St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Elkader, Iowa)
Encyclopedia
St. Joseph's Catholic Church is a parish of the Archdiocese of Dubuque
. The church is located in Elkader, Iowa
, United States
, at 330 1st St., NW. The church and parish hall are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
in the 1840s. He also visited mission stations in Guttenberg
, Garnavillo
and other communities. The first Mass in Elkader was celebrated in a log cabin were the town’s post office now stands. The first baptism was in 1855.
The first resident pastor of the parish was the Rev. Peter McGinnis who came to St. Joseph’s in 1856. He purchased land and built the first church in limestone
which was quarried from the hill behind the church. It took two years before the church was under roof, and even longer before it was furnished. The pastor had difficulties raising the $4,000 needed to build the church. Parishioners had to stand or kneel on the floor until the pews were added. The three altars added to the church were constructed of wood. In 1876 three brass bells cast in Cincinnati were bought for $1,800. A bell tower, separate from the church building, was built to hold the bells. The church was extended in 1887 under the leadership of the Rev. J.F. Reilly. The extension created space for a new sanctuary
and sacristy
. The seating capacity
of the church was increased to 100.
for the new church was laid on April 24, 1898, and it was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day in 1900. The church, without furnishings, was built for $12,000. Another $7,000 was spent to furnish the church, which brought the total construction bill to $19,000.
The dimensions of the new church measure 50 by 104 feet. The top of the cross on the steeple
is 142 feet above the ground. The church was built in the Gothic Revival style, and like the old church, is built of limestone. The roof was covered in Pennsylvania
slate
. The interior has three nave
s and is separated by columns which were originally marbleized. The ornate wood altars from the old church were moved to the new church and the three bells were placed in the tower. The ceiling of the church was frescoed with circular portraits of various saints. The seating capacity was 500. After the new church was built the old church was converted into a parish hall.
Major renovations were made to the church in the 1960s and again in the 1990s. During the renovation in the 1960s many of the original furnishings were removed and the interior was plastered with Kalloite. An altar was constructed so the priest could face the congregation, as well as other changes influenced by the liturgical changes brought about by the Second Vatican Council
. The roof was recovered with black slate in the 1980s. In the 1990s many of the original furnishings were brought back into the church and repurposed. The gates to the former communion rail were made into table tops. The old Sedalia was remade into a presider’s chair. A new ambo
, baptismal font and ambry were made to compliment the church’s Gothic design. The seating capacity of the church was reduced to 300.
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. ...
. The church is located in Elkader, Iowa
Elkader, Iowa
Elkader is a city in Clayton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,465 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Clayton County.-History:The city is named after Algerian leader Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, at 330 1st St., NW. The church and parish hall are both 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...
.
History
Catholicism in Elkader can be traced the missionary activities of a priest from Holy CrossHoly Cross, Iowa
Holy Cross is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the 'Dubuque, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 339 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Holy Cross is located at ....
in the 1840s. He also visited mission stations in Guttenberg
Guttenberg, Iowa
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,987 people, 837 households, and 534 families residing in the city. The population density was 962.3 people per square mile . There were 935 housing units at an average density of 452.8 per square mile...
, Garnavillo
Garnavillo, Iowa
Garnavillo is a city in Clayton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 754 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Garnavillo is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
and other communities. The first Mass in Elkader was celebrated in a log cabin were the town’s post office now stands. The first baptism was in 1855.
The first resident pastor of the parish was the Rev. Peter McGinnis who came to St. Joseph’s in 1856. He purchased land and built the first church in limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
which was quarried from the hill behind the church. It took two years before the church was under roof, and even longer before it was furnished. The pastor had difficulties raising the $4,000 needed to build the church. Parishioners had to stand or kneel on the floor until the pews were added. The three altars added to the church were constructed of wood. In 1876 three brass bells cast in Cincinnati were bought for $1,800. A bell tower, separate from the church building, was built to hold the bells. The church was extended in 1887 under the leadership of the Rev. J.F. Reilly. The extension created space for a new sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
and sacristy
Sacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
. The seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of the church was increased to 100.
Present Church
In 1897 plans were made for a new church because the old church had grown too small for the congregation. Thomas Byrnes, who had previously built the Keystone Arch Bridge and the Bayless Hotel, was awarded the contract to build the church. The cornerstoneCornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
for the new church was laid on April 24, 1898, and it was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day in 1900. The church, without furnishings, was built for $12,000. Another $7,000 was spent to furnish the church, which brought the total construction bill to $19,000.
The dimensions of the new church measure 50 by 104 feet. The top of the cross on the steeple
Steeple (architecture)
A steeple, in architecture, is a tall tower on a building, often topped by a spire. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religious structure...
is 142 feet above the ground. The church was built in the Gothic Revival style, and like the old church, is built of limestone. The roof was covered in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
. The interior has three nave
Nave
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 is separated by columns which were originally marbleized. The ornate wood altars from the old church were moved to the new church and the three bells were placed in the tower. The ceiling of the church was frescoed with circular portraits of various saints. The seating capacity was 500. After the new church was built the old church was converted into a parish hall.
Major renovations were made to the church in the 1960s and again in the 1990s. During the renovation in the 1960s many of the original furnishings were removed and the interior was plastered with Kalloite. An altar was constructed so the priest could face the congregation, as well as other changes influenced by the liturgical changes brought about by 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 roof was recovered with black slate in the 1980s. In the 1990s many of the original furnishings were brought back into the church and repurposed. The gates to the former communion rail were made into table tops. The old Sedalia was remade into a presider’s chair. A new ambo
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
, baptismal font and ambry were made to compliment the church’s Gothic design. The seating capacity of the church was reduced to 300.