Storm Lake - St. Mary

A small wood framed building served as home to Storm Lake Catholics in January of 1872, marking the first church of any denomination in Buena Vista County. These were the origins of St. Mary's parish. Before this small structure was built, Father McNulty from Sioux City came to offer occasional masses in the home of William Molloy. Molloy helped organize the fund-raising for the 20-foot x 40-foot church.

With the growth of the parish, there was a need for a resident priest. Father M.J. Gaffney was sent from Sioux City in 1878 to serve the Storm Lake parish. The house and property just south of the church was purchased to serve as Gaffney's rectory.

In order to accommodate the flourishing parish, a new church was built under the leadership of Father Patrick Smith. The first mass was held in the new St. Mary's church in the fall of 1886. Things really began happening with the arrival of Father William Cooke in June 1909. (He was later named Monsignor.) In 1911 the church was enlarged at the sacristy end.

Father Cooke long had a desire to open a Catholic school for the young people of St. Mary's Church. The building that had been served as the Congregational and Presbyterian churches soon became the first St. Mary's School in 1912. That building served as a school for 15 years.

It was rumored that Father Cooke spent time in the eastern part of the state negotiating a teaching workforce for the new school. The Sisters of St. Francis in Clinton answered the call to run St. Mary's School. Seeing the need for a "fireproof" building for the children, the new school was completed in 1926.

A change in teaching staff came in 1949 when the Franciscan sisters left and the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Dubuque arrived to serve the school. Those sisters serve the school today. Under the leadership of Msgr. Cleo J. Ivis, the current St. Mary's Church was built. The cornerstone was laid August 1953.

As the school building became crowded, the new high school building and gymnasium-auditorium was dedicated in October 1957. Another addition to the high school was made in 1963. The sisters moved into the new St. Anne's Convent in August of 1967. The priests enjoyed moving into the new rectory in the fall of 1977 during Father Dan Lynch's tenure as pastor.