ST. PATRICK (1893)

When Phillips County was formed from the eastern part of Logan County in 1889, Holyoke became the county seat. Both the town and the county owed their existence to the Burlington (now Burlington Northern) railroad, some of whose employees settled in Holyoke and asked Bishop Matz to send a priest.

William J. Howlett, then based in Brighton and trying to cover all of northeastern Colorado, answered the call. Father Howlett procured a railroad pass and steamed into the hamlet to celebrate the first Mass in 1888. Apparently, this occurred at the home of Patrick Turley, but Matt Conlin and Michael Sheehan later also opened their homes to early missionary priests. Agnes Arens donated lots for a church, and her husband, John, spearheaded the volunteers who began putting up a frame meeting house in 1893. That same year, Bishop Matz authorized establishment of a new parish, which the Irish railroad workers dubbed St. Patrick's. For several years, Masses were held in this unfinished shell of a church, which was not completed and capped with an open bell tower until 1904.

St. Patrick's also doubled as the district courtroom for several years before a county courthouse was established in what had been the Burlington Hotel and Eating House. This quaint church with a pot-bellied stove near the communion rail had unplastered lumber walls that came together at the top to form a barrel-vault ceiling. The first resident pastor was M. Mennis, an Irishman who, in 1919, moved into a rectory at 309 East Furry Street. He was followed by fathers Joseph N. Oldenburg (1920-1925) and Leonard Meister (1925-1934).

A fire destroyed the church on July 4, 1934. Predawn Independence Day revelers throwing firecrackers at pigeons in the bell tower caused the blaze, according to St. Patrick's 1981 history booklet compiled by parish historian Laura Lindgren. Despite intense flames, smoke, and the 52,000 gallons of water poured on the church, some of the faithful bravely rescued the Blessed Sacrament and many of the furnishings. Mass was held in the Phillips County Courthouse, whose occupants remembered gratefully the days when parishioners had permitted their church to serve as the county courtroom.

The fire settled a debate as to whether a new church should be built, a debate made more difficult by Bishop Vehr's stipulation that the old church not be sold to a non-Catholic denomination. An $11,500 structure was erected on the old site and dedicated by Bishop Vehr on November 27, 1934. The ceremony took place during a blizzard, which the drought-stricken community regarded as a godsend.

After several short-term pastors, Francis J. Brady began an eighteen-year pastorate in 1935. During the time of John C. Walsh (1954-1968), St. Patrick's was remodeled and enlarged in 1963. Front and rear additions were made and the entire exterior was bricked, with a life-sized marble statue of St. Patrick placed in the front façaade. Inside, the $50,000 renovation included a basement hall and a new marble altar with a bronze pelican (a symbol for Christ).

St. Patrick's has been continually improving its parish plant. Air conditioning was installed in 1973, and in 1984-1985, the church was repainted and remodeled. The cry room became the reconciliation room, with the new baby room featuring stained glass windows by Nancy Lynch, an Otis, Colorado, artist. An elevator was constructed to whisk folks to the church, the reconciliation room, or the basement library. A new furnace and ceiling fans were also installed by this lively parish that by 1988, had grown to embrace 153 families.