Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION
CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION. Known until 1961 as St. Philomena's Church, the Church of the Resurrection was founded in March 1856, by Bishop Mathias LORAS. He named the parish after the Roman martyr honored by residents of his home in Lyons, France. (1) A frame church was constructed on land given by William Kelly. A rectory was created from a home donated by a Mr. McFarland. Father Victor Badon, resident pastor beginning in 1857, was also responsible for ministering to a settlement of French at Five Points. (2) A school was established in 1871 to serve the needs of about six hundred children. Conducted by laywomen, the school closed when St. Anthony School in Dubuque was erected. (3)
Between 1868 and 1873 an addition was constructed on the church to accommodate the increasing population of the parish. A school was built on land donated by John Savage in 1871. A new rectory was funded in 1913. In 1920 bricks from the old ST. ANTHONY'S HOME FOR THE AGED were used in the construction of the brick replacement for the original frame church. Fire partially destroyed the building on September 1, 1935, but remodeling was accomplished under the direction of Father Joseph E. Dunn. The first "liturgical altar" in the ARCHDIOCESE OF DUBUQUE was completed during the renovation. (4)
In 1959 twenty acres of land was purchased in a section of the county recently annexed by Dubuque. With a pledge of $90,000, a new school was constructed. When it opened in the fall of 1961 there were 147 children in grades 1-6 with a staff of four Presentation Sisters and a lay teacher. The parish title became the Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ by decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites in October 1961. Historical uncertainty had caused the removal of St. Philomena from the roster of saints. (5)
A convent and rectory along with eight new classrooms with a structure connecting the new wing with the existing school was completed in 1964. The brick church was sold and became the recreation hall of Heritage Manor Care Center in Asbury.
Resurrection was officially dedicated as a Catholic church on May 17, 1986, in a special Mass conducted by Archbishop Daniel KUCERA. The present 994-seat church was started with the organization of a fund-raising campaign in February 1985. In one week, one hundred eighty parish members going door-to-door raised $1.2 million. (6) Parishioners contributed $1.1 million toward the estimated construction cost of $2.3 million.
Construction began on April 28, 1985. The foundation was laid by September, and a ceremony was held to bless the cornerstone/ time capsule. The exterior of the church was completed by March 1986, and the sixteen-foot-high cross arrived in time for Easter services.
Resurrection parish financed .86 percent, or $30,000 of the building costs of WAHLERT CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL.
The 1987 through 2014 Dubuque City Directory listed 4300 Asbury Road.
See: HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
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Source:
1. Riehl, Christian (Director of Publication), Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa 1837-2012, France, Éditions du Signe, 2011, p. 166
2. Driscoll, Rt. Rev. Msgr. Justin A. With Faith and Vision: Schools of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, 1836-1966, Dubuque: Bureau of Education, Archdiocese of Dubuque, 1967, p. 259-260
3. Riehl
4. Driscoll
5. Riehl
6. Ibid.