A brief history of the Diocese of Dubuque, Iowa:
In July 1833, Charles Felix van Quickenborne, a Jesuit from St. Louis, arrived in the Dubuque area. Soon the Catholics of Dubuque sent a petition to Bishop Joseph Rosati of St. Louis, to have a church built in Dubuque that would later become the Cathedral of St. Raphael. Rev. Charles F. Fitzmaurice was appointed pastor to the area in May of 1834, but died before a church could be built in Dubuque.
The diocese was elevated to an archdiocese on June 15, 1893 by Pope Leo XIII. The archdiocese encompasses 17,403 square miles throughout 30 counties in North Central and Northeast Iowa.
About Father Samuel Mazzuchelli:
To appreciate the history of the Diocese of Dubuque we must know the great influence of Rev. Samuel Mazzuchelli, a Dominican priest from Milan, Italy. He was asked by Bishop Edward Fenwick, a fellow Dominican, to come to America, and in 1828 arrived to serve in the Diocese of Cincinnati, Ohio, which at that time covered the state of Ohio, and the Michigan Territory, including what is now Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and Iowa.
In 1835, Father Mazzuchelli was sent to Dubuque, an area where he would spend his remaining years, both building churches and converting many. When he arrived in Dubuque
In 1837, Pope Gregory XVI created the Dubuque Diocese on July 28, 1837. At this time the American Catholic Church was growing and trending westward as German and Irish immigrants followed the frontier beyond the Mississippi River.
Father Mazzuchelli built Saint Raphael’s Church, which would later become the Cathedral of the Diocese of Dubuque. What makes this so interesting is the fact that Father Mazzuchelli designed the church himself, despite having no architectural experience.
Around the same time, Fr. Mazzuchelli built St. Michael’s Church in Galena, IL. Galena and Dubuque would serve as Fr. Mazzuchelli’s home base for the next fourteen years, during which he established parishes in Potosi (1838), Davenport, Iowa (1838), Prairie du Chien (1839), Burlington, Iowa (1840), Garryowen, Iowa (1840), Iowa City, Iowa (1841), Shullsburg (1841), Sinsinawa (1842), Muscatine, Iowa (1842), and Bellevue, Iowa (1842).
In 1843 Father Mazzuchelli traveled back to Milan to raise funds for his missionary works. Upon his return, Fr. Mazzuchelli continued with his work establishing four more parishes: New Diggings (1844), Hazel Green (1847), Cuba City (1851), and Benton (1852). It was in Benton where Fr. Mazzuchelli would spend his last twelve years.
In 1847 Father Mazzuchelli founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Rosary of the Order of Preachers, better known as the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters. Besides the Churches, he built, the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters would be one of Fr. Mazzuchelli’s longest-lasting legacies.
In 1864, on a cold winter day (one of the coldest in the history of the area), Father Mazzuchelli was called to visit the home of a dying parishioner. in his haste to minister to the dying woman, he left without his cloak.
He stayed all night, and upon returning to his rectory in Benton, Fr. Mazzuchelli developed a severe case of pneumonia, which would prove fatal. He died on February 23, 1864, at the age of 57. Shortly before his death, he told the religious sisters who had come to visit him, that he had seen a vision of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. He is buried in Saint Patricks cemetery in Benton, Iowa. The public may visit the Mazzuchelli Gravesite at any time.
In 1993 Pope John Paul II declared Father Mazzuchelli venerable, the first step to possible canonization as a saint.
Visitors might like to continue learning about Father Mazzuchelli by visiting his archives at the Sinsinawa Mound, the Motherhouse of the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation, located 12 miles west of Benton on County Road Z in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin. The Mound is the headquarters for nearly 260 Dominican Sisters in the Congregation, and a new exhibit is currently underway to display the scope of Father Samuel’s life and service. It includes many personal artifacts including the chain Father Samuel wore as penance, secretly hidden beneath his clothing. Many people—particularly the ill and ailing—have prayed with Father Mazzuchelli’s penance chain, a sign of his holiness, in the hope of being granted a miracle.
There is much more to the life story of Father Mazucelli, so be sure to click here for a great video produced by the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters.
Catholic Places of Interest in Dubuque, Iowa:
Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey