Rev. Fr. Michael Nicholls (1858-1933)

NICHOLLS

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 6/29/2021 at 18:13:04

From Nevada Evening Journal August 10, 1933 (page 1)

REV. FR. NICHOLLS DIED EARLY TODAY

LONGTIME PASTOR OF ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH SUCCUMBED TO HEART ATTACK

Rev. Fr. M. Nicholls, 75, for thirty-five years pastor of St. Patrick's Catholic church Nevada and St. Mary's church, Colo, died at the rectory here today at 1:20 a. m., as a result of heart failure.

The funeral services will be held at St. Patrick's church Saturday morning at 10:00, after which interment will be in the St. Patrick's cemetery, Nevada. The remains will lie in state at the church, the hours of which are not determined at this time.

Father Nicholls who had been declining in health since he suffered a stroke of apoplexy about 6 years ago, had failed rapidly since July 27, when he collapsed a few hours following his return from a sanitarium at Mt. Clemons, Mich., where he had spent four weeks in rest, immediately following the Golden Jubilee of his ordination as a priest, which was celebrated here June 27.

His last public appearance in his church was on June 27, when he re-church in the Golden Sacerdotal Jubilee in which he was the celebrant of Solemn High Jubilee mass with his Excellency Archbishop Beckman of Dubuque assisting in Cappa.

Father Nichols came to Nevada from Algona and took charge of the Nevada and Colo Catholic churches August 23, 1898 and had been here continuously since.

During those long years of faithful service to his church he had endeared himself to not only the members of his congregations, but to a wide circle of friends in the communities among the Protestants as well as the Catholics.

During his years of more active life in Nevada he was a man who took much interest in public and civic affairs of the community and was never found wanting in his work along charitable lines or other activities of public interest, not only effecting humanity but in public affairs as well.

During the days preceding and following the celebration of his Jubilee mass there was much community interest shown and the high esteem in which he was held was evident on every hand.

When it became known that he had suffered a collapse following his return from his vacation, the entire community became deeply interested in his condition. Inquiries as to his condition were frequent and very sincere regrets were heard on all sides when he became evident that his end was drawing near.

The burden has lightened for Ft. Nicholls during the past six years by the Rev. George A. Stemm of Dubuque who acted as supply pastor during Fr. Nicholls' first illness of a number of months six years ago, and has divided his summer vacations and been here on every special occasion since that time.

It was Fr. Stemm who planned the very outstanding and enjoyable Golden Jubilee anniversary and then putting aside his own plans for the summer remained here while Fr. Nicholls took what was hoped would be a health giving rest at Mt. Clemons, Mich.

Associated as he is with Columbia college, Dubuque it was necessary that he be gone this past week but hastened to Nevada from Chicago today upon receipt of word of the passing of Fr. Nicholls, early this morning.

Michael Nicholls, a native of Ireland, came to America as a young man and was ordained to the priesthood at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 27, 1883, having taken his degree of philosophy at what was then St. Joseph's college, Dubuque.

From Dubuque he went to Milwaukee where he studied and graduated in theology at St. Francis seminary.

The young priest was first sent to Waterloo where he was occupied temporarily, but his first regular charge was at Bangston, in Dubuque county, where he spent about three and a half years.

From there he went to Algona and during the ten and a half years of his work in that northern Iowa parish he was exceptionally active and was responsible for the churches at Algona, West Bend, Bancroft and Whittemore.

Thirty-five years ago on August 23 he came to Nevada, as pastor of St. Patrick's church here and St. Mary's church, Colo.

Within a few years he had succeeded in supplanting the old frame church in which St. Patrick's congregation was worshiping into the fine brick edifice which at the time it was built was one of the finest in this part of the state. A few years later the splendid brick rectory was built and this property is all free of debt, thanks to the exceptional financiering of the pastor.

About the same time of the building of the Nevada church, Father Nicholls busied himself in working out plans and raising finances for the providing of a suitable house of worship for St. Mary's congregation at Colo The plans were drawn and the raising of subscriptions to finance the project was well under way when some difficulties arose which halted the project. Other barriers later presented themselves and the project was finally dropped and the church there was never built.

From the time that Father Nicholls entered the priesthood and started out as a leader among his people, he was known as a builder and those churches for which he has been responsible have all been suitable monuments to his memory.