Cedar Falls, IA

Presentation Presence from 1969-2012

Saint Patrick Parish traces its history to the first Mass in Cedar Falls, Iowa, celebrated by Father Patrick McGinnis in the home of Andrew Mullarky in 1855. In 1856 Father John Shiels began to minister to the Catholics of Cedar Falls, and directed the building of a new brick church. In 1867 Father Thomas Gunn was appointed the first resident pastor. As the population grew, a second church was built in 1876. This latter building was razed by fire in 1913 and replaced in 1916.

In the early 1900s, Father Luke Donlon established the Newman Club for college students, taught an accredited class in religion at Iowa State Teachers College and acted as spiritual director for the students, beginning a long-term association between the parish and the college population.

St. Patrick School opened in 1891 under the direction of the Sisters of Charity, who remained until 1969 when the Sisters of the Presentation took over the educational duties.  Principal Sister Irma (Mathias) Ries led the first Presentation faculty consisting of Sisters Barbara (Arthur) Rastatter, Suzanne Gallagher, Annette Skyles, Michael Rottinghaus, Lorraine Baxter and Noreen Burlage. Between 1969 and 2012, 36 Presentation Sisters ministered as teachers, principals and directors of parish religious education programs.

The parish and school reflected the population of the city. Many of the parents were professors or students at the University of Northern Iowa who demanded high educational standards. Family involvement was a given component of the program, and every effort was made to accommodate the needs of busy parents.

A unique feature of the program at one time was the use of Individually Guided Education (IGE) begun in 1972. This method involved pre-assessment of knowledge, planning for future learning, implementation of the plan and re-assessment.  Small group, multi-age teaching provided for the individual needs of each student.

To enhance the total religious education in the parish at the same time, teachers of the school and of the religion classes were involved in planning and teaching the part-time program. The resources of the school were available for the total program using the IGE approach throughout. Adults and children were all involved in the learning activities.

At various times throughout the years, St. Patrick School added a latch key program, a preschool and Spanish language classes from third to eighth grade.

Enrollment fluctuated at St. Patrick School, as it did in the rest of the city. However, an article in the Courier on January 10, 1999, noted the increased enrollment in St. Patrick School despite smaller numbers in the neighboring public schools. Sister Louise Scieszinski, principal at the time, when asked why she thought this was the case, cited the fact that parents wanted Christian values-based teaching, along with strong academics and a family-centered school. This set of attributes has always been part of the program at St. Patrick School, along with individual student responsibility and parent involvement.

During their tenure in Cedar Falls, the Presentation Sisters were active in parish activities along with their ministry in the school. They were engaged in work with the St. Vincent de Paul Society, served as extraordinary ministers of Communion, visited parishioners in their homes and in the hospital, tutored immigrants learning the English language and were members of the parish choir.

The last Presentation Sister to minister in St. Patrick parish and school was Sister Marilou Irons, who left in 2012.