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Office: 712 273-5577 • Rectory: 712 273-5482 • Email:
Website: sacredheartearly.org |
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 About UsThe Early, Iowa Sacred Heart Parish has been in existence since the mid-1800s when Mass was said for the few Pioneer Catholic families living in the area. Temporary altars were set up in private homes or in the old Early schoolhouse with visiting priests from Fort Dodge, Mount Carmel, and Storm Lake. |
 Today the church is attended by Father Larry Burns with partial sharing of services with the St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Schaller. Spiritual education is offered at St. Mary's School in Storm Lake.
Full services are offered to our members for Sacramental preparation, Catachesis, Baptisms, Marriages, and Stewardship. 
An important aspect of every parish is its ability to connect parishioners with one another, especially with the context of social gatherings. Please visit our home page for our calendar of coming events. The Sacred Heart Parish Community invites members to share their time, talents and treasures for the Lord's work in gratitude for His many blessings. |
History During the few years prior to the erection of the first church, Mass was said occasionally for the few Catholic families in the vicinity of Early by Father Slattery of Fort Dodge, Father Fendrich of Mount Carmel, and Father Cafney of Storm Lake. This necessitated the arrangement of temporary altars in private homes or in the old Early schoolhouse located just south of the railroad on the main highway. In 1882 Joseph Drey donated five acres of land upon which the parish buildings now stand. In the fall of the same year the first frame church was built (at left in photo at right). The first pastor was Father W. J. Halpin. He stayed in the John Engler Hotel until the first parochial residence was built in 1885.
This photo was taken after 1903 showing the addition of the newer brick church built in 1899 (center) and the rectory that was added in 1885. Father J. Anler (shown) served as pastor from 1903 - 1913. He was responsible for seeing to the planting of the majestic Cedars, Spruces, Lindens and Weeping Birches. The first one-room frame school building was constructed southwest of the present church in 1892. It was similar to the rural schoolhouses in design. For some fifteen years Catholic education was carried on under the direction of Catholic lay teachers. In 1906, the old school was no longer being used and was moved to the Carl Sippel property.  During Father Anler's illness Father P. Quesnel was appointed his assistant. In the seven months after Father Anler's death in 1913, this active and zealous priest had the church walls frescoed for the first time. Photo at left was taken before the frescoe in 1907. He, likewise, promoted the development of Father Anler's cherished hope for Catholic education and succeeded in raising the funds for a new parochial school.
 Photo at right taken 1910 after the frescoe. In 1913, while Father Hetherington was paster, a new school was built at a cost of $14,000. The new brick school was open for enrollment in 1914 offering a twelve-year course with the Sisters of Mercy from Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, in charge. It was also a boarding school for girls in the first years of operation. 
The brick school (1914) is at left, the church (1899) in the center, and the rectory (1928) at right. This photo was taken around 1934 for the Golden Jubilee history book. The brick rectory was built to replace the aging frame building which had served the parish for forty-one years. In the spring of 1928, the old house was razed and this well-planned substantial brick structure took its place. Father J.T. Finnegan, who was appointed pastor in 1917, established a splendid school reference and fictional library, donating many volumes from his own personal collection. He also installed oil burning furnaces to replace the old central coal fueled heating system. In 1939 the Sisters of St. Francis of Assissi from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, assumed the duties of teaching in the school. Sister Mary Louise was Superior of this first faculty of five Franciscan Sisters. During the school year 1942-43 the high school was closed with the students transferring to the public high school. It was reopened the following year with Sister Marie as Superior. Since those who had transferred did not return, the first group to be graduated received their diplomas in 1947.  A new school with spacious gymnasium was built in the 1950s. This building housed twelve grades through the 1966-67 school year. At that time the high school closed with the students having the option of transferring to the public school or to St. Mary's High School in Storm Lake. In 1990 the grade school also closed. This building is still being used for parish offices and can be rented for public functions.
Want more history? Click Here for an extended history of the Early Sacred Heart Church taken from The Golden Jubilee booklet dated 1934. OR Click Here for another historical article from the Catholic Globe. |
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