St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church

HISTORY OF ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON CHURCH, GLIDDEN, IOWA

The first Mass was celebrated at the Glidden City Hall on the Feast of All Saints, November 1, 1972 – Rev. Jerome A. Degan, celebrant. Lector was Lynn Stork and servers were Lee Stork and Michael Buss. Masses were celebrated at Glidden City Hall until the First Sunday of Advent December 2, 1973 then regular Sunday Mass began at the Glidden Theater – Rev. Jerome A. Degan, celebrant. Catholics in the area increased from 65 households in 1968 to 87 households in 1973. There were 87 grade school children and 37 high school children.

In December 1974, a Building Advisory Committee was formed for the purpose of planning and building a hall and educational center on the land purchased by the diocese in May 1974.

In July 1976, Bishop Frank J. Greteman, established the church of St. Elizabeth Seton in Glidden as a mission church of the Holy Family Parish of Lidderdale. In September 1976, ground was broken by Fr. Gralapp for the parish center. At that time there were approximately 75 families. Mortgage burning for the parish center was in 1987. On Monday, July 13, 1987, Fr. James Bruch announced plans for a $400,000.00 building project at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church.

By this time the parish had grown to approximately 160 families. Our Faith Formation classes had the greatest growth with approximately 155 children attending Grades 1-12. More space was needed….so in January 1988, the parish center was remodeled and two additional classrooms were added. Most of the labor was volunteered by parishioners.

In September 1988 ground was broken for the church. The proposed $400,000.00 project included a 7200-square foot addition, which would include a sanctuary, a nave that would seat 275 worshippers, an overflow and fellowship area. A small chapel, three classrooms and an office. The dream of Bishop Frank Greteman became a reality on August 13, 1989 – the dedication of St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church.

Priests who have served the people of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton are: Fr. Jerome Degan, Fr. Robert Gralapp, Fr. Eugene Ceperly, Fr. Ron Reicks, Fr. Ed Tiedeman, Fr. Anthony Pick, Fr. James Bruch, Fr. Richard Kielbasa, Fr. Paul Kelly, Fr. Merlin Schrad, Fr. Peter Duc Nguyen, Fr. Joe Dillinger and Fr. Andrew Hoffman.

In 2017, the Diocese of Sioux City placed all the parishes of Carroll County, including St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, under one Pastor, Fr. Kevin Richter, along with a team of priests who would serve the county: Fr. Brian Feller, Fr. John Gerald, Fr. Tim Schott, Fr. Shinoj Jose, and Fr. Mark Stoll.

In 2018, it was decided to split the county into two groupings. A “western” group of parishes (Arcadia, Breda, Halbur, Mount Carmel, Templeton, and Glidden) was served by Fr. Mark Stoll as the Pastor, along with Fr. Tim Schott as an assistant. The “eastern” group of parishes (Carroll – Holy Spirit and St. Lawrence, Coon Rapids, Dedham, Lidderdale, and Willey), was served by Fr. Kevin Richter as the Pastor, and Fr. Brian Feller and Fr. Shinoj Jose as assistants. With the priests now having their residence in Carroll.

In July 2018, due to the shortage of active priests available to serve in the diocese, and declining population throughout the rural communities of the Diocese of Sioux City, further changes were made. Holy Angels parish in Roselle officially went to church building status (meaning that there would not be regular daily or weekend masses, but the church building would be maintained for special occasions such as weddings and funerals), and Holy Family parish in Lidderdale closed (with the church building and parish hall being sold). Fr. Tim Friedrichsen became the Pastor of the “western” parishes, with Fr. Tim Pick serving as the parochial vicar. Fr. Kevin Richter remained the Pastor of the “eastern” parishes, with Fr. Patrick Behm and Fr. Shinoj Jose serving as the parochial vicars.

In 2020, further changes were made, going from five active priests serving the county to three. Fr. Tim Friedrichsen continued as the Pastor of the “western” parishes of the county: Arcadia, Breda, and Templeton. St. Augustine parish in Halbur and Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Mount Carmel both were changed to church building status. The parishes in the “eastern” grouping now included Carroll (Holy Spirit and St. Lawrence), now officially merged as St. John Paul II Parish), Coon Rapids, Dedham, and Glidden. St. Mary’s Parish in Willey was changed to church building status. Fr. Kevin Richter continued as the Pastor, with Fr. Patrick Behm serving as the parochial vicar.

In 2021, while all the sites remained open, the “western” parishes were formally merged to create Good Shepherd Parish, and the “eastern” parishes were formally merged into St. John Paul II Parish.