St. Patrick’s Church – rural Cummings, IA - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

This peaceful country church has a wealth of history, from the early Irish settlement of this region to the most recent visit from Pope John Paul II in 1979.

Irish farmers first flocked to central Iowa in the mid 19th Century and missionary Father Timothy Mullen recognized the need for a Catholic church in the area. The first log worship center occupied a small parcel of farmland until 1868 when the present wood frame church was built. The building underwent a renovation in 1968 before its centennial celebration. The original stain glass windows give an elegant touch to the worship center and the medallion window over the altar filters warm sunlight above the crucifix. A bust of Pope John Paul II is mounted inside the entry, one of four fashioned by an Irish sculptor.

St. Patrick’s Irish Settlement Church is a place of hospitality, where God welcomes the sinner, and the congregation welcomed the Holy Father to its humble place of worship. It was a memorable afternoon in 1979 when Pope John Paul II stepped from the helicopter with an entourage of secret service and media. Joy filled the church where more than 200 people attended the brief prayer service and received blessings and memories to last a lifetime. Amid the corn shocks and pumpkins, St. Patrick’s Church was a place of harvest, not only of crops but of souls as well.

(Some of this information was taken from the personal experience of a church neighbor.)

Street address: 3396 - 155th Street Cummings, IA USA 50061 County / Borough / Parish: Madison County Year listed: 1978 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event / Exploration/Settlement, European Periods of significance: 1850-1874 Historic function: Funerary, Religion Current function: Funerary, Religion Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.