Hospers - St. Anthony

HOSPERS - The history of St. Anthony's began with the arrival of 17 men of Luxembourg and German descent coming from Dubuque and Jackson Counties to homestead in 1870. These pioneers attended Mass in LeMars, walking down on Saturday and returning on Sunday.

By 1873 Hospers looked like a German village. As the number of Catholic families steadily grew, the need for a parish became urgent. A grasshopper plague ruined the crops and put the people in debt so it was impractical. Father Herman Meis of LeMars advised the discouraged pioneers to call upon St. Anthony of Padua.

Father B. Lenihan of Sioux City celebrated the first Mass in Sioux County in 1875 on the farm of Matt Harens. No grasshoppers and thus a good harvest in 1875; St. Anthony was declared their patron saint. There was about a dozen families at this time who built a church at a cost of $500.

Over the next seven years, the church was enlarged, a gallery was added and additional improvements were made. Father Meis began offering weekday Masses and the people continued to travel to LeMars for Sunday.

A cemetery was established one mile south of Hospers in 1878 on Henry Remacle's farm. In 1894, it was moved to its present location. The fence and gates were removed in 1999 and a new granite marker will be at the entrance in 2001.

Father Ulrich Frey (1883-1884) served 40 families and Father Gerhard Luehrsmann (1884-1885) also served at St. Anthony's. A larger church was built in 1888 by Father Luehrsmann at a cost of $3,200. The first rectory was built and Father Corbet served as pastor (1888).

St. Anthony returned to mission status in 1889 and was served by Father P. Lynch (1889-1890). A number of other priests served St. Anthony's during its mission status in the late 1800's: Father Eberhard Gahr (1890-1891), Father John Hoffmann (1891-1892), Father Thomas McCarty (1892) and Father Bernard Schimoeller. Also serving St. Anthony's were: Father P. Trumm and Father John Geling (1902-1911).

A school was built in 1890 and it was a free, no tuition school. Three Milwaukee Franciscan Sisters taught 40 students. German was spoken in the morning hours and English after lunch. From 1894-1934, St. Anthony was a boarding school.

A combination school and rectory was built in the 1890's, as well as a new rectory. The Sisters of St. Francis, Dubuque, were invited to teach. The church was remodeled and enlarged in 1902.

Seventy-five families were registered in 1908, and the church was debt-free. Father Herman Dries (1911-1925), Father John Thoennissen (1925-1956) and Msgr. George Theobald (1956-1965), and Father Arnold Huewe (1965-1970) all served St. Anthony's.

The rectory was remodeled for $4,500 in the 1930's and a new brick church was finished in 1938. The total cost was $48,705.59. Also a brick veneer school replaced the 1890 structure at a cost of $25,000.

The next pastors were Father Eugene Ceperley (1970-1979), Father Richard Ries (1979-1983), Father Thomas Hart (1983-1989), Father Brian Hughes (1989-1992), Father Kevin Richter (1992-1993), Father David Hemann (1994-1995) and Father James Tigges (1995-present).