Father Kuemper was leader in Carroll County Catholic education

June 17, 2004

CARROLL - Although Catholic education was available in Carroll years earlier, Kuemper Catholic High School opened its doors in 1954 as the community's first co-educational and inter-parochial secondary institution.

In the span of about 40 years-from 1874 to 1916, the Catholic parishes in the Carroll, Iowa area began building new Catholic schools. By the 1920s, three parishes even started their own Catholic high schools. Later, Mt. Carmel High School began in 1948. St. Angela Academy for high school girls had already begun in 1908 and was the first inter-parochial school in the diocese. Father Joseph Kuemper was responsible for opening this school.

Father Kuemper, Kuemper's namesake, is most likely regarded as Carroll County's Citizen of the 20th Century. He began three area parishes: St. Francis in Maple River, Holy Family in Lidderdale and St. Lawrence in Carroll. He also organized the beginnings of Carroll's St. Anthony's Regional Hospital as he arranged for the talented Franciscan Sisters from LaCrosse, Wis. to staff it.

No other individual had as much influence on the Carroll area as this pioneer priest from Ibbenburen, Germany - having profound impact on today's health care, education and parish life in Carroll county.

Father Kuemper began a domestic science secondary school for girls called St. Angela Academy, Kuemper's predecessor, with the LaCrosse Franciscan sisters. It was the first such educational facility west of the Mississippi River when Father Kuemper built it in 1908.

Father Kuemper's St. Angela Academy, a boarding school for girls, was established "to train young women in the arts and sciences which tend to develop proficient Christian homemakers."

This priest was a progressive leader of his times as St. Angela's was the first school in the diocese to enroll students across parish lines - the first interparochial school in the diocese, and possibly the region.

Later in the 1950s, the St. Angela school became co-educational and was expanded and renamed Kuemper Catholic High School in his honor.

Father Kuemper was a professional in three occupations. After being a priest, he was also a teacher and a carpenter. He spoke five languages fluently. He was a professor of Latin at today's Loras College in Dubuque before going to Carroll in 1901. As the working priest in overalls, he had a reputation as one of the finest church and school builders. He was famous throughout all of Iowa.

His funeral in 1923 was attended by 2,000 people in the town of Carroll which at that time had a population of 4,000.

An eulogy at that time read: "Citizens of Carroll, without regard to creed, recognize the value of his services to the city, and join in the regret of his Catholic people at his departure. The buildings he was instrumental in erecting here will stand as a lasting monument to his memory, and the influence of his unselfish life and exemplary teaching will long remain to bless the community enriched by his labors."

Between the years of 1918 and 1923, plans for a boys Catholic high school - St. Thomas High School - were made and property was purchased near today's St. Lawrence Church on Carroll's northside. However, the plan was never carried out, and by 1949, the property was sold in anticipation for a new co-educational Catholic high school.

By the 1950s, the St. Angela Academy housed over 200 female students and the demand for area boys to receive a Catholic high school education was very strong. Carroll county native, Father Leo Lenz, was released from his duties at Heelan High School in Sioux City, and led the organization of the new co-educational and central high school in Carroll.

Ten area parishes joined together under Father Lenz's leadership. A fundraising firm from New York was hired and a $800,000 drive in 1953 results in the St. Angela property being purchased from the Franciscan Sisters. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on the land adjacent to St. Angela's on March 19, 1954. The co-ed school was opened in 1954. A new addition with a large gymnasium was attached to St. Angela's where the campus once laid. By 1963, a south wing was added so that the facility could house 1,000 students.

A trend of regionalization would continue as area Catholic grade schools began merging in the 1960s. By the early 1960s, other area Catholic high schools gradually merged with Kuemper including high schools from Mt. Carmel, Templeton and Vail. By 1979, St. Bernard High School in Breda merged with Kuemper.

Today, the stately St. Angela Building still stands tall and proud, housing approximately 170 fourth and fifth graders of the unified Kuemper Catholic School System. Computers with Internet access are in every classroom, a live videoconferencing room is on first floor, and new windows with a modern heating and air conditioning system highlight the historic school building.

St. Angela's has seen many changes. Yet, St. Angela's has not changed in many ways. It remains a cornerstone of the cherished Catholic school system in Carroll today and will into the next century.

The 2003-2004 school year marked the first year of a single, unified kindergarten through grade twelve Catholic school system called The Kuemper Catholic School System.