The Catholics of the infant town of Remsen first met in 1881 and completed the first St. Mary's Church by the summer of 1885, but was suddenly leveled by a tornado in June of that year. By Christmas of 1885 our hardy ancestors had completed the second St. Mary's Church in time to receive its first resident pastor, Fr. Schulte started St. Mary's Schools in the year after his arrival and brought in
the Sisters of St. Francis, who served here for over 110 years, most of them with no pay and no lay assistance. Our parish and schools came of age as the 20th century dawned. Our high school was phased in starting in 1902. As the Diocese of Sioux City was formed, the present St. Mary's Church was built and dedicated in 1904. All wooden frame buildings in the parish plant were replaced with substantial brick structures in the first decades of the century, and by mid-century a state-of-the-art St. Mary's High School was constructed. Mary's Church is a remarkable example of the neo-Gothic style and is historically important in many ways. It has been faithfully and carefully preserved at great cost to our parish, a sacrifice made not only for our families, but for our diocese, our Church, and our nation.
