Brief history of the Diocese of Sioux City

Posted June 13, 2002

Although officially founded in 1902, the history of the Diocese of Sioux City dates back to the 17th century, when Iowa was discovered by a Jesuit missionary, Father Marquette, and his companion, Louis Joliet.

These two men brought with them other missionaries, traders and settlers who built up eastern Iowa and gradually moved westward to the Sioux City Diocese's rolling prairie. In 1837, eastern Iowa's Catholic Church had grown so, that Pope Gregory XVI sent Bishop Matthew Loras to oversee the newly established See of Dubuque.

The first permanent Catholic settlers, in what is today the Sioux City Diocese, came to Webster County in 1846.

There is much speculation about the date of the first Mass offered in the diocese. Two priests traveled in the Fort Dodge area, Father Timothy Mullen from Fort Des Moines in 1852 and Father William Edmonds of Iowa City in 1855. It is unknown whether Father Mullen offered the first Mass, but Father Edmonds offered Mass in Fort Dodge.

The Fort Dodge area not only had the first Mass in the diocese, but the first Catholic Church was built there. In 1856, Father John Vahey settled in his parish, which included what is now the northern half of the diocese, from Fort Dodge to Sioux City.

As missionaries always traveled with requisites for the celebration of Mass, it is practically certain that Father DeSmet, a celebrated missionary, offered Mass in the Sioux City area in 1857.

Missionaries followed the settlers who came to northwest Iowa. Father Edmond's Mass in 1855 was followed by several other settlement "first" Masses.

From these beginnings, the church in northwest Iowa grew until, on Jan. 25, 1902, a new diocese was established. Papal Bull, "Quae Catholico nomini," Pope Leo XIII separated the 24 counties of northwest Iowa from the Archdiocese of Dubuque to form the Diocese of Sioux City. At the time of its establishment, the Sioux City Diocese could boast a Catholic population of 50,000 distributed in 84 parishes and 32 missions, supporting 43 parochial schools and cared for by 95 diocesan priests.

Bishop Thomas M. Lenihan of Cheyenne, Wyo., pastor of Corpus Christi Parish in Fort Dodge from 1870-1897, had been recommended by the bishops of the province to be the first bishop of Sioux City. However, Bishop Lenihan died one month before the diocese was established.

Pope Leo then named Rev. Philip J. Garrigan, vice rector of the Catholic University of America at Washington, D.C., as the first bishop of the newly created diocese.

Bishop Garrigan began organizing the new diocese upon installation. With the permission of the Holy See, he renamed St. Mary's the Cathedral of the Epiphany, the cathedral church of the diocese.

During Bishop Garrigan's tenure, the number of parochial schools increased from 43 to 67 with an enrollment of 9,160 pupils. The diocese was divided into deaneries after the close of the first religious retreat in Le Mars in 1902.

Father Edmond F. Heelan was appointed auxiliary to Bishop Garrigan in 1919. Bishop Heelan was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Sioux City on March 8, 1920.

By the time Bishop Heelan succeeded to the See, the farming community of northwest Iowa was approaching its limit in growth, and the demand for the establishment of new parishes declined. However, Bishop Heelan founded four new parishes and 10 already in existence were advanced from mission status to the rank of parishes with resident pastors.

Briar Cliff College for girls opened in Sioux City in 1931 and 35 parochial high schools were in operation within the diocese.

The years of the depression and World War II, with a shortage of funds and building materials, hampered any new construction in the diocese.

After governing the diocese for more than a quarter of a century, Bishop Heelan was given a coadjutor in 1946 with the appointment of Bishop Thomas L. Noa of Grand Rapids, Mich., to the post. Bishop Noa stayed in the diocese for one year.

Msgr. Joseph M. Mueller received his appointment as auxiliary to Bishop Heelan in August, 1947. Bishop Mueller became the third bishop of the Sioux City Diocese with the death of Bishop Heelan on Sept. 20, 1948.

Bishop Mueller's tenure as ordinary of the Sioux City diocese was during a period of great building, both physically and spiritually. New churches, schools, catechetical centers, convents and rectories sprung up throughout the diocese. Today, there is hardly a parish not having had some construction since 1948.

The trend toward larger farms drew many young people away from the family farm as modern mechanization took over. As a result, city parishes gained parishioners and many smaller missions were closed and rural parishes consolidated.

Modern transportation also consolidated parish high schools and established inter-parochial high schools in various parts of the diocese, bringing the benefit of Catholic education to more young people. The Salvatorian Fathers established Trinity Preparatory Seminary in 1957, in Sioux City.

Upon the resignation of Bishop Mueller from active duty in December, 1970 Pope Paul VI appointed The Most Rev. Frank H. Greteman as the fourth in succession to the Sioux City See. Bishop Greteman, who was appointed auxiliary to Bishop Mueller in 1965 by Pope Paul VI, was the first native priest of the diocese to be named bishop.

Under Bishop Greteman, physical and spiritual growth in the diocese maintained the positive direction begun under Bishop Mueller. Bishop Greteman's tenure saw the building and growth of the diocesan hospitals: St. Anthony Hospital was completed in 1971 and Mercy Heath Center, previously Marian Health Center, was completed in 1982. Also during his administration, many new churches and catechetical centers were built, and a central administration building for the diocesan offices was constructed in November of 1976.

Bishop Greteman responded to the needs of the poor in the diocese, in cooperation with his fellow bishops on national programs, through the Campaign for Human Development, the Mission Sunday Appeal, the Bishop's Welfare Emergency and Relief Fund on Laetare Sunday and the sponsorship of Vietnamese boat people through Catholic Charities.

Pope John Paul II appointed Msgr. Lawrence D. Soens as fifth ordinary of the diocese on June 21, 1983. Bishop Soens' ordination and installation was Aug. 17, 1983, at the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City.

During his tenure, new school and church buildings were built or improved, and he initiated a capital campaign for the priests' retirement fund. Bishop Soens coordinated the expansion of youth ministry programs throughout the diocese and each year Bishop Soens Youth Ministry Awards are given for outstanding service in youth ministry.

In 1992, he began Ministry 2000: Our Baptismal Call, the long-range planning project of the diocese. The project was initiated, in part, to call all church members to active participation.

Bishop Soens also mandated pastoral and finance councils, with each parish of the diocese adopting norms for those councils. One of his last significant projects was the remodeling of the Cathedral of the Epiphany.

On Aug. 19, 1997, Pope John Paul II appointed Msgr. Daniel N. DiNardo of the Diocese of Pittsburgh as coadjutor bishop of the diocese. He was ordained Oct. 7, 1997, at Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ Church in Sioux City.Upon Bishop Soens' retirement on Nov. 28, 1998, Bishop DiNardo succeeded him as sixth ordinary of the diocese. In the last three years, the bishop named Our Lady of Guadalupe as principle patroness of the diocese and named St. Joseph as the secondary patron.

He initiated Project Andrew and Project Marian to promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life and established a pastoral manual for the diocese that includes things such as Priests Comprehensive Personnel Policy and sacramental policies.

Most recently, Bishop DiNardo initiated the Campaign for Excellence for the diocese's centennial year.