Lake City - St. Mary

LAKE CITY - The history of St. Mary's Church dates back to 1894, when a few Catholic families of the community purchased the church property from the Church of Christ for $800. This original church was very small but would accommodate the few families in the parish at the time.

On March 26, 1912, St. Mary's Mission was legally incorporated into the Sioux City Diocese under Bishop Phillip Garrigan.

Father George Costello, resident pastor of St. Joseph's in Lohrville, was appointed pastor of St. Mary's Mission. Father Costello drove a buggy from Lohrville every second Sunday of the month. On alternate Sundays, Father Costello took care of his mission in Rockwell City. Occasionally, weather conditions made it impossible for the priest to reach Lake City. On those Sundays, after a long, weary wait, the congregation would recite the rosary and return to their homes.

Special early Masses were scheduled near the feast of the Nativity and the feast of the Resurrection, in order to provide the parishioners an opportunity to receive the sacraments.

In 1929, St. Mary's became a mission of St. Mary's of Sac City under the pastorate of Father Daniel Tewell. Father Tewell was replaced by Father Otto Dentlinger.

Under Father Dentlinger's pastorate, the original church was raised, turned to the east and a basement with a furnace, kitchen and rest room were added. The sanctuary and sacristy were added to the west. In 1935, through the determined efforts of Father Dentlinger, the mission, which now numbered about 37 families, was given the status of a parish.

A rectory was purchased on July 13, 1935, and Father Leo Berger (1935-1939) was appointed to serve as the first resident pastor. The entire nation was suffering the depths of a depression and on Father Berger's first Sunday in Lake City, the collection basket tallied less than one dollar, which was supposed to buy groceries and take care of any other weekly expenses. After much pinching and with some much-needed help from Bishop Heelan, St. Mary's of Lake City managed to survive.

From 1939 to 1955, St. Mary's had the following priests serve the parish: Father Reinhard Nemmers, Father Louis Lynch, Father Thomas Lawless, Father Robert Joynt, Father Joseph Roder, Father Clement Knobbe and Father Louis Anthofer. Father James Fandel (1955-1975) was also appointed to St. Mary's.

St. Mary's purchased two blocks of land in the Westview area of Lake City in 1956 for a total cost of $5,000. The land was designated as the new site for the future St. Mary's Parish and specifically purchased to build a new church and rectory.

After five years of fundraising, Bishop Mueller suggested that steps be taken toward starting the building of a new church and rectory. The dedication of the new church and parish house took place on Feb. 5, 1963.

The interior was designed to seat approximately 400 people. A large overflow room off the sanctuary is located so that it can also serve as a classroom. This, with a full balcony and first floor cry room, provides seating for an additional 90 people.

Total cost for the new church and rectory was $140,284.

With the continued growth of St. Mary's, facilities for parish activities and catechetical Educational Center were needed. The building was completed and dedicated by Bishop Greteman in 1970. The newly completed building consisted of a large general meeting room and dining area, a fully equipped kitchen, seven classrooms, a priest's office and two bathrooms.

Msgr. Joseph Tolan (1975), Father Robert Fangman (1976) and Father Joseph Kerwin (1976-1986), Msgr. Dean Walker (1986-1987) and Father Robert Thiele (1987-1997) all served at Lake City. Father Dennis Sefcik is currently pastor. He was assigned both St. Mary's and St. Joseph's in Lohrville.

On May 30, 1998, a major hail storm hit the area and replacement of the roofs and windows were necessary for all three buildings. The parish center parking lot was paved in August of 2001.