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(God the Father) "God Father, praise and glory Thy children bring to Thee. Good will and peace to mankind shall now forever be." These words quoted above, taken from the parish "Our Sung Mass" book, are often sung at the conclusion of an ordinary communal high Mass in SS. Peter & Paul parish. As such they indicate the function of the parish, that of giv­ing praise and glory to the Father. Grouped around the high altar, in union with their pastors, the parishioners of SS. Peter & Paul have been thus praising and glorifying God for the past 100 years. Such was the original purpose in the minds of those early German immigrants whose faith was so strong that they were determined to have a church in which they might fulfill that purpose. That is also the purpose of this book, to give praise and glory to the Trinity by recalling God's goodness to His people through the hundred years of the parish's existence. God has been good to His people. That was particularly true when the parish was founded. As Msgr. N. J. Peiffer indicated in an earlier history, this district had been sparsely settled by German immigrants previous to 1848. Due to the political disturbances in Germany in 1848, the strongest influx of Germans, especially from the Saar province, occurred during the '50s. Thus, though the church was to wane in the "old country," she was to plant firm roots in the new. As a result of these political disturbances, these staunch Catholics sold their few possessions to raise transportation money for themselves and their families. Arriving here they found no such churches as they had left in the Vaterland; they found only great expanses of virgin land ready for the seed of Faith which they were to plant for future generations to cultivate. That seed was kept alive by the ministrations of wandering priests who occasionally visited the area. One such visitor was Rev. M. Michels, who offered Mass and administered the sacraments to them in the Nicholaus Berg home, which was chosen because it had two rooms in place of the usual one. In the spring of 1856, Rev. William Emonds, by order of Bishop Loras of Dubuque, visited the settlement for the perpose [sic] of establishing a parish either in Clear Creek township or nearby German township. The bishop imposed the condition that 20 acres of land be donated for a church site. That stipulation was a very practical one, in keeping with the vision of the saintly and practical Loras. In those days the pastor would be an itinerate one, who would have to journey to missions scattered throughout the countryside. The acreage would thus provide pasture for his horse, a pur­pose obviously no longer necessary. Now it provides pasture for John Sieren's hogs, who act as built-in garbage cans for the Sisters. Clear Creek had the first chance for donating the church site but could offer only five acres. Catholics of German and West Lafayette townships immediately offered the required 20 acres. Somewhat chagrined, the Catholics of Clear Creek met the very next year. Not relishing the long journey for Mass and the sacraments, they purchased on June 26, 1857, some 21 acres from Jacob Becker for $450. The name "Clear Creek" is always a puzzler to outsiders; they ask where the creek is. Actually the creek is located down the road from the church, about two miles east. As to its name, Bill Hahn says the creek is called clear because it is always "clear dry." True, there rarely is water in this tributary to the Skunk River, except after a heavy rain, but there has always been a torrent of grace flowing in its confines. The reason for this torrent of grace is found in what happened on this plot of ground set aside for the Lord. A log house, located where Grace's chicken coop stands now, was transformed into a crude church. Under the leadership of Constantin Buch, the Catholics gathered there every Sunday for their prayers in common and the reading and explanation of the gospel. This early tradition of lay leadership in the parish has continued even to the present, as evidenced by Gordon Horras leading the congregational singing at a Sunday high Mass and the high school students reading the Passion in English on Palm Sunday. Now and then a priest visited the community, offered Mass and administered the sacraments in the log church. In May, 1857, the first Mass in the log church was celebrated by Rev. Johann Fendrick. On March 23, 1858, Rev. George Sch­neider visited the community for the first time to administer to the faithful, returning later to formally organize the parish A temporary organization was formed in November, 1858, with Rev. F. Krekel presiding for the bishop, but it was not until. April 30, 1859, that a meeting was held at which Michael Ludwig and Peter Mersch were elected trustees of the new parish. A sort of contract was entered into with Father Fendrick of Richmond. For a consideration of $64 yearly he agreed to offer Mass there six times a year, three of which Masses were to be celebrated on Sunday. Some dispute has arisen over this date of 1858 as the basis for the true centennial year of the parish. Complete records are lacking. There are many beginnings of the parish: the purchasing of the log house, the offering of the first Mass, the selecting of the trustees, the securing of a transient pastor. Accordingly, Rev. Paul A. Kleinfelder, present pastor, determined to select a date appearing to coincide with the many "firsts" in the parish. The final date for the celebration, August 19, 1958, was selected by the bishop. No agreement could be reached on the naming of the parish patron. Consequently, as Katherine Weber now relates the old legend, the pastor (Fr. Schneider) resolved upon a unique scheme to settle all disputes regarding the name. Six candles dedicated to six patrons were lighted. SS. Peter & Paul seemed to vie for the honor as their candles lingered longest, flickering out together. This left no choice but to dedicate the parish to the two contenders for the honor. Names prominent in the parish today were among the founders of the parish. Contributing to the support of the pastor in those pioneer days were such families as: Vogel, Heisdorffer, Adrien (which is not a misspelling of Adrian, for the old spellings varied from modern-day usage, as may be determined by checking the old tombstones in the parish cemetery) ; Horras, Becker, Kiefer, Greiner, Engeldinger (only old John survives to carry on the Engeldinger name; when he dies the name will no longer be carried on the parish lists), Peiffer, Buch, Hahn and Tinnes. Money being short in those days, the parishioners were hard-pressed to meet obligations they had assumed. Thirty-two families were able to raise only $53.50. Their poverty is reflected in the story of the "lost needle." Mrs. Paul Peiffer, having misplaced her lone needle, cried for two days until she found the scarce article. If she had not found it, she could not have obtained another nearer than Burlington. Father Schneider, the first duly-appointed pastor, must have felt that some sort of revival was necessary to increase parish revenues. Shrewd psychologist that he was, he knew that if the parishioners were convinced of their faith they would support the church even at great sacrifice. He therefore engaged the famous missionary, Rev. Francis Xavier Weniger, to preach a mission during October of 1862. Father Weniger must have been exceedingly eloquent, for early in 1863 the 50 families of the parish began the erection of a new church. Records show that on February 25, 1863, $337 was paid to Joseph Kraemer for brick. (Brick for the succeeding church was to cost $1,000 even though the brick was made on the church grounds.) An imposing structure for its time, the edifice endured until 1898 when the cornerstone for the larger, present church was laid. Foundation stones from the old church never were unearthed. To this day they present a problem to the assistant, Rev. Marvin Sieger, when he mows the lawn in that area just west of the present church. A feature of the old church was a large, circular, spoked window above the main entrance. When the ancient church was razed, this window was obtained by Peter L. Greiner and is now a part of the barn on the M. L. Hammes place. The old cornerstone was carried to the Anton Ott farm, from whence it was brought back by M. L. Greiner for the diamond jubilee celebration of the parish. For many years the cornerstone reposed in the alcove between the tower and the church until in 1957 it was incorporated into the base of the Hammes Children memorial. Msgr. Peiffer relates an amusing story concerning the building of the first brick church. The day of dedication, May 3, 1863, was one of jubilee. True to their German ancestry, the trustees provided proper refreshment for the occasion; records show an expenditure of $14 for beer. There must have been some beverage left over, for on the following day a "kinderfest" was held in "Lorenzen Grof" (Lawrence Adrien Grove). Net receipts for both days was $64.70, which was turned over to Johann Wallrich to the treasurer, Peter Mersch. From his entry of the amount, it would seem that the festival ended rather late in the evening. Having no watch, he had a doubt as to whether it was before or after midnight. Just to be safe, he wrote May 4 and 5. The enlarged church was able to accomodate [sic] the growing parish, which, by January 1, 1864, counted 59 contributors (contrasted with the 120 present contributors). An account of their contributions during 1862-63 listed total receipts of $1,078.15 and total expenditures of $1,047.85, leaving a balance of $18.30 and a debt of $88 on the church. (Total receipts for 1957 were $10,622.24, expenditures, $9,805.19 and balance $817.05.) Since they still had no regular pastor, the trustees bore the burden of the parish duties in those early days. Shortly after the erection of the church Father Schneider was transferred, the parish duties being provided for by irregular visits of priests. Wendel Horras, Constantin Buch and Johann Vogel were trustees during this time. Missions, or weeks of intense preaching, administration of the sacraments, daily Mass (a rarity), were held periodically through these years to preserve and strengthen the faith of the people. It was the custom to erect a "mission cross" in or near the church to remind the people of the resolutions they had made during the Mission. One such cross, with the date in German (Okt. 19-26, 1913), still hangs in the choir loft. The Rev. Peter Matthew Hiltermann preached such a mission during this time of no-tenure. During 1865 Rev. F. Junker attended the parish. When he came the parish treasury contained $77.54. Trustees then were Jacob Korth, Jacob Becker and Peter Ollinger. Through the next few years, perhaps because of the Civil War, a succession of priests visited the parish. In May and June, 1866, Fr. Johann Fendrick again visited the community. In October, the first order priest to appear in the records, Rev. Cyprian Zwinge, OSF, buried John Trierweiler and Margaret Vogel. That February, 1867, Rev. B. Temmen, who attended the parish at regular intervals thereafter, came. Rev. G. H. Luehrsmann attended the parish in 1872. Rarely was a priest to be had when accidents occurred, as when two of Paul Peiffer's boys, John and Mike, were playing out in the field. Both boys were bitten by a rattlesnake. The boys quickly sucked out the poison and ran home to their father. He applied tourniquets to their arms. Mike suffered no ill efects [sic] but John's arm gradually withered, turned black, and finally had to be amputated ... so says Anton Peiffer, one of John's sons yet living in the parish. Records are missing for a brief period after Fr. Luehrsmann's tenure; they were not resumed until 1874. In the interim Rev. E. J. McLaughlin attended the parish. He was assigned to Sigourney. Thinking What Cheer was a better location because of the prosperous coal mines in the vicinity, he moved there and attended Clear Creek and Sigourney from What Cheer. Rev. Thomas Frauenhofer attended from February, 1874 to January, 1876. Because he was stationed at Baden (which later became the Harper parish), Mass could be offered every Sunday at Clear Creek. All during this time of intermittent pastors Constantin Buch was the man who held the parish together. Called "vergesetzte" (the boss, or one who gives commands) by the parishioners because of his prominence in the parish, he was a trustee for 40 to 50 years. Regularly his name crops up in one or another capacity in the parish, even as a school­master. Long before a school was built there had been provisions made for the instruction of the youngsters—29 years before the parish had a regular pastor (1893, Rev. J. A. Rangger). During the pastorate of Father Schneider (1864), Adam Handel, a layman, taught school in the log house. Constantin Buch taught school in 1865. During Father Temmen's pastorate in 1867, John Gum, yet another layman, taught school. During Father Frauenhofer's administration the first school was built. He did not remain for its functioning since he was transferred at the beginning of the year. Rev. Peter Kern succeeded him. Under Father Kern the regular school began. Pupils were limited to those who were preparing to make their First Communion. John Engledinger, oldest living male parishioner, recalls making his First Communion then. The communion class had 29 12-year-olds in it. John remembers Father Kern coming in the door of the old school on that memorable day, counting the class to see that they were all there and then marching them over to the church. After Sunday Vespers, John recollects, it was Father Kern's custom to sit with C. Buch and Peter Ollinger, the trustees, under the old oak tree. With an occasional glass of homebrew in their hands, they used to talk over the parish business in its shade. The schoolboys talked too, John recalls. The older ones warned the younger ones about the new schoolteacher, John Barth, who was said to have a stick and knew how to use it. But the teacher's breath was worse than his hand, the boys found. He had been a storekeeper at Garibaldi (now defunct) but he had had too great a fondness for his wares. Nevertheless, he was an adequate teacher for the times. After John Barth (1876) came Peter Arens, who taught until 1882. John then returned for a second period of teaching, which lasted until 1887. Constantin Buch, whose diversity of talents seemed to pre­figure the School Sisters of St. Francis, taught the term of 1888-89. He was also janitor-sacristan of the church building and choir leader for the German hymns which the people sang. As an old man (he lived to be over 90) he used to walk the five miles from the now Rosamond Redlinger place to Mass. Otto Rauch, his successor, remained until 1895. The Franciscan Sisters of Wisconsin succeeded him in the fall of 1895. They conducted the school until 1902 when Father Rangger replaced them with the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood. These Sisters remained only a few months, leaving when Father was transferred. Miss Veronica Rung, apparently the first woman lay teacher, finished the school year when Rev. Peter Stahl obtained the School Sisters of St. Francis, Milwaukee, Wis., who are in charge of the school yet. The securing of these Sisters was a godsend to the school and to the parish. Ben Beh, a Davenport boy, on a recent visit to the school was moved to say, "Gee, you must really have to have a vocation to be a Sister out here." Little did he realize the work the Sisters do in a rural parish. True, living accommodations are comfortable nowadays, but they were not always so. Living in makeshift accommodations, the Sisters endured many hardships to teach the youngsters the rudiments of the Faith. Not only did they teach, but they also performed many chores around the church arid sacristy, replacing Constantin Buch-of-many-talents. One great boon was that the School Sisters of St. Francis had a strong musical background. A full time music teacher was part of the staff. The result was that from these earliest days there was a tradition of having an organist in the parish, with the resultant enrichment of the liturgy. Such were the origins of the parish. First a log cabin, then a sturdy crude brick church served as a house for worship. These buildings were the greenhouses and nurseries for the seed of Faith. By. worshiping in these structures, the people sank deep the roots which were to provide the nourishment for growth to come. The waters of grace in Clear Creek might be only a trickle. Times might come when the bed might be "clear dry" of grace. But for the most part grace did abound and flow into the lives of the parishioners. Of this flourishing growth, represented by the building of the second brick church and the sacraments administered therein, we shall speak in the second section under God the Son.

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