Preparations were made in 1863 to build a chapel, and a grove on the north side of Jefferson Street was donated by A.H. Danforth and Company. Father Abram J. Ryan, a poet-priest of some renown, of Saint Mary Church in Peoria, laid the cornerstone on Sunday, September 13, 1863. The chapel was dedicated to Saint Vincent de Paul.
No record has been found of what became of that chapel but in 1876, on a lot donated by Walter Berket, the Saint Patrick Church on the south side of Jefferson Street was erected. It was a mission served by the Capuchin Fathers. These Priests have been identified from the old records of baptism, marriage, and death. Their names and approximate dates of service are:
Father George Mager OFM CAP 1876~1877
Father Angelus Poettken OFM CAP 1878~1878
Father Francis Xar. Strunk OFM CAP 1877-1880
Father Oldefonsus OFM CAP 1880~1881
Father Joseph A Zerglemaier OFM CAP 1881~1886
Father Marcus OFM CAP 1886~1887
Father Petrus Welling OFM CAP 1887~1889
Father John Chrys OFM CAP 1890~1891
Father P Chilian OFM CAP 1892~1892
Father H Carius OFM CAP 1892~1894
Father Charles B Schoeppner OFM 1894~1896
Father Sigismund Pirron OFM 1900~1901
Father Julus Henze OFM 1900~1901
In 1896, the church was remodeled and enlarged. It was then served by Franciscan priests from Metamora. In 1902, St Patrick became a mission of East Peoria, and Father Joseph Fennen served the mission until 1941. The Catholic population of the area had increased to about 75 families and it was then established as a parish, with Father Henry Schubert appointed as the first pastor.
Sister Mary Ann Schmidt
Principal 1951~2003
By 1951 there were 250 families and
about 150 grade school aged children. Construction of a school, to be staffed by the
Sisters of Mary of the Presentation of Spring Valley, began in the spring. Two years later it was necessary to add another floor to the school with four more rooms and by the
following year thechurch building was no longer able to accommodate the parishioners
adequately. Arrangements were made for Mass to be said in the school
basement, and the church was converted to a hall.
Further additions to the school became
necessary and in 1962 an entire wing was added, including a gym, library, office,
restrooms and six classrooms. In 1966 the Sisters moved into a new home - the former
rectory which was completely remodeled with a new wing added.
Work began on the present Saint Patrick
Church at 705 E. Jefferson Street in August, 1966. The first Mass was said there on Easter
Sunday, April 14, 1968. For the next three decades the Parish continued to grow.
Most Reverend John J. Myers
A celebration of the 30th anniversary, and a
rededication of the Church was held in November of 1998 with Bishop John J. Myers as the
principal celebrant of the Mass. Following the Mass a dinner was served at a banquet
hall in Washington. During the celebration this interesting narrative was presented by
Louis Venzon. "Many of the parishioners may not realize that the altar, tabernacle
stand and lector stand were all "home grown". The wood came from the farm
of Jerry Otten. Jerry's father John was the one that decided that the walnut from his farm
would be donated to St. Pat's for such a purpose and John was originally going to be
involved in the building of the altar and other stands, but John died before being able to
finish the plan. Jerry Otten, Jim Otten and I took on the project of cutting down the
trees and getting the logs to the saw mill in Sunnyland. At the time there was a saw
mill on School St. where Toms Lawn and Garden are today. We had fun cutting down the
trees, it was a little cold and we kept our spirits up with a nip here and there of
Apricot Brandy. The trees had been in a ravine and it was difficult to get the logs
back up into the truck. We tried to attach a cable with the use of the tractor
and truck. It was a circus trying to maneuver those logs. When we finally got
the logs into the truck, they were just thrown is helter skelter. Logs were sticking
out all over. Jerry thought we should try and rearrange them, it would be
easier to transport but I didn't want to be bothered and said we should "Just
Go!" We drove the truck down to the saw mill and the man there wasn't too
thrilled with how we had the truck loaded. He wanted us to leave the truck and
he would unload it the next day, but we said nothing doing, we had to use the truck the
next day for work so we unloaded it and left the logs there for him to cut. The
planks were dried and kept at Otten's. Bob Rynell then took on the job of
building our "furniture" as we have it today."
The Parish has grown from 75 families in 1941 to 950
families in 2005 and the school has grown from 150 students in 1951 to 235 students in
2005.
July and August of 2005 were busy times at Saint
Patrick Parish.
On July 24, after the 11:00 AM Mass, a renovation of
the Church interior was initiated. The pews were removed, and a temporary
church set up in the school gym. Monday morning the painters arrived and the
ceiling was painted, new light fixtures installed, all floors were cleaned
and waxed and new pews and chairs were installed in a revised seating
arrangement. Many other items of a smaller nature were completed to enhance
the interior. On August 20, at the 5:00 PM Mass the renovated church was
reopened. During this same period of time the bathrooms in the school were
completely renovated with new tile floors and walls, painting and all new
fixtures installed.
On August 28, a celebration of Mass and a dinner was
held in honor of the Sisters of Mary of the Presentation. After 54 years of
service to Saint Patrick Parish, the Sisters announced they would no longer
have the personnel to staff the Parish. A grand celebration this was as the
parishioners expressed their gratitude to the Sisters.
Father Fennen
1902~1941
Father Schubert
1941~1971
Father Hughes
1971~1993
Msgr Swaner
1994~2003
From Msgr's Desk
Following three decades of service to the parish, Father Schubert retired in 1971. He was succeeded by Father Robert Hughes who served the parish for 22 years, retiring in late 1993. Msgr James Swaner served from January 26,1994 until June 11, 2003 when he was reassigned to Saint Mary's in Utica, Ill. The present pastor is Father Joseph Donton who took up his duties at Saint Particks on June 11, 2003.
| Over the years Saint Patrick's has been blessed with many assistant pastors. They are pictured in the chronological order that they served. | ||
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Father Joseph Marzolf |
Father William Isermann |
Father John Menco |
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Father Joseph Anderson |
Father David Roche |
Father Charles Mooney SJ |
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Father Gary Caster |
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| The Parish has also been served by permanent deacons. They are: | ||
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Deacon Earl Hietter |
Deacon John Holtzman |
Deacon Bill Sloman |
