Corpus Christi Catholic Church (Fort Dodge, Iowa)
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Corpus Christi Church | |
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| Location | 416 N. 8th St. Fort Dodge, Iowa |
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| Coordinates | 42°30′31″N 94°11′20″W / 42.50861°N 94.18889°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1882 |
| Architect | Fred Herr A.V. Lambert |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000812[1] |
| Added to NRHP | October 8, 1976 |
Corpus Christi Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Sioux City. The church is located in Fort Dodge, Iowa, United States and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Corpus Christi parish can trace its beginnings to a Mass that was held in the home of Michael Collins in 1855.[2] At the time the Fort Dodge area was a part of the Diocese of Dubuque, which covered the state of Iowa. The parish was founded the following year and the Rev. John Vahey was sent as its first pastor. It was the first parish founded in what would become the Diocese of Sioux City.[2] Priests from here would visit mission stations as far away as Emmetsburg, Spirit Lake and Sioux City well into the 1860s.[3] The first piece of property purchased for the parish was in 1857 at a cost of $200.[2] The first church and rectory were built on the property the same year.
The stone for the current church was quarried starting 1879 with construction starting the following year. It was designed by Dubuque architect Fridolin Heer, Sr., and local architect A.V. Lambert supervised construction.[3] The church was completed in 1882, and dedicated on January 1, 1883. The Romanesque Revival structure cost $37,892.59 to construct.[2] The convent, rectory and central heating plant were built between the years 1909 and 1932.
In July 2000, Corpus Christi became part of a "team ministry" that brought together the five parishes in Webster County. In addition to Corpus Christi the parishes include: Sacred Heart and Holy Rosary in Fort Dodge, St. Matthew's in Clare, and St. Joseph's in Barnum.
