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History | |
     
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History The earliest settlers who came to Willey were of various faiths. But as more people of German descent immigrated from eastern Iowa and Wisconsin, Catholicism spread into the area. The congregation at Willey, Pleasant Valley township, dates back to December 1881, when Michael Wurzer, Joseph Petersmeier, George Balk, Casper Werner, and Herman Venteicher formed a building committee. Casper Werner and Michael Wurzer donated five acres of land each. In the summer of 1886, a parish rectory was built according to plans drawn by architect Hart of Carroll. Carpenters were John Goetzinger, Henry Lenz, and Frank Duttmeyer, and the masonry and plastering were done by Tony Dangel. Two carloads of building material for the parish rectory were hauled with teams and wagons from the railroad in Dedham. A frame church, measuring thirty-two by fifty feet, was built in 1882, under the direction of Father Theodore Wegmann, on what was Casper Werner's land. Fr. Wegmann was pastor of the Roselle parish, but attended to the spiritual needs of this congregation until December 1886. The Pleasant Valley Catholic parish, through Bishop Hennessy of the Dubuque Archdiocese, was given a Christmas gift in 1886 in the person of Father J.P. Hoffmann, who became their first pastor. Willey's first parochial school was built in the autumn of 1887. Due to the growth of the parish an addition to the church was built in 1896, and later, two more additions were required. A new brick school was built in 1907. The school remained in use until a new school, which is now the Parish center, was built in 1985. On January 12, 1910, the contract for a beautiful new brick church, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was given to Anthony Zwack of Dubuque, Iowa. The church still stands today. Few parishes can be as proud as St. Mary's of Willey for the extraordinary number of young men and women who entered the priesthood or the religious life. For this we are indebted to our ancestors, whose faith and zeal have been a source of inspiration through the years. The parish today remains a testament to the strong commitment to faith and sense of community that has withstood throughout the years.
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