Fort Dodge - Sacred Heart

FORT DODGE - Sacred Heart Parish was established in June of 1897. Just as the city of Fort Dodge was growing rapidly in the last decade of the 19th century, so was the Catholic community of Fort Dodge. This growth necessitated subdivision of the Corpus Christi Parish. Archbishop Hennessey of Dubuque tasked Father Edmond Heelan with the mission of establishing the new parish and the construction of the new church. This was accomplished within four months with the first services conducted in the new Sacred Heart Church on Oct. 24, 1897.

Within a period of less than 20 years, the parish had outgrown its original building. Work was then begun in June of 1915 on the basement of the present church. The basement was completed in 1916, and served as the church for the next six years.

Father Heelan was ordained as the Auxiliary Bishop for the Diocese of Sioux City and Father William Desmond was named the successor of Sacred Heart. It was under his pastorate that the church was completed and then dedicated by Bishop Heelan in November of 1922. Sacred Heart Parish was split in 1946 to create Holy Rosary Parish, the third in Fort Dodge.

Over the years, the church was completed section by section. The Munich stained glass windows, murals and the marble Communion rails were all completed between 1930 and 1940. The marble sanctuary figures were completed in 1962 as a result of a bequest from the late Father Sweeney. Later a new rectory was built. Recently, St. Theresa's Chapel was completed, the reconciliation room was built, the protective coverings over the stained glass windows were completed and central air conditioning was installed.

The pastors of Sacred Heart have been: Father (Bishop) Heelan (1897-1918), Father William Desmond (1918-1930), Father C. P. Sweeney (1930-1961), Father Leo Lenz (1961-1965), Msgr. Gerald Kelly (1965-1981), Father James McAlpin (1981-1983), Msgr. Leonard Ziegmann (1983-1986), Father Lawrence McCarty (1986-1993), Father Jerome Cosgrove (1993-1996), Father Harry McAlpine (1996-1999), Father Edward Girres (1999-2000) and the Area Pastoral Team (2000-present).

Concurrent with his plans for a church, Father Heelan included a school and a convent. In January, 1902, classes began in a frame building across from the church under the operation of the Sisters of Charity, BVM. A new, three-story brick school with a high school and commercial department were completed in 1903. The school remained open until the high school was transferred to the St. Edmond Central High School in 1955.

The 1903 building was razed and replaced with a new elementary school in 1963 and converted to a middle school in 1981. The school as closed in 1998, and reopened in 2000 as an elementary school, pending construction of the central elementary school on St. Edmond Central Campus.

Today, Sacred Heart Parish is part of the Fort Dodge Area Catholic system. It has over 2,000 members, with plans to complete restoration and preservation of the church and convert the school into a parish center in the future. Sacred Heart Church is architecturally significant and is recognized regionally, if not nationally, as a unique Prairie-Romanesque structure. It was designed by William Steele, a noted Prairie School architect who had been with the Chicago School.

In July 2000, Sacred Heart became part of a "team ministry," consisting of five parishes in Webster County. These include Corpus Christi and Holy Rosary of Fort Dodge, St. Matthew's in Clare and St. Joseph's in Barnum. Bishop DiNardo appointed four priests to serve on this team, with one serving as team moderator. Father Ed Girres, moderator, resides at Sacred Heart. Father Lynn Bruch, Father Larry Burns and Father Christian Van Oosbree also serve on the team. Father Mike Erpelding, who teaches full-time at St. Edmond's, assists the team.