Our Historic Grounds

"The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it." - Psalm 24:1

The site of St. Mary's was part of the original 370  acre Meredith property, which had been both a dairy and beef cattle farm. In 1963, the Diocese of Des Moines purchased 11 acres as part of the sale of the Meredith estate.

Mr. Meredith had been Secretary of  Agriculture in President Woodrow Wilson’s cabinet and an early leader in the  4-H Club organization. He became renowned as the creator and publisher of  “Successful Farming”, “Dairy Farmer”, and “Better  Homes and Gardens” magazines. He had far-reaching influence in the fields  of publishing and agriculture. By the time of his death on June 17, 1928, at  the age of 51, he was highly recognized in business, political, and social  worlds.

In 1936, Mrs. Meredith had a  cottage built on the grounds consisting of a bedroom, bath and what is now  known as the fireplace room. The big house was added on in 1939-40, growing to  21 rooms. The mansion, which now serves as our parish office and meeting rooms, was built as a place to entertain service men and women  from Camp Dodge  and Veterans Hospital during World War II. Mrs. Woodrow Wilson was a guest in the Meredith  Home on several  occasions, with the guest room set aside for her use now serving as the youth room for St. Mary's Active Religious Teens.

Following the death of Mrs.  Meredith on January 1, 1961, at the age of 83, the furniture in the mansion was  sold at auction; however, the original fixtures remained. The house sat vacant  until 1963, when the Diocese of Des Moines purchased it. The mansion needed repairs and renovations to convert it into a parish church and center. Parishioners did  these. The large living room became the chapel where weekday Masses were  celebrated at 7:00 AM. Sunday Mass for the new, yet churchless congregation was  celebrated at 10:00 AM at Holy Trinity Church.

Groundbreaking for the new church took place on August 18, 1964; and  on March 21, 1965, the first Mass was celebrated in the new church. Bishop  George J. Biskup dedicated the church on August 22, 1965.

The mansion soon became too small  to handle all the programs and activities at St. Mary’s. Consequently, in 1977  a building fund was started and plans were discussed for enlarging the parish  center. It wasn’t until 1983 however, that permission to build was given by the  diocese. Environmental Design Group, Ltd. P.C. was the architectural consultant  and the new building was designed in keeping with the design of the mansion.  The Msgr. Gerald Ryan parish hall is used for most parish activities.

Building the new center  necessitated other renovations in the mansion. The Sisters’ residence, which  had once been the servants’ quarters in the time of Mrs. Meredith, had to be  leveled to make way for the new building. As a result, the second floor of the mansion was converted into a residence for the Dominican Sisters.  No longer having sisters at ST. Mary's, this residence now serves as a prayer chapel and discussion rooms. Modifications have also been made in the downstairs of the  mansion to provide more office space as staff members have continued to grow.

The church has doubled in size, and a beautiful gathering area as well as six more classrooms has been added. The parking lot has been increased in size to accommodate many more cars. Most importantly, through a deep faith conviction, a parish community continues to evolve.