Ogden - St. John

OGDEN - The roots of St. John's Parish go back to 1869, with Father Delaney, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Boone, came to offer Holy Mass in the home of Martin Hinzie, one mile east of Ogden.

Other priests succeeded Father Delaney, coming from Boone and later from Grand Junction, to offer Holy Mass in the homes of various Catholic families in the Ogden area. By 1895, Catholics in the Ogden area had acquired the entire block of the River Land Territory located in the northwest part of Ogden, with two of the lots donated by Frank Wilkins, an agent for the River Land Company.

On December 18, 1896, Father J. F. O'Doherty was appointed the first resident priest. He resided in the home of William Connelly until the rectory was completed.

Father O'Doherty was followed by several other priests, until Father J. C. Murtagh arrived in 1902. At this time, Zion Lutheran Church, which had completed the construction of a new church in Ogden, made its original church structure available for sale. It was purchased by St. John's Parish and was moved to the parish's property.

Father Murtagh was succeeded by four other priests, until in 1914, Father Wolf was pastor. During his tenure, a large church addition was built. The flat ceiling was replaced by a vaulted one. Three very beautiful altars, together with a fine set of stained glass windows, were installed. The windows came from Sacred Heart Parish in Fort Dodge. The church interior was redecorated and new pews purchased.

In 1916, St. John's Parish, with an initial donation by A. M. Van Steenberg and other donors, purchased a strip of land east of Glenwood Cemetery, which became St. John's Cemetery.

Father Wolf was followed by six other priests until Father Edward Lilly (1935-1942) arrived in Ogden. During his tenure, improvements of the parish property were made. This included the reorganization of the parish, which now included almost 75 members, as well as the redecoration of the church and heating improvements in both the church and rectory.

Father Francis Illg (1953-1965) was assigned to St. John's Parish after a succession of priests. Father Illg's efforts included the addition of a parish hall and pastor's study in the basement of the rectory. The painting of the church and rectory was also completed during those years.

Father Donald Smith (1965-1970) was assigned to St. John's Parish. A decision was made to build a new church in 1965 and pledges from the initial committee yielded $14,000. An additional pledge drive brought a total of $80,000. A new location for the church was purchased and ground-breaking ceremonies were held on April 18, 1967.

Thanks to a generous donation by the Theresa Vaughan estate, a new rectory was also built. The church cost $136,234 and the rectory $37,500. Dedication of the new church was performed by Bishop Mueller on March 24, 1968.

Father Leo Schumacher (1970-1982), Father James Fangman (1982-1989), Father Thomas Munn (1989-1999), Father Steven McLoud (1999-2000) and Msgr. James Lafferty (2000-present) all have served St. John over the years.

Since its beginnings in 1869, when priests first celebrated Holy Mass in the private homes of Catholics in the Ogden area, St. John's Parish has flourished. The number of families now totals well over 100, and a vocation to the religious life in the person of Sister Alice Marie Lawler has been nurtured.