Our Lady of Lourdes Church
Even before the City of Ravenna was founded, Catholics from several nations settled within the present bounds of the parish. In the late 1870s two German speaking Catholic families settled about ten miles south of Ravenna near the future site of Saint Joseph's. In the early 1880s Irish families settled in Dry Creek, nine miles northwest of Ravenna and in the middle 1880s Czech speaking Catholicssettled in and east of Ravenna. The Michael Buckly home in Dry Creek is believed to have been the place where Mass was offered for the first time in the Ravenna territory by Father Boyle in 1883. The first Catholic church was built in Ravenna in 1887. The German colony south of town organized Saint Joseph's mission in 1899. Father Jaroslav Hancik was the first resident priest and he built the first rectory in 1903. In 1907 Father Joseph Macourek began his service which lasted for 42 years.
During the 1950s, the present beautiful brick church was built to replace the wooden structure which had served the parish since 1887. The original stained glass was retained. In 1961, the original rectory was replaced with a new brick rectory to match the church. Between 1997 and 2003 a series of renovations occurred and the parish center was constructed and the basement updated. In 2006 Our Lady of Lourdes became part of the six parish cluster with Loup City, Hazard, Ashton, Pleasanton and Rockville and is served by Rev. Martin Egging.
The mission statement of Our Lady of Lourdes parish: We, the living faith community of Our Lady of Lourdes, worship and proclaim the Gospel of Christ. We encourage spiritual growth by sharing our faith, lives, loves, and gifts. Our goal is to serve God's people.
During the 1950s, the present beautiful brick church was built to replace the wooden structure which had served the parish since 1887. The original stained glass was retained. In 1961, the original rectory was replaced with a new brick rectory to match the church. Between 1997 and 2003 a series of renovations occurred and the parish center was constructed and the basement updated. In 2006 Our Lady of Lourdes became part of the six parish cluster with Loup City, Hazard, Ashton, Pleasanton and Rockville and is served by Rev. Martin Egging.
The mission statement of Our Lady of Lourdes parish: We, the living faith community of Our Lady of Lourdes, worship and proclaim the Gospel of Christ. We encourage spiritual growth by sharing our faith, lives, loves, and gifts. Our goal is to serve God's people.