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| History |
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Church History
In 1852, a few German Catholic families began arranging to have services by a priest who spoke German at the Catholic Boy's School at 810 North Main Street in Bloomington. In 1867, the German Catholics asked their Bishop to send a priest for regular services and the Bishop agreed. In 1869, the parishioners bought some lots on Sixth Water Street, now Taylor, and built a small frame church. By 1877, St. Mary's had it's own resident pastor and by the early 1900's the Franciscan Friars of Cincinnati, Ohio, were placed in charge of St. Mary's. These Friars have continued to serve St. Mary's ever since then. In 1886, the present Gothic church was built and, sometime after that, the brick exterior was plastered to resemble stone blocks. The church was redecorated in 1944-45 and was completely remodeled in 1962 when new stained glass windows, a chapel with a baptistery, and a rear entrance to the church were added. In 1985, St. Mary's hispanic community donated a statue commemorating Our Lady of Guadalupe which was blessed and placed in the baptistery. In 1996, a $250,000 interior renovation was made to the 111 year old church. A new wooden altar, ambo, and portable baptismal font were installed. Black, white and pink marble from the old main altar and side altars were used for decorative purposes elsewhere in the church. A black marble panel and steps from the old altar remained in the sanctuary. Two windows covered over sometime in the 1920s were uncovered and stained glass added. The daily Mass chapel was sequestered from the church's side entrance by a see-through partition. The tabernacle was moved into the chapel, where it rests on the old white marble baptismal font. A stained glass window was also installed behind the tabernacle. A glass and wood partition was added to separate the vestibule from the main part of the church. On September 22, 1996, Most Rev. John J. Meyers, D.D., J.C.D. rededicated the church.
--from the 1997 Church Directory
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