Akron - St. Patrick

AKRON - In 1883, the Catholics in the Akron area had reached such numbers that steps were taken to establish a church. Mass was celebrated for the first time in the home of M. A. Agnes by Father B. C. Lenihan of Sioux City. For the next five years, Masses were offered in various private homes as well as the public high school.

St. Patrick's was attached to Hawarden as a mission in 1888. The next year the parish bought its first church building, formerly the Christian Church, and used it for the next 11 years.

Akron became a parish in 1899, and Father T. B. Sullivan was the resident pastor. A church, school and rectory were built, as was the mission church of St. Catherine at Westfield. The church and rectory were constructed during the summer of 1900, and the cost was $9000.

The parish records list the names of 109 contributors to the building fund and this probably reflects parish membership at the time. The nationality of the parish was predominately Irish, with a few German, French, Swedish, English and Scotch origins.

After St. Patrick's was formally established, normal Catholic activities followed. The first Baptism recorded in the parish was in December of 1899. The first Catholic marriage took place on Aug. 15, 1900 and the First Communion class was in 1902. Confirmation was first recorded in 1906.

The church and rectory of St. Patrick's Parish had hardly been built when St. Joseph's Catholic School opened in 1904. The Franciscan Sisters from Clinton took charge of the school. It became firmly established as a grade school in the 1920's. The school closed in 1969.

Shortly after the establishment of the parish at Akron, the need for a chapel at Westfield became apparent. Because of transportation difficulties and distance it was necessary to provide church facilities at Westfield. The result was a small church build in 1903. St. Catherine's remained a mission church of Akron until its closing in 1989.

During the 102 years of existence, St. Patrick's has been served by 12 pastors. They are: Father T. B. Sullivan, Father D. K. Hurley, Father Francis Wrenn, Father P. J. Warzawa, Father E. J. Casey, Father J. A. Roder, Father Charles Ernst, Father J. G. Skahill, Father John Schissel, Father Stanley Stone, Father Timothy Schott, Msgr. Gerald Lyon and Msgr. Richard Zenk.

The oldest association in the church is St. Teresa's Court of Catholic Daughters, chartered in 1920. In 1922, the ladies of the parish were organized into what is now known as the Ladies of St. Joseph's. In 1999, a Knights of Columbus Council was chartered. CCD classes are well attended by students of the parish.

Work began on a new church in September of 1973. It was dedicated in May, 1974. The old church was demolished and the present church stands where the grade school was. In 1989, St. Patrick's celebrated 100 years of Catholic service in the area. Although the parish was officially established in 1899, much Catholic activity occurred in the area for at least 11 years prior.