St. Patrick’s Oratory, one of the few remaining country churches, will once again host a holiday musical celebration at the church west of Churdan Sunday, Dec. 7. There will be an open house from 4 to 6 pm. Then from 6 to 6:45, the Carroll symphony, known as All Strings Attached, will entertain in the intimate country setting to kick off the holiday season. The church is now handicapped accessible and there will be valet parking. There is no admission charge, but a donation will be accepted.
St Patrick Catholic Church near Cedar Creek was the first Catholic Church and cemetery in Greene County. The parish dates back to 1872. The first brick church was built in 1915. The church was destroyed by fire in 1919 but quickly rebuilt on the same foundation. The Romanesque Revival church is on the National Register of Historical Places. The church was reduced to oratory status by the Sioux City diocese in the early 1990s, meaning mass is celebrated there only on St Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, and special occasions.
The preservation of the historic church relies solely on the assistance of volunteers and financial donations through celebrations and programs. Programs that have assisted with the continued community fellowship for the preservation of St. Patrick’s building and cemetery have included a cemetery walk, book signings, readings by poets, festival celebrations and recently by a nationally known Irish story teller/musician.
In 2014, local volunteers have contributed more than 2000 hours of labor. In addition , the following local businesses donated materials or labor: Carroll Commercial Floors and Supply, Mohr Sand, Gravel, and Concrete Company of Lake City and Auburn, American Scaffolding Company of Des Moines, Craig Rose Construction and Towers Construction, both of Churdan, Tri County Lumber of Jefferson, Sherwin Williams Paint of Fort Dodge and Carroll, Castle Construction of Lidderdale, and Gemberling Excavating of Lohrville.
The upkeep includes painting, cleaning, utilities, infrastructure repairs and general maintenance.
Specifically, the following work was completed in 2014:
- Repair of the stained glass window as well as repairing plaster and painting the entire back wall of the church (over 30 foot tall) .
- Reconstruction of the roof over the confessional and belfry to repairs water leaks.
- Repairing plaster and re-painting the cry room.
- Sanding and staining multiple areas of woodwork.
- Hand sanding, staining and applying polyurethane to the back door of the church.
- Construction of a handicap ramp entrance, staining it and pouring a cement patio which begins on the east side of the church allowing handicap entry from the back of the building, without interrupting the original historical design of the church.
- Restoration in the confessional to expose the original block walls of the church built in 1915.
- Power scrubbing and applying stain and two coats of water seal on a major portion of the basement floor.
- Repairing rain gutters on the northeast and northwest sides of the church.
- Completely stripping and re-waxing the floors of the church.
- Repairing the plaster and repainting the lower levels of both side walls in the church.
- Repairing plaster and repainting the entire front section of the vestry.
Future plans include:
- Upgrade of exterior basement entry doors
- Repairing plaster and repainting the remaining portion of the vestry
- Sealing the basement walls and ceiling
- Preparing to host a centennial celebration of the building scheduled to be held in August 2015.
St. Patrick’s is proud to sponsor the Carroll Symphony, All Strings Attached (which consists of highly accomplished musicians from 60 Iowa communities), as they provide a memorable concert for the holiday season.
