Parish History
For over a century, the members of the St. Cecilia Catholic community have met in Ames to worship God and celebrate our faith. As our parish grows, it is good to remember our humble beginnings.
Church of the Good Shepherd, 1901
In 1899, Fr. Henry Eckart was commissioned by the Archbishop of Dubuque to establish a church in Ames as a mission church of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church of Gilbert. On August 30, 1899, he oversaw the purchase of Lincoln Way lots. The ten families and dozen Iowa State College students in the parish helped bring the building materials for the church. They met for Mass at the William Kinkade home and in Read’s Hall at 114 5th Street in downtown Ames until the white frame Church of the Good Shepherd was built at Boone (now Lincoln Way) and Elm Streets. It was dedicated October 11, 1901. The 34 by 36 feet church held approximately 60 parishioners and was heated by a wood burning cast iron stove.
St. Cecilia Catholic Church, 1906
After the sale of the frame church to the Bethesda Lutheran congregation in 1905, a brick church was built with the cornerstone laid in 1906. This second church was 40 by 70 feet, seated 240 on the main floor, and was renamed St. Cecilia Catholic Church in 1906. In 1914 St. Cecilia and Sts. Peter and Paul parishes separated and an addition to the church was built.
Addition of a school
St. Cecilia School, the second Catholic school in the county, was completed in 1925 under the direction of Fr. Joseph Campbell and staffed by the Sisters of Mercy. An estimated forty-five students entered first through seventh grades. The original address of the school was 122 Oak Street and initially cost $30,000.
The school was remodeled and expanded in 1960, during the pastorate of Father John Ryan, to add four additional classrooms, an audio-visual room, a teachers’ lounge, a larger gymnasium and school lunch facilities at a cost of $285,000.
The third church, 1972
With a growing congregation, a third church was constructed at 30th Street and Hoover Avenue and dedicated in 1972. The following year, the rectory and administration center were built. In 1977, St. Cecilia Parish was placed under the care of the Conventional Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Consolation and our “black friars” arrived.
Recent additions
Building continued with the ground breaking for the social center in 1986. A new Education Center, built at the Hoover site in 1995, marked the end of 23 years of divided parish facilities.
In 2005, the narthex (gathering space) was rebuilt. The church will be undergoing a renovation soon in order to bring in more light and soften the 70’s style that is evident in the church.
Patron Saint
