Address
51 St. Mary's St
Riverside, Iowa 52327
Mass Times
Friday - 8:30am
Sunday - 10:00am
St. Mary, Riverside
History
Statues, Stained Glass Windows, and Paintings of St Mary's
St. Mary’s was established in 1876 with the Rev. William Purcell as pastor. The original church building was constructed of brick produced and laid by H.L. Swift. The first Mass celebrated in the church was on Palm Sunday in 1877, as part of the Diocese of Dubuque. The parish then transferred to the Diocese of Davenport when the new diocese was established in 1882. During the 1880’s, a rectory was built to the north of the original church.
The parish has operated schools at different times throughout its history. When the Rev. A.J. Drexler was pastor, a combination school building and convent was constructed between 1888 and 1889 west of the church. Franciscan Sisters taught in the school from 1889 to 1902 and were replaced by the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
When the Rev. Bernard Jacobsmeier began his 40-year pastorate in 1905, he initiated a building program that began with the present church being built on the site of the former rectory. In 1906, the present-day church was completed with the fir mass and young parishioners receiving their First Holy Communion being celebrated on Christmas Day. The original church was converted into a parish hall, and a second floor was added to create an auditorium. The following year, the present rectory was built next to the church using a matching brick. The final building to round out the parish complex was a new school built in 1912. After the school was completed, the combination school/convent was remodeled for exclusive use as a convent.
The St. Mary’s Church interior is adorned with original stained glass windows donated by ancestors of member families, original wooden altars, beautiful murals above the side altars, the fresco of St. Cecelia adorning the ceiling, as well as the frescos of the Apostles encircling the interior. St. Mary’s also houses one of the very few remaining pneumatic Wangerin organs in its original, unaltered condition. Maintaining the integrity of the interior and exterior of the church has been the pride and joy of its parishioners for the past 110 years.
Many renovations and updates have taken place with the original buildings on the historic church grounds. A copper roof was installed on the church in 1986. The church basement was renovated and entrance added to serve as the Parish Hall during the pastorate of the Rev. John Gallagher. A replacement of the original marble statue of St. Mary that looks out over the church was sculpted by the Italian company that fashioned the original statue and was delivered to the church in 2006. The convent was leveled to make room for the new addition to the original church known as “St. Mary’s Hall” and the interior was renovated to create the St. Mary’s Education and Conference Center. This major project was completed during the tenure of Rev. Richard Adam and was dedicated in August, 2011.
St. Mary’s is proud to be a member of the Cluster Parishes of St. Mary’s of Riverside, Holy Trinity of Richmond, and St. Joseph’s, Wellman. We look forward to serving the needs of our Cluster community, as well as the needs of those in our surrounding area.
