St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church (Ottumwa, Iowa)
| St. Mary of the Visitation Church | |
|---|---|
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| 41°01′10″N 92°24′38″W / 41.01944°N 92.41056°WCoordinates: 41°01′10″N 92°24′38″W / 41.01944°N 92.41056°W | |
| Location | 103 E. 4th Street Ottumwa, Iowa |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| History | |
| Founded | 1849 |
| Dedication | Visitation |
| Dedicated | November 15, 1891 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | C.I. Krajewski |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1930 |
| Specifications | |
| Number of spires | One |
| Materials | Bedford stone |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Davenport |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Most Rev. Thomas Zinkula |
| Pastor(s) | Rev. James G. Betzen, C.PP.S. |
St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Davenport. The church building is located on the corner of 4th and Court Streets in downtown Ottumwa, Iowa United States. It is part of the Central Park area, which is the civic center of the community. It includes: the Wapello County Courthouse, the Ottumwa Public Library, and the Ottumwa City Hall. The church is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, but it has not been listed.
St. Mary of the Visitation Parish was established in 1849 when Bishop Mathias Loras of the Diocese of Dubuque sent the Rev. Jean Villars from St. John the Evangelist in Keokuk to purchase two lots for the church and rectory and a larger piece of land for a cemetery in Louisville, as Ottumwa was known at the time. The price paid for the property was $1,100. He organized the congregation and supervised the building of a small brick church. Rev. Alexander Hattenberger was sent to be pastor of the entire Des Moines Valley in 1850. He was the first priest to celebrate Mass in what would become Des Moines. However, he found the assignment too difficult and in 1853 he was transferred to St. Joseph’s Church in Fort Madison. He was replaced by a newly ordained priest, the Rev. John Kreckel, who stayed in Ottumwa until his death in 1899. Not only was he responsible for Ottumwa and Wapello County, but his territory also covered Jefferson, Van Buren, Keokuk, Mahaska, Polk, Jasper, Marion, Monroe, Davis, Appanoose, Wayne and Decatur Counties. He founded churches in Eddyville, Georgetown, and Bauer.
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