St. Irenaeus parish set to retire church
- Font Size:
- Default font size
- Larger font size
CLINTON, Iowa — After serving Catholics in the Clinton area for 137 years, a farewell mass will be said at St. Irenaeus Church at 5 p.m. today.
The Rev. Tony Herold, pastor of Jesus Christ Prince of Peace Parish in Clinton, said today’s Mass will give current and former parishioners a chance to say goodbye to the old church before moving to the new church the parish is building that will serve the entire parish. The new church is expected to open next winter.
“It’s basically an opportunity to put some closure to the church,” Herold said.
Saturday was chosen as the date for the final Mass because June 28 is the Feast of St. Irenaeus, who was bishop of Lyons, France. The church, built in 1871 and located at 2811 N. 2nd St., is in the Lyons district of Clinton.
The Mass will be followed by a dinner and open house. Bishop Martin Amos will officiate at the final Mass.
Gary Herrity, an expert on Clinton’s historical buildings, said St. Irenaeus is the oldest Catholic church in the city, and its location on a hill overlooking the Mississippi River has helped make it a local landmark.
The church also has been the site of many important family moments for Lori Sullivan of Bettendorf, who grew up in Clinton attending St. Irenaeus.
Sullivan will attend today’s mass and sing in the choir.
“It’s kind of a sad thing,” she said of the church’s closure.
Herold said the church will continue to be used only for special occasions, such as weddings and funerals. No determination has been made about the long-term plans for the building.
A similar Mass will be held at St. Boniface Church in October, and St. Mary Church will remain open until the new church is ready for use, Herold said.
Sacred Heart Church will serve as a chapel for the Prince of Peace school.
Steven Martens can be contacted at (563) 659-2595 or smartens@qctimes.com.
del.icio.us
Digg
NewsVine
Fark
redditMore Stories By Steven Martens
() comments
» More Religion Stories
Highest Rated Articles from the last 7 Days
- Audi S5 News Articles
- Free Stories from S5 Experts Spy Photos, Videos, Breaking News.
- www.InsideLine.com
- Article Submit Software
- Automate, increase and retain inbound links from 1000s of publishers. Special feature solves the "duplicate content" problem. Save your precious time by automating the submission process.
- www.uniquearticlepublisher.com
- Article One Hits
- Your Site for Concerts & New Music Legal & Free Downloads. Register.
- www.SpiralFrog.com
- Ads by Yahoo!
