History

HISTORY OF THE ORIGINAL ST. MARK CATHOLIC CHURCH 
The history of St. Mark Catholic Church begins with the year 1916 when a movement was started to organize the Catholics of the community for the purpose of establishing a parish in Edgewood.  At the time, they attended parishes in Greeley, Cox Creek, Littleport, Garber, and Strawberry Point.  A band of 28 families consisting of Charles Amling, Nic Budden, the Emerling brothers, Mrs. Bridget Funk, Mrs. Clara Funk, George Funk, Joseph Funk, Joseph P. Funk, Dr. E. B. Hanson, Anna Holtz, Mrs. Kind, Anna, Dan, and Mary Lucey, Michael Lucey, Fred Merkle, Mr. and Mrs. Gusta Meyer, Mr. and Mrs. Julius Meyers, Elmer Michael, John Putz, Ed and Mae Putz, Ellis Schacherer, John Schacherer, Joseph Schacherer, Joe Tilp, Frank Wiley Sr., Frank Wiley Jr., and Henry Wiley decided to see how their plan for a new parish would be received by the Most Rev. James J. Keane, then-Archbishop of Dubuque.  He thought it was a tremendous undertaking for 28 families and assured our delegates if we could raise two-thirds of the cost of a new church he would assign a resident pastor, thus giving everyone the opportunity of Sunday Mass.  It was this promise that prompted the first recorded meeting of Catholics in the Woodman Hall in Edgewood on October 1, 1916.

The meeting proved so satisfactory that during the spring and summer months of 1916, under the supervision of Father Valentine Casey, then pastor at St. Mary in Strawberry Point, the pledges of financial support necessary to purchase a building site and erect the church were received and approved by the Archbishop.  Father Casey succeeded in organizing the Edgewood Catholics and had the parish incorporated on October 12, 1916.  Father Casey presided and Henry Putz and Joe Funk Sr. assumed their duties as lay trustees.  Mrs. Charles Amling was the first president of the Rosary and Altar Society.

The Ingersoll property in Edgewood, consisting of three lots, was purchased by the church corporation as a building site.  In October 1916, the L.F. Parkinson Company of Iowa City, Iowa was awarded the contract to build the church.  The price was not to exceed $9,000.00.  Other expenses for the building were $520.50 plus three lots purchased for the church and the rectory for $700.00 and furnishings for a grand total of $12,353.58.  Work was begun that month, and the new brick church was completed in July of 1917.  The final bill for the church was $9,520.50.  Church furnishings were an additional $2,133.08.  Also in 1917, land was purchased for a cemetery south of Edgewood.

Finally, the great day arrived. The challenge accepted had been met, and on July 17, 1917, the new church was dedicated by Archbishop James J. Keane.  On the day of the dedication, Archbishop Keane congratulated the 28 families who formed the charter membership for their new debt free church.  A celebration dinner was served at Henry Putz's home, which was occupied by Paul Fannon in 2003.

At a meeting of the Board of Directors of St. Mark on March 25, 1918, it was agreed that a rectory should be built.  In a subsequent meeting on July 22, 1918, the contract for construction was awarded to J.F. Flennicken of Edgewood at a cost not to exceed $5,500.00.

The Reverend John Murtagh was appointed the first resident pastor of St. Mark with St. Joseph at Greeley as a mission church, not having a rectory.  He lived in the Edgewood hotel and at the home of Henry Wiley until 1918 when the contract was let to F.J. Flenniken of Edgewood for a new home.  Father Murtagh, who was very civic minded, moved into the new rectory in October of 1918 and continued as pastor until October of 1930.

Reverend James P. Hammill was assigned as pastor in 1930, and the parish continued to grow.  Beginning the year of 1931, Father Hammill started the Sunday envelope system of Church support and printed the first financial report.

A bonanza came to the parish in the will of Joseph Emerling in 1931.  It consisted of a farm in two parcels of land – one of 80 acres and one of 55 acres.  Income from this land for the next ten years, over expenses, was invested in Government Bonds.  A 55 acre tract was sold to Issac Thurn on December 16, 1946 for $5,390.00.

Father Hammill was reassigned in March of 1942, and until June 1942, priests from Loras College served St. Mark, especially Reverend John Sims. In June, Revered Victor Hingtgen was assigned pastor.  During his pastorate, a two-story back porch was added to the rectory for $1,200.00, and in September of 1945, it was decided to buy the Gates-Elliot lots west of the Church for $800.00.  Now the parish owned a full one-half block.

Father Hingtgen moved on February 10, 1946, and Reverend Vern F. Cross was pastor until November 1947.  From then to June 1948, Reverend J.P. Quirin was pastor until his retirement.  Reverend Robert Hirsch became pastor in June of 1948 until September 13, 1948, when Reverend P. Hubert Holsters was assigned as pastor.  During his pastorate, the south sacristy was added to the church for use as a mothers’ room.  During the pastorate of Reverend Hubert Holsters, a fire broke out in the rectory study on April 5, 1949, causing smoke and water damage.

Father Holsters retired in August 1957, and Reverend Albert H. Neese became pastor on August 6, 1957.  In his pastorate, he led the parish in paying off its $2,000.00 debt St. Mark Parish owed, and he assisted the parish in accumulating a sizeable improvement fund.  St. Mark observed their fiftieth anniversary on July 16, 1967 with special services.  Miss Kathryn Lucey had been the church organist for 30 years.  Father Neese retired in July 1974, and Reverend Robert Cooney became pastor.  Father Cooney renovated the church and rectory in 1975.  In 1976, the parish served 130 families.  In 1981, Father Cooney supervised the building of the Parish Center.

In July, 1981, Father Cooney left and Reverend Joseph L. Kissling became pastor.  During Father Kissling’s pastorate, the old garage was sold, and a double garage was added to the rectory.  In June of 1987, due to the generosity of the Dewey G. Beddow and Valerie Camp estates, a final payment was made on the Parish Center and St. Mark was again debt free.

Due to illness, Father Kissling left in March of 1987, and Reverend Joseph Schneider served as administrator until July 1987 when Reverend Everett J. Freese was assigned as pastor to St. Mark in Edgewood, Sacred Heart in Littleport, and to St. Michael in Garber.  Sunday Masses in Littleport were discontinued January of 1989, and the parish closed July 1, 1989.

On July 11, 1989, Father Freese left, and Reverend John J. Friederick was assigned to St. Mark and St. Michael Parishes until July 1992, when St. Mark was joined to St. Patrick Parish in Colesburg as a sister parish, and St. Michael was joined to St. Joseph Parish of Garnavillo.

THE BUILDING OF THE NEW ST. MARK’S CATHOLIC CHURCH 1995-1996
In the spring of 1991, the house on the NW corner of the church's block became available for purchase from James and Kathleen Funke, and the parish bought the home and lot.  In late fall of 1991, the home was torn down, and the lot was leveled.  At this time, a parish consideration started regarding the old church building as to whether it could be enlarged in some way to meet the parish needs.  In order to be able to look at the needs of the parish, a feasibility study was done by the parish council and parish members.  This study was completed in the fall of 1992 and presented to the parish at the annual parish meeting in January of 1993 with copies available to every parish envelope holder.

The study verified the parish’s need for a larger church and the cost of such expansion as opposed to the cost of new construction.  In March of 1993, a parish vote was taken under the leadership of the parish council, and each envelope holder was asked to vote for or against a new church.  The vote for a new church was approved by about 60% of the envelope holders.  The biggest issue was the cost of necessary maintenance on the old church plus the great cost of trying to expand the old building to meet the parish needs.

With the completion of the parish vote in April 1993, additional property on the parish block was purchased from Albert and Eileen Putz, the center of the block and NE corner lot from the Hamlett family.  All was completed by May 1993.  In the fall of 1993, the two homes were torn down, and the lots were cleared and seeded to lawn.  At this time the alley on the parish block was also purchased from the city of Edgewood.

During the late spring of 1994, the parish council began a fundraising campaign for cash and pledges to build a new church.  In the late summer and early fall of 1994, the parish council began interviews for a church architect.  A night was set when five architects came to the parish and presented their ideas for a new church.  The council decided on Martin Designs of Marion, Iowa.  By early 1995, the council decided that Martin Designs was not what the parish wanted nor could afford, and so their company was paid for present work and released.  With this setback of plans, the council then contracted Maryville Construction of Hazel Green, Wisconsin and Southwest Designs Architectural Services of Platteville, Wisconsin.  This company had built a new Catholic church in Hazel Green, Wisconsin and a number of parishoners and council members went to see the building and liked it very much.

In June 1995, Maryville Construction and Southwest Designs presented the council with a preliminary plan which was basically accepted and presented to the Archdiocesan Building Committee.  The plan was accepted.  The council then got busy refining the plan and cost for construction.  Approval was then sought from the Archdiocesan Worship Committee and Finance Commission for approval of borrowing necessary funds for construction.  This was all completed by August 1995, and a building contract was signed and construction bids were requested.  On September 24, 1995, the parish held a ground breaking ceremony and site development started in late October 1995.  By December 1995, the foundations were poured.  Steel construction of the building started on February 9, 1996.  The expected completion date was August 1996, and a dedication was held September 22, 1996.  In 1996, under the pastorate of Reverend John J. Friederick, a new church was built with a seating capacity of 600 people.  For this project, the parish took out a loan of $800,000.

In October 1997, the old St. Mark Church located on the S.E. corner of the church block was demolished and the area became a parking lot.  As of October 1997, St. Mark Parish debt was $415,000.00.  With the success of the Parish Mission in 2001, the parish would plan another mission in 2006.

In 2003 the Church History and Parish Pictoral Book was being prepared for publishing in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of St. Mark, Edgewood and St. Michael, Garber.  By 2003, St. Mark Parish had 233 families enrolled, and due to their generosity, the parish debt had been reduced to $155,000.00 as of November 2003.  Father Friederick was eligible to retire from Pastoral Ministry in June 2004, but at that time, he planned to stay active as his health permitted.  Parish goals were to pay down the present debt, to pave the church parking lot, and to change some décor in the church.  The loan was paid in full, and Father Friederick retired in 2005.

Reverend Robert F. Davies was pastor of St. Mark and St. Patrick from 2005-2008.  In August 2010, the parish undertook a campaign to raise $300,000 to build a new rectory, renovate the Parish Center, and erect a bell tower to house the original church bell.  St. Mark had grown to more than 300 families, with 170 children in the religious education program.  Revered Stephen Lundgren was pastor of both parishes from 2008-2015.
         
Reverend John S. Haugen became pastor of St. Mark and St. Patrick in 2015.  In 2016, St. Mark and St. Patrick joined St. Jopseh Parish in Elkader, St. Mary Parish iN Strawberry Point, and Sacred Heart Parish in Volga to create the Emmaus Pastorate, with Father Haugen serving as pastor.  St. Mark's Parish Center has had renovations to the kitchen and fellowship areas in recent years, and both the Parish Center and St. Mark Church have had the roofs reshingled.  The interior of the church has been beautifully repainted as well.  In July 2021, the Emmaus Pastorate welcomed a parishioner of St. Mark as our newly ordained and assigned permanent deacon, Reverend Mister Paul Dolan.