St. Mary's Catholic Church
St. Mary's was established in 1916. The land was donated by Thomas and Johanna Lacey of RR#2. It is 8 miles north of Boone, Iowa and is located on the corner of 120th St and Q Ave. The Church was sold to a private party who remodeled it and made it into their home.
1914 Raised Funds for the proposed Church
1916 and 1963 Annual Financial Reports
1984 St. Mary's Converted to a residence
Map location of St. Mary's
The following is an eulogy for Michael F Lacey I - given by Father Clarence E. Farrelly in which he talks about the early St. Mary's:
Funeral of Michael F. Lacey
July 12, 1884
June 05, 1976
Boone, Iowa
June 9, 1976
My dear friends,
Bishop Edmond Heelan sent me as an assistant pastor to Father Edward Masterson in Boone in 1927. In those days the
pastor said the two masses in Boone, and the assistant priest went out to St. Mary’s mission. At the mission it was my
custom to hear confessions for one half hour before mass, then offer mass and preach. After mass I then taught
catechism to the children for one half hour.
When this was all done it was the custom for many, many years for the priest then to go to the Lacey home for break— Vast.
I know that the priests ahead of me did this, like Father O’Malley, Father Mason, Father Hayes and others. I continued
the practice. The priests that succeeded at, Fathers John Kelly and James Duhigg continued the practice.
It was always a pleasure to go to the Lacey home for breakfast. Mrs. Lacey and- her three sons, John; Pat and Mike
were always there. Sometimes a niece, Margaret (Vest), was also there. Very often she got breakfast, sometimes it was Pat.
Often it was Mike or John. Everyone was willing to help. Mrs. Lacey was too old to do the work. Her relative, known to all
of us as “Uncle Jim”, was also present. But, he too was too old to do any of the work. But we all enjoyed being together.
We always had a good visit.
Mike took took care of the Church. I’m sure that he got no pay for it. It was a work of love to keep the Church warm,
and clean and always ready for use. He also had the wine and water cruets for mass and took care of all these duties very
faithfully. The Church was open and ready for use when the priest got there. There were no electric lights in the Church
in my day. When it was dark or cloudy, then we lighted more candles on the altar so the priest could read the prayers of
the mass.
It was my pleasure and privilege to serve the people of St. Mary’s Mission for nearly four years. ~These were four happy
years. I remember so well the deep faith of the people, and how loyal and devoted they were both to the Church and to
their priest. They loved their religion and their little Church. And I hope and pray that the children and the grandchildren of these parishioners will always have the deep faith and loyalty to their Church that their ancestors had. They never thought of missing mass thru their own fault. They even came to mass when the roads were bad, sometimes they walked to mass. One winter, 1930, many of us went to mass in a bob sled.
That winter of 1930 we had a heavy snow at Thanksgiving. We had more snow. The weather was cold. It did not thaw. The
roads became blocked because of snow drifts. It was hard to keep the-roads open. That year I could not drive all the way
to the mission because of the high snow drifts. So I drove as far as the George Fitzgerald farm. He had a team of horses
hitched to a bob sled and that is the way I went to St. Mary’s that winter of 1930. We all stood up in the sled, the large Fitzgerald family and myself. In those days there were still hitching posts in front of the Church. Many families came that winter in bob sleds, and hitched the team of horses to the posts in front of the Church. That winter I returned with the Fitzgerald’s to their home after mass and had breakfast with them. The family was very kind and hospitable.
In the course of my four years with St. Mary’s mission, and with the Lacey family I got to know the Lacey family very
well. They were good, honest, hard working people. They were kind to each other, and generous to the Church, I felt it was
a shame that none of the boys, John, Pat, or Mike were married. The good name of Lacey should be carried on. Many
times I urged Mike to get married so that the Lacey family and its good name would not die out. I meant this. And how
happy I was to learn that he did get married and had a family of six children and that the good name of Lacey was being carried on.
Today we think of these things. I did not intend to preach today. But the sight of so many of my old friends recalls so many pleasant memories of the Lacey family and~ the other good families of St. Mary’s that I thought that a few words would be in order.
“Eternal rest grant unto him 0 Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him.”
Clarence E, Farrelly
1914 Raised Funds for the proposed Church
1916 and 1963 Annual Financial Reports
1984 St. Mary's Converted to a residence
Map location of St. Mary's
The following is an eulogy for Michael F Lacey I - given by Father Clarence E. Farrelly in which he talks about the early St. Mary's:
Funeral of Michael F. Lacey
July 12, 1884
June 05, 1976
Boone, Iowa
June 9, 1976
My dear friends,
Bishop Edmond Heelan sent me as an assistant pastor to Father Edward Masterson in Boone in 1927. In those days the
pastor said the two masses in Boone, and the assistant priest went out to St. Mary’s mission. At the mission it was my
custom to hear confessions for one half hour before mass, then offer mass and preach. After mass I then taught
catechism to the children for one half hour.
When this was all done it was the custom for many, many years for the priest then to go to the Lacey home for break— Vast.
I know that the priests ahead of me did this, like Father O’Malley, Father Mason, Father Hayes and others. I continued
the practice. The priests that succeeded at, Fathers John Kelly and James Duhigg continued the practice.
It was always a pleasure to go to the Lacey home for breakfast. Mrs. Lacey and- her three sons, John; Pat and Mike
were always there. Sometimes a niece, Margaret (Vest), was also there. Very often she got breakfast, sometimes it was Pat.
Often it was Mike or John. Everyone was willing to help. Mrs. Lacey was too old to do the work. Her relative, known to all
of us as “Uncle Jim”, was also present. But, he too was too old to do any of the work. But we all enjoyed being together.
We always had a good visit.
Mike took took care of the Church. I’m sure that he got no pay for it. It was a work of love to keep the Church warm,
and clean and always ready for use. He also had the wine and water cruets for mass and took care of all these duties very
faithfully. The Church was open and ready for use when the priest got there. There were no electric lights in the Church
in my day. When it was dark or cloudy, then we lighted more candles on the altar so the priest could read the prayers of
the mass.
It was my pleasure and privilege to serve the people of St. Mary’s Mission for nearly four years. ~These were four happy
years. I remember so well the deep faith of the people, and how loyal and devoted they were both to the Church and to
their priest. They loved their religion and their little Church. And I hope and pray that the children and the grandchildren of these parishioners will always have the deep faith and loyalty to their Church that their ancestors had. They never thought of missing mass thru their own fault. They even came to mass when the roads were bad, sometimes they walked to mass. One winter, 1930, many of us went to mass in a bob sled.
That winter of 1930 we had a heavy snow at Thanksgiving. We had more snow. The weather was cold. It did not thaw. The
roads became blocked because of snow drifts. It was hard to keep the-roads open. That year I could not drive all the way
to the mission because of the high snow drifts. So I drove as far as the George Fitzgerald farm. He had a team of horses
hitched to a bob sled and that is the way I went to St. Mary’s that winter of 1930. We all stood up in the sled, the large Fitzgerald family and myself. In those days there were still hitching posts in front of the Church. Many families came that winter in bob sleds, and hitched the team of horses to the posts in front of the Church. That winter I returned with the Fitzgerald’s to their home after mass and had breakfast with them. The family was very kind and hospitable.
In the course of my four years with St. Mary’s mission, and with the Lacey family I got to know the Lacey family very
well. They were good, honest, hard working people. They were kind to each other, and generous to the Church, I felt it was
a shame that none of the boys, John, Pat, or Mike were married. The good name of Lacey should be carried on. Many
times I urged Mike to get married so that the Lacey family and its good name would not die out. I meant this. And how
happy I was to learn that he did get married and had a family of six children and that the good name of Lacey was being carried on.
Today we think of these things. I did not intend to preach today. But the sight of so many of my old friends recalls so many pleasant memories of the Lacey family and~ the other good families of St. Mary’s that I thought that a few words would be in order.
“Eternal rest grant unto him 0 Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him.”
Clarence E, Farrelly