorated in 1940 and 1966. It was renovated in the early 1970s
and again in 1984 to
accommodate the liturgical changes which followed the Second
Vatican Council. The original school building was
constructed in 1924 and enlarged in 1927; a new school and
auditorium opened in 1963. In 1971 a team
ministry consisting of priests, religious sisters and lay
ministers, was appointed to serve both St. John Parish and St.
Nicholas Parish in Evansdale. The team ministry served the
two parishes until 1987, when separate pastors were appointed
for each parish. The St. John and St. Nicholas Schools,
served by the Sisters of Mercy from Cedar Rapids, were
consolidated in 1975; the schools were combined with St. Mary
School in 2001 to form Queen of Peace School, which was
incorporated into the Cedar Valley Catholic School system in
2003. Queen of Peace attendance center was closed in
2005. St. John Parish closed in 2002 when it was merged
into Queen of Peace Parish.
(01/12)
St. Joseph Parish
in Waterloo was founded in
1861 when Catholic residents in Waterloo purchased land on the east
side of the Cedar River in the downtown district for
construction of the city's first Catholic church. Prior to
that time Mass was celebrated in private homes and the
Catholic community was served by missionary priests from St.
Mary Parish in Waverly. In 1863 a small frame building was
constructed on Third Street [map] and served as the parish's worship
space until a larger facility was completed in 1880. The
community's first resident pastor, Fr. Nicholas Scallan, arrived
in 1869 and initiated the construction of Our Lady of Victory
Academy on property adjoining the church. The academy
opened in 1872 and was staffed by Sisters of Charity of the
Blessed Virgin Mary from Dubuque. The present church on
the corner of East Third and Mulberry Sts. [map] was begun in 1900 and
dedicated in October, 1901.
The current rectory was built in 1909. The church was
renovated in the early 1970s to accommodate the liturgical
changes which followed the Second Vatican Council and
refurbished in 1997. A new building for the Academy was
completed in 1911 and East Second and Mulberry Sts. and served
as a K-12 facility until grades 9-12 were transferred to
Columbus High School in 1959. The Academy closed and the
building was demolished in 1968. Under the leadership of
Msgr. Duane Brady, who served as pastor from 1955 to 1968 and
again from 1977 to 1987, St. Joseph Parish was well known in the
1950 and 60s as a center of Catholic evangelization, social
justice and civil rights. A Noon weekday Mass has been
celebrated in St. Joseph Church since 1955. St. Joseph
Parish ceased to exist in 2002 when it was merged into Queen of
Peace Parish.
(01/12)
St. Mary Parish
in Waterloo was founded in 1898 and
originally located at Park and Lafayette Streets in downtown
Waterloo [map]. At the time St. Mary's was the second Catholic
congregation in Waterloo and consisted primarily of German
immigrants; its location on the site of the present YWCA, was
only a block from St. Joseph Church. Franciscan Sisters from Dubuque
arrived in the fall of 1899 to staff a parish school and the
first services were held in the basement of the unfinished
church in January, 1901. The original St. Mary Church was dedicated on
October 27, 1901. A school building was completed and the
church enlarged in 1906. In 1917 the Franciscan Fathers of
the St. Louis province took over pastoral care of the parish and
guided the search for a new location in the city's growing north
side residential neighborhood. In 1917 land was purchased at the corner of East 4th and Parker Sts.
[map]
and construction began on a new combination church and school in 1922. The new church was dedicated on Nov. 12, 1922 and renovated in
the early 1970s to accommodate the liturgical changes which
followed the Second Vatican Council. An addition to the
school, a new convent and rectory were completed in 1955. Over
the years the St. Mary community exhibited a strong commitment
to Catholic education, hospitality for racial and cultural
minorities, and a desire for good liturgical music. St.
Mary School was consolidated with St. John and St. Nicholas
School in 2001 and incorporated into the Cedar Valley Catholic
School system in 2003. St. Mary Parish closed in 2002 when
it was merged into Queen of Peace Parish. Queen of Peace
School closed in 2005.
(01/12)
St. Nicholas Parish
in Evansdale was founded
in 1951 by parishioners from St. John
Parish in Waterloo living in Evansdale, a residential community
adjoining Waterloo which grew rapidly in the post-World War II
building boom. Construction of a
combination church and school building at the corner of
Roosevelt Road and Central Ave. [map] began in 1951 under the
direction of Fr. Alvan Heuring; much of
the construction, finishing work and landscaping was done by
the pastor and volunteers from the new parish community. The first Mass was celebrated in St. Nicholas
Church on Easter, 1952 and Fr. Heuring was appointed the
first resident pastor shortly thereafter. A rectory was
built in 1955 and
a new convent was completed in 1961. A team ministry
consisting of priests, religious sisters and lay ministers, was
appointed to serve both St. Nicholas Parish and St. John Parish
in Waterloo in 1971. The team ministry served the two
parishes until 1987, when separate pastors were appointed for
each parish. St. Nicholas School opened in the fall of 1952 and
was staffed by Sisters of Mercy from Cedar Rapids. The
school was consolidated with St. John School in 1975 and both
schools were combined with St. Mary School in 2001 to form Queen
of Peace School. Queen of Peace School was incorporated
into the Cedar Valley Catholic School system in 2003 and closed
in 2005. St. Nicholas Parish closed in 2002 when it was
merged into Queen of Peace Parish. The former site of St.
Nicholas Parish is now occupied by Poyner Elementary School.
(01/12)
St. Peter Claver Parish
in Waterloo originated in 1935 as an outreach
mission to African-American Catholics supervised by the Franciscan priests
at St. Mary Parish. In the fall of 1936
parish priests began celebrating Mass in private homes of
African-American Catholics living in a residential neighborhood
north of the downtown and within the boundaries of St. Mary
Parish. Eventually planning began for
the construction of a separate church for African-American
Catholics. The church, named in honor of St. Peter Claver,
was dedicated on Claver's feast day, Sept. 8, 1940. (Claver
lived from 1581 to 1654; he was a Spanish Jesuit who ministered
to African slaves in Cartegena, a Caribbean port in what is now
Colombia which was the largest slave
market in the New World.) The church was located in a predominantly African-American commercial district
at 1112 Mobile St. [map].
The parish served the needs of African-American Catholics for
over 20 years, until it was no longer morally or socially
possible to defend the segregation of African-American Catholics
from the white community. St.
Peter Claver Parish was closed in 1965 and members of the parish
were welcomed into other Waterloo parishes. The original church
building was sold to the Jesse Cosby Community Center, a social
services agency founded in 1966 in memory of a
local musician, community organizer, and advocate for
integration and social justice.
(01/12)
Hispanic Ministry
Waterloo
Hispanic Ministry was created in 1993 when the Deanery Council
voted to hire a minister to serve the growing population of
Hispanic Catholics drawn to Waterloo by jobs in the
meat packing industry. The first Hispanic Minister in Waterloo
was Sr. Kathleen Grace, a member of the Sisters of St. Francis
from Dubuque, who had served an immigrant community in Texas
before coming to Waterloo. Sr. Kathleen provided spiritual
care, sacramental preparation, religious education and social
services for immigrant families from Mexico and Central
America; she was assisted by Luisa Alvarado and Martha Real. In 1997 Fr. Leon Connolly, a native
Iowan who served for 21 years in Latin American missions, was
appointed pastor of St. Joseph Parish and Vicar for Hispanic
Ministry. He was succeeded by Fr. Nils Hernandez, who served as
associate pastor and Director of Hispanic Ministry from 2004 to
2006. Fr. Jose Luis Comparan was appointed associate pastor
for the Hispanic Community in 2008 and pastor of Queen of Peace
Parish and Vicar for Hispanic Ministry in 2009. During this
time Martha Real and Glenda Cristiansen served as coordinators
of Hispanic ministry. In 2009 Rev. Mr. Rigoberto Real, a member of the Hispanic community, was ordained
as a permanent deacon. He was appointed Coordinator of
Hispanic Ministry in 2010 and currently currently serves in that
capacity. A Spanish Mass is celebrated
each Sunday at noon and on major holy days in Queen of Peace
Church; other opportunities
for prayer and worship, sacrament preparation, faith formation, and
leadership development are also provided to members of the
Hispanic community in the city. The offices of Hispanic Ministry
are located at 320 Mulberry St.
(01.12)
Resources
-- Centennial
History of the Archdiocese of Dubuque by M.M. Hoffmann
(Columbia
College Press, 1938);
-- With Faith and Vision--Schools of the Archdiocese of
Dubuque by Msgr. Justin
A. Driscoll (Archdiocese of Dubuque Bureau of Education, 1967);
-- A series of parish profiles published
by The Witness;
--
Archdiocese of Dubuque Iowa--175th Anniversary Memorial
Edition
(Editions du
Signe, 2011);
-- Archdiocesan archives and parish records.
Compiled by Dave Cushing
Continue to Historical Timeline
Return to Parish Directory
Posted 01.06.12
Last
Update: 01.19.12 |