There will be a dual celebration at historic St Patrick Catholic Church in Cedar Township on Saturday, Aug. 15 – the church will mark its 100th birthday, and its 95-year-old furnace will be retired.
Plans are being made for a special day that begins with quiet adoration starting at 6 am and ends with a beverage garden and a dance in the evening. An open house with games for all ages will be held from 1 to 3 pm.
Holy mass will be celebrated at 4 pm, followed by a Church to Church Relay that will feature teams running from St Columbkille in Churdan and St Joseph in Lohville to meet at St Patrick.
While the relay is taking place, others will be winding up an Irish beverage garden. The Greene County Cattlemen will grill for a supper from 5:30 to 7 pm, and there will be a dance on the grounds from 7 to 11 pm.
The committee has been multi-tasking, continuing the ongoing preservation of the church will planning the centennial celebration. Thanks to the preservation efforts, a tandem event, a retirement, will be held the same day.
St Patrick Church is home to the last known operational Lennox “Torrid Zone” furnace in the nation. The “Torrid Zone” was designed in the early 1900s as a wood and coal furnace. It was later converted to burn oil. For the last 30 years, Johnny Shoemaker has been the “go-to” repairman.
The preservation committee learned just recently that after an extensive application to the Historical Resource Development Program of the State Historical Society of Iowa, the group will receive a $10,000 matching grant that will go to the replacement of the 95-year-old furnace with a new Lennox heating/air conditioning system.
The new system will be installed by Aug. 1. The existing furnace will remain on display next to the new system as a lesson on the changing technology of heating systems.
Many friends of St Patrick Church have already donated toward the $10,000 match, and the committee is grateful. Persons who would like to donate can send contributions to St Patrick Historical Church, PO Box 95, Churdan, IA 50050.
“We are looking forward to seeing you Aug. 15 as together we celebrate St Patrick’s Church 100th birthday, our recent renovations and the retirement celebration of our 95-year-old furnace,” a spokesperson said. “Thank you in advance for your continued generosity. We are truly blessed.
