Dayton - Christ the King

DAYTON - Christ the King Parish in Dayton was established on May 20, 1954. The original parish consisted of 25 families from the towns of Dayton, Harcourt, Stratford, Boxholm, Gowrie and Lanyon.

Father Raymond J. Pick served as the first pastor. Prior to the building of the new church, the people of Dayton attended Mass at Lehigh. Mass was also celebrated in the local movie theater until the parish purchased land and bought the old Methodist church and renovated it. This became the parish hall after the new church was built in 1956.

Records show that the first building committee was made up of Louis Murphy, Albert Blanchet and Merrill Schlief. Contracts totaling some $43,000 were let in August of 1955 for the church. The Catholic Church Extension Society contributed $25,000 to the total cost of the church. The new building was dedicated on Sept. 18, 1956.

The pastors that have served since Father Pick are Fathers Nicholas J. Ruba (1958-1961); Richard J. Macke (1961-1965); Leo L. Riesburg (1965-1968); E. Everett Apt (1968-1969); Richard A. Kielbasa (1969-1970); Jan Lisowski (1970-1973); Richard S. Ries (1973-1975); John M. Thomas (1975-1977); William Devine (1977-1978); Edmund Tiedeman (1978-1984); James Tigges (1984-1987); Eugene Walding (1987-1989); Thomas Munn (1989-1999); and Father Tim Boekelman (1999-present).

In the fall of 1990, two Sisters of Presentation, whose Motherhouse is in Dubuque, came to assist Father Munn as pastoral ministers for the Dayton and Ogden Parishes. Sister Mary Lois Lehmann and Sister Mary Bernard Mauss served in that capacity for many years. In the June 2001, Sister Mary Bernard retired. Their presence and participation in local activities and groups in the Dayton area are living examples of evangelization among the people.

The parish house has had various repairs made to it over the years and the older church has been torn down. It was used as a parish hall until the Dayton Community Building was finished in 1995.

Father Tim Boekelman resides in Moorland and also serves the Duncombe people.

The Immaculate Conception Parish in Lehigh merged with Christ the King Parish in 1989. The parish welcomes new families to join Christ the King, which is located on the northwest corner of Dayton, along Highway 175.