Mental Health Awareness

CEW A REFLECTION P.2

DECORATION DAY P.3

THE SACRAMENTS OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION P.4

A NEW LIFE IN CHRIST P.5

PASTOR’S LETTER P.6

ST. RITA OF CASCIA P.6

HISTORY OF ST. MARY’S CONTINUED P.7

St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Churh NEWSLETTER

CONTENTS

May 2018 Volume 3

Mental Health comes with a lot of nega-tive stigmas, some which I would like to discuss based on my personal story.

I have been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and even Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). These disorders and diagnoses do not de-fine me,they merely give a name to the struggles I face. To be honest, who hasn’t struggled and who won’t? If you were to look at me, you would not be able to tell I struggle with any of these disorders, yet if you were to look at someone with a broken leg, or see someone weak and struggling just to walk, you would know they were ill. I believe depression is one of the worst diagnoses, because sometimes it feels like an emotional cancer. I’ve struggled with depres-sion since I was about 11 years old and I call the depressive episodes “flare ups.” I can be in remission with depression and feel fine, great even, however it is all too easy to slip back into that depressive hole and feel like I can’t get out. The worst part about depression is you don’t always have a specific reason why you feel so depressed. I personally have an analytical brain, and tend to analyze, okay, what just happened? Why am I depressed? What lead up to this? And most of the time, it could be something little, or it could be nothing at all. I could be laying in bed watching tv and it would take every ounce of effort to get up. And in my head, I would be thinking Why? which gets me extremely frus-trated with myself, I feel pathetic because I have nothing to feel depressed about, yet I’m neck deep in depression.

When I feel that way, I know I have to rely on my support system. I have to tell myself that it’s okay to feel this way, and that God DOES want me to live. Getting involved in a supportive community is one of the most successful ways of getting out of my head and feeling like I’m not struggling, or estranged from everyone else. I can count on medication to help my mood about 20% of the time, and that 20% is great on my low days, but the other 80% is up to me accepting life as a blessing and not a job. It is hard to talk

about my dark days, but knowing I have a few friends I can count on makes me realize I am wanted in this world. Another way of coping with depression is by getting myself involved in the things I am passionate about. I love doing art and being able to express myself in a way other than talking all the time. Finding art classes in the community is one of my favorite ways to get out of the house and do something for myself and my mental health. I also find purpose and self worth in the Church. Being closer to God helps me determine that my negative thoughts aren’t realistic, I am a child of God meant to live in service of God’s mission and enjoy this life given to me.

I know there is no perfect recipe to defeat all mental ailments, and it takes work to be in “remission” from depression, but I’m learning to not only rely on my support system and distractions, but to rely on myself to get back up to my normal baseline, to feel like myself. I know I can’t do this on my own, trust me, I’ve tried, but if I can eliminate the negative connotation of mental health, I feel like I could speak more freely about it. I think this world could be more accepting if people were not so scared to talk about their struggles without embarrassment. Then maybe we could start bringing the truth to the surface and help each other through empathy and self awareness instead of being ashamed of our personal struggles. I encourage you to start talking about your struggles with friends and family, maybe start with your priest. That’s what I did, and it has helped me build a strong support system. I grew up in a place where we swept all signs of imperfection under the rug, well, my rug has been pretty lumpy, and I’m ready to clean under it. If that means bringing some dark things to light, I hope some good can come of it, that while others help support me now, I may be able to return the favor in the future.

Thank you for reading this with an open mind and heart, it’s nice to know I can vocalize my struggles with the community especially in a spiritual setting and know I won’t be judged for my issues.

Continued on pg. 8

“Hoping for Remission” By Jerra Buster

Article By: Jerra Buster

ST. MARY’S NEWSLETTER VOL. 3

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Before I begin, my name is Ryan Roush-Krafka. I grew up in Solon and now re-side in Iowa City where I operate my

small business, Krafka Kraft, making custom wood furniture. I became a member of St. Mary’s a few years ago upon moving to Iowa City after the Peace Corps. I recently married the beautiful editor of this newly sourced newsletter for our parish. One of our wedding gifts from our good friends was an invitation to participate in this year’s Christian Experience Weekend (CEW). As a newly ordained husband and aspiring good human being, I thought this sounded like a good thing to do. I’m always open to new experiences, Christian or otherwise.

And as a good (read: great!) husband, I was asked (read: coerced) by this beautiful editor/wife of mine to write an article about my experience. A couple caveats I only learned upon returning from the weekend:

1) You do not talk about what you did at CEW2) You DO NOT talk about what was said or discussed at CEW3) If someone yells “stop!”, goes limp, or taps out, the fight is over.4) Only two guys to a fight.

Christian Experience Weekend A Reflection

THE MAIN POINT OF THE EXPERIENCE IS TO BUILD A CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY WHERE PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS AND BACKGROUNDS CAN COME TOGETHER.

“GREAT! AN ARTICLE ABOUT AN EXPERIENCE I CAN’T TALK ABOUT, THIS SHOULD BE EASY!”

The decorated path to St. Mary’s in Riverside during Christian Experience Weekend

Article By: Ryan Roush-Krafka

Decorations set up for CEW in Riverside

Well, maybe not the last two rules, nevertheless I thought,“Great! An article about an experience I can’t talk about. This should be easy!”

CEW weekend is pretty much what one would imagine a “Christian” experience to be. It was informational, uplifting, prayerful, and at times cathartic for all those involved. Not to mention, the food was excellent and plentiful. Many thanks to the kitchen crew for all their hard work!

If you are like me, sometimes you feel the need to shake things up in your life. Just the other day my wife had me try something called “exercising” again. As I expected, I didn’t like it much, but it supposedly was good for me… even though it didn’t feel good the day after. That being said, in general, it is good to experience new things. In this day and age it is too easy to focus on your life and your goals or even the collective life and goals of your close family and friends Online. It is all too easy, fitting, and proper to do this. You can’t help others unless you help yourself first. However, by taking the time and the attention away from my everyday life, this weekend experience reaffirmed that not only are my goals and aspirations in life important, but of even greater importance are the goals and aspirations my “spiritual life” needs to take on. If you are like me again, not the most spiritual type of person, just substitute, “non-material life” for “spiritual life” in the last sentence. It’s good to refocus every now and then on the things that really count in life, and not so much on the things that you carry, buy, or watch on TV. I believe it is called “being a good human”, and I’m still working on it fervently. Being a good human being takes a lot of practice and there is no one better to emulate this from than our Lord and Savior. Unbeknownst to most, God has a plan for us. It’s usually centered on love, so I have been told many times and am just finding out for myself. It is for us to discern this and to help those around us, our partners, our family members, our friends, and even strangers in our community to see it and achieve it.

The main point of the experience, and I think I can say this, is to build this community, not just a catholic community, but a “Christian” community, where people (fellow human beings) of all faiths and backgrounds can come together to pray for one another, to watch out for one another, to love one another. This is what I really retrospectively admire most about the whole experience. With the fast pace and distractions of everyday life, it’s not an easy task to build a

functioning and loving community. Humanity, am I right? At the very least, this weekend is about removing oneself from these distractions and vices and opening oneself to your fellow brothers and sisters, hearing their stories first hand and grappling with your own knowing that you are not alone or left in the dark, but rather surrounded by a community of faith who are there struggling right along with you.

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in 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.

In traditional observance, the flag of the United States is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains only until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day. The half-staff position remembers the more than one million men and women who gave their lives in service of their country. At noon, their memory is raised by the living, who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all.

The 1998 Defense Authorization Act adds the flying of the POW-MIA flag on all Federal and U.S. Military Installations on Memorial Day. The POW-MIA flag is to be half-staffed until noon along with the National flag.

Not to be Confused with Veterans Day

Though Memorial Day and Veterans Day are two separate holidays, both days seem synonymous and appear to celebrate the same thing: the men and women who serve in the United States military. However, in reality, Memorial Day is much older than Veterans Day and each holiday commemorates different people in the U.S. armed services.

Memorial Day stemmed from a desire to honor the dead after the Civil War. In contrast, the concept of Veterans Day began with the end of WWI. In 1919, President Wilson proposed the original idea of Veterans Day to remember the “heroism of those who died in the country’s service.” Nov. 11 would be a day to promote peace throughout the world and would feature parades and public meetings.

Despite the fact that Veterans Day and Memorial Day are both a federal holiday that commemorates those in the armed forces, Veterans Day officially honors those who have served in the military in any way, while Memorial Day formally remembers those who gave their lives in the service and protection of America’s freedom.

Memorial Day, originally called Deco-ration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service

of the United States of America. It is a day to remember ancestors, family members, and loved ones who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

It is unclear where exactly this tradition originated; numerous different communities may have independently initiated the memorial gatherings. Nevertheless, in 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day.Regardless of the exact date or location of its origins, one thing is clear – Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead.

Early Observance of Memorial Day

The Civil War, which ended in the spring of 1865, claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history and required the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries.

By the late 1860s, Americans in various towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to these countless fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers.

Decoration Day

General John Logan, leader of an organization for Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed. The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle.

History of Memorial Day

Memorial Day, as Decoration Day gradually came to be known, originally honored only those lost while fighting in the Civil War. But during WWI and after, the holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars. For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, but

Memorial Day Traditions

Cities and towns across the United States host Memorial Day parades each year, often incorporating military personnel and members of veterans’ organizations. Some of the largest parades take place in the major cities.

Since the late 1950s on the Thursday before Memorial Day, 1,200 soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that continues to this day. More recently, beginning in 1998, on the Saturday before the observed day for Memorial Day, the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts place a candle at each of the approximately 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.Locally our own St. Mary’s Knights of Columbus Council 842 participate in Memorial Day activities every year. We start the holiday by putting up flags at St. Joseph’s Cemetery on the Saturday before Memorial Day.

In addition, St. Mary’s Church will host the city wide Memorial Day Mass at St. Joseph’s Cemetery. Everyone is encouraged to get some fresh air, join in the celebration of Mass, and behold the beautiful flags adorning the graves. It is recommended that you bring your own seating. If the weather does not cooperate, the Mass will be held at St. Mary’s Church.May we always remember the fallen on Memorial Day.

Decoration DayEach year on Memorial Day a national moment of remembrance takes place at 3:00 p.m. local time. The “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution was passed in December 2000, and it asks that at 3 p.m. local time all Americans “voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of Remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to Taps.”

Article By: Tim Blake

Soldier paying homage to deceased veteran

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THIS YEAR ELEVEN PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN THE SACRAMENTS OF THE RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION FOR ADULTS AT THE EASTER VIGIL.

Left: Zoe Meaney with the bishop and her grandmother.Right: Lauren Garmager with the bishop.

Baptisms

OSCAR SMITH ARAGUASJACKSON DAVID AUGERIJACOB EDWARD BALKENENDEELLA ANN GAULBLAKE EDWIN KASPERNOLAN JAMES KETELSENCRUZ N MAASLILLIAN GRACE STURTEVANTIRELAND MARIE GAUGHANGREYSON JAMES DENEVEFISTON LUTONDO MBAYA, JR.

Confirmations

EMMA BECKERLUKE BECKEREMILY BENDERCAMERON CHAVEZADAM CONNELLLAUREN GARMAGERRYLEE GOODFELLOWMARTHA HAMILTONRAPHAEL HAMILTONCALEB KIRKJAMES KRIZEMILY KRUMMELJAYDEN KUROVSKIMIA MCDONALDSARAH MARTINABIGAIL MCCORMICKZOE MEANEYKATHRYN MILDERRYAN NAVARARYLEE NEWVILLEDANNY NICPONBAYLEE O’CONNORBERNARDO PEREZJOSEPH POLFLIETRACHEL PODHAJSKYMARGARET PUCCIOSARAH SCHUHEMMA SUEPPELRUTH THOMASBRITNEY VAN VANGKYRA VAN VANGERICA WAHEMADIGAN WALLACE

The Sacraments of Christian InitiationCelebrating First Holy Communion and

Confirmation Article By: Bill Doucette

Baptisms at 10:30 Easter Mass

At the Masses on May 5th and 6th, 2018 St. Mary’s Church celebrated First Holy Communion for 41 young parishioners.

On February 11, Bishop Thomas Zinkula con-ferred the sacrament of Confirmation for 33 young adults from St. Mary, 20 from St. Wenc-eslaus and one from St. Patrick. The two sac-raments provide these young Catholics with the presence of God in the Body of Christ and the Holy Spirit. Together with Baptism, the Eu-charist and the sacrament of Confirmation are considered the “sacraments of Christian initia-tion.” In addition, adults who have completed the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) typically will receive these two sacraments at the Easter Vigil Mass. This year eleven people participated in these sacraments at the Easter Vigil.

At the Last Supper Jesus used bread and wine to institute the Eucharist to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages. The Eucharist is also called Holy Com-munion because by this sacrament we unite ourselves to Christ, who shares His Body and Blood to form a single body. Everything in the life of the Church flows from the Eucha-rist and is directed toward it: “The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life.” The Catholic Catechism refers to the Eu-charist as a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, and a paschal banquet, at which the faithful who consume Christ are filled with grace and receive a pledge of future glory. The Church teaches that Jesus is fully present in both species of bread and wine. Receiving the Eucharist provides us with a foundation for a life in Christ, giving us spiritual nourishment to fully live our faith. We usually receive the Eucharist when

we celebrate Holy Mass, which is comprised of two parts that form one worship: 1) the liturgy of the Word, with Scripture readings, homily and general intercessions and 2) the liturgy of the Eucharist, with the presentation of the bread and wine, the consecratory thanksgiving, and communion.

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the Apostles at Pentecost, which allowed them to strongly live their faith and begin the Church. For us Confirmation completes the grace we receive at baptism, by uniting us more firmly with Christ and increasing the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It also gives us special strength of the Holy Spirit to live and spread the faith by word and action as true disciples of Christ. The Rite of Confirmation includes anointing each confirmand with chrism, which acts as a seal signifying our consecration into the mission of Christ. From that day forth, we are called to transform our lives with the help of the Holy Spirit to live more fully as Jesus showed us. That is, we share more complete-ly in the mission of Jesus. Like the sacrament of Baptism, Confirmation leaves an indelible mark on a Catholic, so this sacrament is received only once.

The Sacraments of Christian initiation, Baptism: introduces us to the faith and bathes us in the light of Christ. First Holy Communion: allows us to participate in that faith. Confirmation: calls us to bring our faith

to life through our everyday conversations and in the way we comport ourselves. These sacraments are the fundamentals in the foundation of our faith, allowing us to see more tangibly who and what we are called to be as followers of Christ.

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RCIA Candidates

ELISSA BRADFIELD THOMAN

THI THUY TRUONG

BRADLEY JAMES WATERMAN

AMY DI LINH LUONG

KANGSAN LEE

VI TUNG DUONG

LEIDEN CERVANTES

OLIVER ANTHONY MORELLI

AUTUMN MAGNOLIA ROSE MORELLI

LAYNA ROBIN MANJOINE

ELLIOT JOHN MANJOINE

Weddings

VALARIE TOMETICH AND PATRICK WEST

ANNE RANGEL AND JAMES CROKER

New Life in ChristThe RCIA experience as told by Julia Blake.

Julia Blake being confirmed by Fr. Jeff

Whether you are a cradle Catholic or a Catechumen, new life in Christ is a gift that we can receive at any point

in our lives. Being confirmed as an adult gave me the opportunity to receive that gift through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, right here in Iowa City, at St. Mary’s.

I was confirmed on Christ the King Sunday in November of 2005. My decision to take RCIA classes was a result of years of curiosity. I had been baptized at birth by my Catholic paternal grandmother, Margaret. My dad’s family had grown up Catholic. My aunts were practicing Catholics but my parents had chosen not to follow that path. I didn’t know much about God until I developed friendships with a few Catholics through a support group. Through the support group and the friends I had met, I began to learn about having a relationship with God. When the opportunity to take the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults was suggested to me by my friend Mary, I decided that it would be a great way to learn about the religion that my grandmother had me baptized into at birth, and to find out what my aunts and cousins had been up to all these years. My friend Mary also graciously agreed to be my sponsor in RCIA.

After months of studying, questioning, and discerning, the time came to decide if I would choose to be confirmed. After much reflection, I decided to open my heart to Jesus and commit to living this faith I was learning about. I chose St. Margaret Mary de Alacoque as my patron saint. She promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I felt pulled to the Sacred Heart of Jesus because it is His human heart that loves us with infinite mercy, and wants our totally self-giving love for Him to inflame our hearts. Margaret Mary is also a combination of my grandmother’s first name, and my catholic sponsor’s first name, not to mention, of course the Blessed Virgin Mary.

By the time confirmation day came, I had a whole new family in my RCIA class. I remember sitting next to my soon-to-be sister in Christ, Kelley, squeezing her hand and feeling full of excitement. I felt so honored when we got to carry forth the gifts

to the altar as a class. I also had the honor of being confirmed by Father Jeff Belger during his first stint at St. Mary’s. Being sealed with the Holy Spirit and blessed with sacred oil is a wonderful experience! As we all stood together to be welcomed into our new life in Christ by the whole congregation, a wave of joy washed over me. I remember it with much gratitude.

I enjoyed RCIA so much that I now sponsor others in their RCIA journey, and help out with the classes, panel discussions, and Catholic Trivia whenever possible! It is such an amazing blessing in my life.

For more information about RCIA and how to get involved, contact Dan Teets at danicstmarys@q.com or call at (319)337-4314 ext. 105.

BEING CONFIRMED AS AN ADULT GAVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE NEW LIFE IN CHRIST THROUGH THE RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION FOR ADULTS.

Article By: Julia Blake

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Born Margherita Lotti in 1381 just outside the city of Cascia, Rita was the daughter of Antonio and Amata (Ferri) Lotti. The couple had reportedly hoped for a child for 12 years. Their faith comforts would-be parents today and establishes Saint Rita as a patron of infertility, sterility, pregnancy, and gynecological disorders. Young Rita was a frequent visitor to the nearby Augustinian convent of Santa Maria Magdalena, where she helped the nuns care for the sick and those who were injured. It was through Rita’s work with these wounded that she acquired her patronage of amputees and those dealing with wounds and disorders of the blood and circulatory system, such as clots and phlebitis.Rita wanted to enter religious life early on, but was dissuaded by her parents. In 1395 Rita married Paolo Mancini. The Mancini family had long nursed a feud with one of Cascia’s rival noble clans, but it was because of Rita’s

patient prayer that Paolo turned his back on the feud, and the couple soon became parents of twin boys. Sadly, Paolo was murdered, and Rita became a widow. When her sons sought to avenge their father’s death, Rita asked God to prevent her sons from committing murder. Her prayer was answered when both sons died from illness. Such challenges in her family life have led to Rita being the saint called upon by grieving mothers, women raising children, and widows. Rita renewed her relationship with the sisters at the Convent of Santa Maria Magdalena. She spent 40 years there as an Augustinian nun. When 20th-century doctors examined Rita’s in-corrupt body, they discovered degeneration of the spine, right leg, and right foot that indicated suffering from sciatica and arthritis, endured for much of her adult life. This revelation is the origin of her patronage of those suffering from similar afflictions.

St. Rita of Cascia (1381-1457)

Funerals

WILMA E. BUCKINGHAM

WILLIAM J. CHUDACEK

DELORES A. ZAHRADNEK

ALBERTA KALLAUS

JOHN RIES

Fr. Steve Witt

Pastor’s LetterAs spring brings life back into our community,

take time to relax and take care of yourself.

Rita of Cascia is one of only a very small number of saints who

experienced all states of life as daughter, wife, mother, widow, and

consecrated religious.

Article By: Fr. Steve Witt

Article By: Julia Blake

As write this, it is a beautiful April day with snow on the ground and a bite in the air. The ultimate question is what

happened to Spring? I have to confess, that despite the inclement weather, the celebra-tion of the Easter Triduum was spectacular. The ceremonies were both meaningful and awe inspiring. The music for both the Vigil and Easter was most well done. I have to say that what excited me most was that there were so many present to witness the bap-tism and confirmation of those wonderful eleven elect that joined us in this commu-nity of faith and also the excitement of the eight babies ( all of whom set the record for cuteness) who were baptized on Easter Sunday morning. My friends, if anything is a sign of the vibrant presence of the Spirit alive in this faith filled and loving parish, it is this community gathered together to welcome those who have come to join us. Thank you to Dan Teets and his team and to Sister Agnes in doing their good work to prepare those who were received.

As we look forward to what is to come this Spring( If it ever gets here) we are anticipating First Communion on the first weekend of May, Mother’s Day, the following weekend and we have graduation for all the high schools the last weekend in May. We are a busy people! We do need to remember that just as

Spring breathes life back into a community, there is always the need to take some time to relax and to take care of our own well- being. If we forget to do the essentials of self-care then we are prone to forget the things in our life that are most important. We need to remember that the first and most important thing is our continued relationship with our God followed closely by our need to remember the love we have for family and our absolute need to share in God’s love for us. My friends, St. Mary’s is indeed a family that loves and lives in the presence of our God. Let us rejoice and be glad.Blessings to all,Fr. Steve

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Similar to the Irish Catholics, the Bohemian Catholics became frustrated with the ethnic differences, and under the leadership of Czech priest Joseph Sinkmeyer, left St. Mary’s to create the St. Wenceslaus parish. St. Wenceslaus is the patron saint of Bohemia. The cornerstone of St. Wenceslaus Church was laid on June 24, 1893 in “Goostown Neighborhood,” named for all the geese the Czech settlers kept in their yards. In honor of the neighborhood, the street signs are now adorned with bronze geese.

Fr. Emonds was the pastor of St. Marys for 32 years, from 1858 until 1890, when he returned to his native Germany. In 1891, Fr. AJ Schulte, a German American born priest from Ft. Madison, took over and presided over St. Mary’s parish for the next 49 years, until his death in 1940.

During that 49 year period there continued to be various ethnic conflicts including an Anti-German sentiment during World War I, which Continued through World War II. The Catholic Church adjusted to the Americanization pressures and became less centered around ethnic boundaries, and more around a community of individual believers.

We as the parish of St. Mary’s can learn from our church’s history. While national pride and intransigent dispositions proved to be our united church of St. Mary’s demise, inclusiveness and understanding of other cultures is now proving to be our strength as we continue to grow and become an ever more ethnically diverse church. It is my hope that we will always welcome people of all nationalities and backgrounds to join us in our communion of Faith, and that we will never again allow ethnicity or nationality to divide us.

St. Wenceslaus Church E. Davneport st. Iowa CityAs we learned in the last edition, there were many discrepancies among the dif-

ferent nationalities in attendance of St. Mary’s, among them were their views on how to best conduct and maintain their church.

Their discrepancies lead to a schism and the formation of St. Francis Xavier in 1862, which closed only five years later due to further discrepancies among the Bohemian and German population in attendance there.

The attendants of St. Francis Xavier returned to St. Mary’s, and there Fr. Emunds worked diligently to unify the ethnic communities and make them feel valued, and at home. During one of his many trips to his native German homelands, he purchased the Stations of the Cross and had them installed on either side of the church. These Stations still adorn the Church today. On another trip, he encouraged a group of nuns – The Sisters of St. Francis – from Westphalia, to relocate to Iowa City. In 1871, the sisters arrived and used the former St. Francis Xavier rectory as their place of residence.

Despite Fr. Emonds efforts to unify the different nationalities and to keep them under one roof, over time, the Church divided along ethnic borders into separate parishes. The Irish were the first group to leave St. Mary’s. They created their own church, St. Patricks, which was dedicated in 1879. The first four pastors of St. Patricks parish were natives to Ireland.

Old St. Patrick’s Church on E. Court st. Iowa City

History of St. Mary’s Continued

The division of the churches of Iowa City.

The Stations of the Cross Fr. Emunds purchaced from Germany for St. Mary’s.

Article By: Paul Adam

The 1869 St. Mary’s church before the steeple was added in 1874. Picture provided by Bob Hibbs.

ST. MARY’S NEWSLETTER VOL. 3

If you personally struggle with mental illness or you know someone who does, there are plenty of resources in the Iowa City Area. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a self help, education, support and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. For more information go to www.namijc.org. Marcia Murphy of Mental Health Initiatives (MHI) provides Christian based support group meetings along with educational and religious resources. MHI’s next support group will be meeting May 16th at the Iowa City Public Library. For more information contact Marcia Murphy at murphyma87533@gmail.com.

Your Input RequestedIf you have any comments, concerns, suggestions, ideas, or if you would like to write for the St. Mary’s

quarterly newsletter, please contact Jeanette Roush-Krafka at jeanette.roush@gmail.com

St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church

302 E. Jefferson St. Iowa City, IA 52245