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With pride and dedication, members of our parish have embarked on a journey to raise money for the restoration of our beautiful house of worship, originally founded by Luxembourg immigrants in 1848. Fire destroyed the church in 1907, leaving behind the exterior stone walls. The church was rebuilt in 1908, using the walls of the original stone structure.
While we have a rich history and background, the most important reason for our restoration campaign is for our future. Our parish is a multi-generational ‘home’ for many of our families, and a ‘home’ for hundreds of visitors who make a pilgrimage to our church to pray the Outdoor Way of the Cross each Lenten season, and all year around.
We ask you to read this material and prayerfully consider a donation to our campaign: Foundation of Faith: Building for Generations.
Maintaining the structural integrity of our 115+ year old church is a monumental undertaking for our small parish of 120 families. With God’s guidance and the support of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, we have done extensive research, gathered costs for materials and restoration services, and determined that a campaign will be needed to raise a total of $600,000 over the next three years.
The three areas of greatest need for which the funds will be raised, and in this order of need, are:
Pioneers from Luxembourg, Europe settled ten miles south of Dubuque and formed the only parish in the United States named for the protector against storms. St. Donatus was born in 140 A.D. in Rome. In 180 A.D. he was condemned to death and martyred for his faith for refusing to marry the emperor's granddaughter and to adore pagan gods.
Our history of St. Donatus explains that a relic of St. Donatus was housed in a church overnight in Euschirchen, Germany. During Mass, a storm broke out and bolt of lightening struck the church. The altar and priest's vestments caught fire. The priest called to St. Donatus for help. The flames went out and the priest's wounds were healed. The church was spared and the miracle let to a devotion to St. Donatus, as the protector against storms and lightening. Then the Luxembourg immigrants built their first official church, St. Donatus was suggested for a name and accepted by the archbishop because of the connection to protection from storms which occured often in the valley.
The first log church was built in 1848, a frame church was built in 1851, and a cornerstone for a new church was laid in 1858. In 1907, the interior was gutted by fire. The current altars and furnishings date from 1908 redecoration, including the statue of Our Lady of Luxembourg, Consolor of the Afflicted.
Rev. Michael Flamming, a native of Luxembourg, was pastor from 1858, to his death in 1883. Under his guidance, St. Mary Academy was bult and was the first girls boarding school west of the Mississippi River. In 1875, Tete de Morts High School for boys was built.
The first outdoor Way of the Cross of its kind in the U.S. was completed in 1861. This hillside devotion leads to the Pieta Chapel which was built in 1885. Both have becoem a place of pilgramage for people from around the world. In addition to the Good Friday church services followed by the outdoor Way of the Cross, our community is known for its annual pancake and sausage breakfast, which has been held each year on the first Sunday of November since the 1960s.
This Capital campaign is specifically for three key areas of need:
Current estimates are as follows. These numbers are subject to change as time passes. Therefore, it is ideal if we can begin work on the steeple this year as estimates typically increase with time.
The campaign will run until the goal amount has been raised. It is expected that this campaign will span multiple years.
As of 04/30/24, we have $56,000 in the capital campaign fund.
We will only complete the work for which we can raise the money. The work on the steeple and windows is critical, as is fixing the ceiling of the choir loft. If we do not complete these projects in a timely manner, it’s likely that further damage will occur and future repair efforts will be significantly more expensive. The painting is not critical to the maintenance of the church structure, but given the interior has not been painted for more than 50 years, painting the interior would greatly enhance the natural beauty of our church and speak to the vibrant community that we are.
Several years ago, we raised money to reshingle the main roof of the church, but not the steeple. Since that time, water has found ways to enter the structure in the steeple area. A full analysis of the steeple roof has been completed by Fred Jackson Tuckpointing, and the work they propose will create a solid steeple structure that will keep the water out.
Work will be done in stages, as money goals are obtained. The Steeple will be repaired first, planning for 2024 completion. The windows will be repaired next, which probably won’t happen until 2025, unless we hit our campaign goals earlier. Then painting will be the last phase, currently estimated for 2026.
There is no indication that our parish will close. Yet, staying open is not a guarantee for any church. But we have an opportunity to be a people of hope and faith; an opportunity to remain a vibrant community of worship for ourselves and for future generations. That is the focus of this campaign.
Please consider giving of your time and talent. Join a campaign committee. Work at various parish fundraisers and consider serving in various capacities during our Masses. Energy and enthusiasm are contagious, so your participation in any way is greatly needed and appreciated!
We have multiple committees working to plan and manage all the details of a formal campaign and to communicate about it. We will formally launch the campaign in June 2024 with a social gathering for parishioners.
All donations will be put into a St. Donatus Capital Campaign bank account, which will be used exclusively for funding this project.
Multiple vendors were contacted to provide bids for the work.
Fred Jackson Tuckpointing (https://fred-jackson.com) was chosen to provide the steeple repairs.
Conrad Schmitt (https://conradschmitt.com) was initially selected to provide both the window repair and the interior patching and painting but we have since gotten additional quotes from Kaiser (https://churchrestorations.com) for the interior church repair and Willet Hauser (https://stained-glass-window.us) for the window repair. Conrad Schmitt’s bid was more expensive and didn’t fully cover the repairs needed for the windows. Therefore, we will be moving forward with Kaiser and Willet Hauser.
When you send your donation, include a note that indicates who the donation is in memory of. This information will be captured in a campaign spreadsheet.
St. Donatus Church will provide a receipt for your donation. Since matching programs differ by employer, consult your Human Resource department for how to submit your matching request and receipt.
Yes, and St. Donatus Parish will provide a receipt for your donation, so you can include it on your tax return.
As the campaign committees reviewed the details of all vendor quotes, we noticed that the quote for window repair did not fully cover the scope of work that we know was needed. This prompted the committee to go back through the other vendor quotes and relook at options. Willet Hauser has been re-engaged, based on their scope of work to fully rebuild the frames, along with providing the maintenance work required for the windows. This prompted us to also relook at paint options, since the Conrad Schmitt quote was now only for painting.. Kaiser Paint was engaged and they provided a quote for paint and plaster repairs which came in substantially under the quote from Conrad Schmitt. Additionally, we felt there was value in supporting local vendors when possible. Therefore, the decision was made to move forward with these other 2 vendors.