HOLY
CROSS PARISH HISTORY
On a little hill near the northeast corner of
Polk County, a stately little brick Church stands. Its tower is pointing toward
Heaven and does so with great pride. This Church stands over the spot where the
first Catholic Church, in this section of the county, stood for some 50 years.
By the side of the Church, is a Catholic Cemetery and it was, and is, the only
Catholic Cemetery in this section of the country. Holy Cross Church is located
in the northeast corner of both Polk County and the Des Moines Diocese. It is
about 1 ¾ miles west, and ¾ miles south of the present town of Farrar.
Holy Cross Parish has been under three Dioceses in Iowa: Dubuque, Davenport and
now Des Moines. It has been served by pastors from four parishes: St. Ambrose,
Des Moines; St. Mary, Newton; Sacred Heart, Valeria; and St. Mary, Elkhart. At
one time, it enclosed in its boundary land that later became three parishes:
Sacred Heart, Valeria; St. Mary, Elkhart; as well as its own territory. There
was never any town or village around it and its walls were never shaken by a
train going nearby. Holy Cross Church was not on a main highway. It was
established to serve the people of that community. Holy Cross Church was so
loved by the people it served, that when the wooden Church was destroyed by fire
on October 22, 1927, and authorities didn't think it should be rebuilt, the
Parishioners insisted and a new Church was built in 1929.
Just south of the first wooden Church was a long shed, long enough to shelter 20
teams of horses from weather while the faithful were attending Mass or social
visits. Later it sheltered the early cars.
Holy Cross Church is beautifully located on a small hill looking over the Skunk
River Valley. Much of the lower valley was covered with slew grass, too marshy
to farm and often impossible to cross while in flood stage. After the New Skunk
River channel was dug in 1915, this became rich farm land. There were some 20 or
so faithful families who in 1874 and 1875 collected money for the first Church.
They saw the need of a Church to care for the spiritual needs of themselves and
their children. This Parish with its two Church buildings has done this for 100
years.
The first Church Building, built in 1875, served these people for 52 years until
it burned, October 22, 1927. Many could not understand the cause of this fire.
There was no fire in the furnace, no candles lit in the building, and no storm
so no lightening. Some thought that perhaps the devil, or others, thought this
building was serving God and His people too well and should be destroyed to stop
its activities. If this was the case, they misjudged the faith, zeal and love of
the Parishioners for they built a new brick Church in 1929.
On Sunday September 17, 2000 with blue skies and a gentle breeze blowing, 250
people gathered to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Holy Cross. The
celebration included an outdoor Mass celebrated by Bishop Joseph Charron,
C.PP.S. (Bishop of Diocese of Des Moines), the blessing of a new church bell
dedicated to Jim and Margaret Shaw by their sons, and outdoor catered luncheon.
It was a day that celebrated the faith of those who have nurtured and sustained
by the Catholic Church in one of Iowa's loveliest prairies.
