Manilla - Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart Parish in Manilla was established in 1887. The first Mass in Manilla was offered in the Thew Brothers Hall and masses were also offered in the Garlick home. Bishop John Hennessey, bishop of Dubuque, had sent Father Hugh Byrne to care for the Catholics in the area.

A lot for the church was donated in 1887 by the Milwaukee Land Co. Father Phillip O'Connor offered the first Mass in the new church in November of 1887.

In 1889, Father Edward O'Farrell was given charge of Manilla, Buck Grove and Manning. He lived in Manilla and Mass was offered each Sunday in Manilla and on alternate Sundays in the mission parishes.

Fathers Wrenn (1892-1895), Michael M. Tierney (1895-1904), Thomas Coffey (1904-1909), Patrick T. Lynch (1909-1916), Francis McNeill (1916-1918) and H. J. Schleier (1918-1920) all served Sacred Heart over the years.

During Father Lynch's pastorate, a parish school was established by purchasing a wing of the dismantled public school and moving it onto church property. Give sisters of the Mercy Order from Pennsylvania came to teach and they remained until 1926.

Father Thomas Parle (1920-1923) was responsible for overseeing the building of a new rectory across the street from the church. Fathers Edward A. Dunn (1923-1926), Denis L. Clark (1926-1936) and J. J. Hyland (1936-1953) succeeded Father Parle.

The Mercy Sisters of Davenport came to teach in 1926 and remained until the school's closing in 1932. The school closed due to the depression and the closing of the railroad roundhouse where many parishioners were employed.

There was considerable growth in the parish during Father Hyland's pastorate. The vacated school building was converted into a parish hall, and in 1945 arrangements with the local public school board were made for the Catholic children to be taught catechism on a released-time basis during the regular school day.

A home was purchased for a convent and a small school was constructed behind the convent in the later 1940s. Three sisters of the Sorrowful Mother Community of Milwaukee came to teach in the little catechetical school. Before this, between 1936 and 1945, the Sisters of the Presentation of Dubuque spent two weeks each summer teaching catechism at Sacred Heart.

While at Sacred Heart, Father Hyland was instrumental in the establishment of St. Mary Parish in Dow City. At this time, the mission parish of Buck Grove was removed from Manilla and attached to Dow City.

Fathers LeRoy D. Frank (1953-1958), Cletus L. Keleher (1958-1967), Gabriel A. O'Rourke (1967-1976), Robert Fangman (1976-1987), Lloyd White (1987-1994) and Robert Gralapp (1994-present) all served at Sacred Heart.

In 1958, membership had grown to 552 and permission was granted by Bishop Joseph M. Muellerfor the building of a new church and parish hall. Groundbreaking took place on March 24, 1963 and the cornerstone was laid on July 21, 1963.