Queen of Heaven Catholic Church
Plan For Catholic Church at Reinbeck
Plans are being formulated to establish a Catholic church at Reinbeck and to provide for the erection of a building in which to hold services.Assisting in the movement to establish a Catholic church in Reinbeck is Rev. Fr. John E. Graham, who held the first Catholic mass in the Community Building at Reinbeck last Sunday morning. Father Graham has been serving the Catholic churches at Blessing and at Traer.
Catholics in Reinbeck and vicinity have been members of the Catholic church in Grant township and at Grundy Center. The new church at Reinbeck would expect to serve Catholic families in Reinbeck and within a five-mile area of the town, including the town of Morrison.
--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 28 July 1955
Catholic Organization Buys Reinbeck Property
The new Catholic organization, named "Queen of Heaven" parish of Reinbeck, has purchased the Wheeler residence property in Reinbeck for the building, which includes considerable additional ground. The purchase price was $16,500. The building was erected three years ago and it is one of the best in Reinbeck. The owners have used it as an appliance store and residence property.Some changes will be made in the entrance to the building and also some changes in the interior. After the remodeling is completed, services will be held there regularly. The services for several months have been held every Sunday morning in the Reinbeck Memorial building. The services are being conducted by Rev. Father John Graham, pastor of the Catholic church at Blessing.
--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 24 November 1955
Sacred Heart Church, Queen of Heaven have closing ceremonies
Archbishop Jerome Hanus of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, along with Father Dennis Quint, celebrated Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Grundy Center Saturday evening Feb. 14, and Queen of Heaven Church in Reinbeck Sunday morning Feb. 15. Archbishop Hanus was here to celebrate the closing of the two churches in anticipation of the opening of St. Gabriel Church in rural Grundy County Sunday, Feb. 22.In his homily Archbishop Hanus referred to August of 2004 when he came to the same area to rejoice in the formation of Holy Family Parish with the merger of St. Patrick in Parkersburg, Sacred Heart in Grundy Center, St. Mary in Dike and Queen of Heaven in Reinbeck. He complimented the church leaders and members of the parish for the sacrifices and the faith it took to take on a project the size and scope of St. Gabriel. He compared it to the faith shown by the Catholics in Grundy Center by the building of Sacred Heart Church in 1931 during the Great Depression.
The closing included special blessings to the baptismal font, the reconciliation room, Stations of the Cross, the ambo and the altar. "We mourn the loss of these sacred spaces where we have been washed, anointed, and fed. With fondness we recall the weddings, faith formation and social gatherings that have taken place here," Father Dennis Quint, Pastor of Holy Family Parish, said. "In a tangible way we live out the paschal mystery at this special time of transition. For in the midst of experiencing loss, we also rejoice at the promise of new life at St. Gabriel Church."
Archbishop Jerome Hanus will dedicate St. Gabriel Catholic Church at 2 p.m. on Sun., Feb. 22. The 500-seat church will serve the southern portion of Holy Family Parish, with St. Patrick Church in Parkersburg serving parishioners in the northern portion.
On Sunday, March 1, there will be an open house form 2 to 4 p.m. with an ecumenical prayer service at 4 p.m. for all members of the community. "We have deeply appreciated the prayerful support and interest that our fellow Christians have provided throughout the building process," Quint said. "Since space will be limited at the dedication Mass, we see this open house and prayer service as a great opportunity to reach out to people of other faiths."
--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 19 February 2009