From the Morgue: IC celebrates '69-year-old dream' come true

We’ve all heard of the big plans members of Immaculate Conception Catholic Parish in Jackson have for a new church. They call for the construction of an impressive edifice and the demolition of the 1962 church. You can read about the building program and view designs on the church’s website.

Seventy-five years ago, members of IC celebrated the completion of the parish grade school, which stood close by the church until a tornado re-arranged Jackson on May 6, 2003. It damaged the school and its gymnasium to the point they had to be razed and rebuilt.

Turning back to 1949, the articles in the Southeast Missourian give good descriptions of the new school and also provide historical background on the parish and its efforts in educating the young members of IC.

Published Tuesday, Dec. 6, 1949, in the Southeast Missourian:

Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Jackson, 1949.Southeast Missourian archive

Parish at Jackson to have school dedication

JACKSON – The parish of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church of Jackson will on Dec. 11, at 2 o’clock, dedicate the new School building, the Most Rev. Joseph E. Ritter, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, in charge.

The new school’s cornerstone will be laid and the building dedicated. Outline of the celebration is as follows: Assembly in the church at 2 o’clock, procession to the new building, participated in by the pupils of the school, parishioners, Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus and visiting clergy, the laying of the cornerstone, blessing and dedication of the structure, followed by a civic affair in the basement and an open house with refreshments served. Everyone is invited, it was stated today.

The school began in 1880, under the pastorate of the Rev. J.L. Gadell. The first classroom was in the rear of the present church, in the room now the sacristy and the Rev. Gadell was the first teacher.

That year the McGuire residence (the [1949] convent building) was bought and made a school building and here the Rev. Gadell taught until the arrival of the Ursuline Sisters in 1882. Then the convent building became temporarily a combination convent and two-room school.

Within a year a two-room classroom frame building was erected on the east side and the school flourished until 1913 when unfortunate circumstances closed the school, and the convent and school building were sold shortly thereafter.

Building was planned

In 1923, under the pastorate of the Rev. Hubert Eggiman, the present frame school was erected. Miss Julia Skornis was teacher and the school was open until 1927, when under the Rev. John J. Bauer, who served from 1927 to 1942, plans were made for the building of a new brick structure, but for financial reasons these plans did not materialize.

In 1942, the Rev. Felix Sommerhouser arrived, the old convent building was re-bought and this time classes reopened with the Sisters of Notre Dame in charge, school opening in September 1942.

In 1946 another one-room building was added to care for the increasing school attendance. In 1946 a drive for funds was begun for the erection of a new modern building and plans were drawn.

In 1947, the Rev. Ferdinand Weiberg was pastor and preparations for the new building continued. The Rev. Francis L. Auer, present pastor, arrived and at the direction of the Archbishop, previous plans were changed to include a church as well as a school. Ground for this combination was broken on April 25, 1948, but due to the high prices it was decided to abandon the idea of a combination building and concentrate on the original plans for a school and at a later date build the church.

The school started in the summer of 1949 and the cornerstone will be laid and the new building blessed and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of the Immaculate Conception on Sunday.

Four rooms for teaching

The new school is semi-modern in design with little ornamentation, and is slightly streamlined with recessing of certain courses of brickwork and horizontal lines in windows and exterior doors. The general shape is rectangular, and consists of one story with basement.

On the main floor are four classrooms, rest rooms, library, office, sisters’ lavatory and a central hallway. At present one of the classrooms will be a meeting room. The basement consists of a furnace room, coal bin and kitchen, with a large serving window, in one portion and a cafeteria in another.

Manufactured stone for trim was achieved by pouring concrete into forms on the ground, then rubbing with carborundum to give the effect of cut stone and setting in place in the brickwork. The symbol of the Immaculate Conception is in stone and is located above the stone nameplate over the entrance. A stone cross stands at the extreme top of the entrance.

Brick is used

The building is fireproof throughout. Exterior walls consist of four inches of brickwork of red mingled brick, backed up with 8-inch concrete blocks, with 2-inch air space. The foundation is of reinforced poured concrete with the part above ground recessed to receive the brick work. Interior partitions are of gypsum blocks. The frame consists of steel columns and I-beams, with open web steel joists supporting reinforced floors and roof slabs.

Fiberglass was used for insulating. The heating plant is a stoker fired forced air system. The roof is flat, and covered with built-up roofing. All windows are double hung wooden frames.

Each classroom has a ventilated cloakroom, built-in book shelves and cabinets. Chalk boards are green to be restful, on the north the plastering is warm sunny color, while on the south its color offsets the excessive sun.

The first floor floors are asphalt tile of checkerboard patterns and dark borders. Classrooms, library, office and halls have fluorescent lights, while other rooms have incandescent.

Elfrink Construction Co., of Jackson was the general contractor, subcontractors being A.E. Birk & Son, plumbing and heating; Jackson Electric Co., the wiring, and R. Glenn Luetje, of Jackson, architect.

Published Monday, Dec. 12, 1949:

Archbishop Joseph E. Ritter of St. Louis is shown spreading mortar for the cornerstone, which was placed during formal ceremonies at Jackson Sunday, Dec. 11, 1949, when the new Immaculate Conception School was dedicated by the Archbishop and priests.Haupt Studio ~ Southeast Missourian archive

Formal dedication for Jackson school

Archbishop Ritter directs program

JACKSON – “One more step has been attained for development of boys and girls for higher education,” as spoken by R.O. Hawkins, superintendent of Jackson publics, Sunday afternoon at the dedication of the new Immaculate Conception School building, was the consensus of opinion of the more than 1,000 persons who attended.

Large numbers of townspeople gathered with the high clergy of the Archdiocese and the parishioners for the laying of the cornerstone and the dedication of the new school, and as Mayor J.R. Mabrey remarked on the program “this fits into the picture of Jackson, which is known as the city of beautiful homes, schools and churches.” The mayor read a poem “The Cathedral of Freedom,” in closing his brief congratulatory remarks.

Jackson was honored by the presence of the Most Rev. Joseph E. Ritter, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, who was minister of the ceremony and at the civic celebration in the school, said, “You have waited a long time for this occasion and I am sure you rejoice.”

Need religious schools

He recalled that upon becoming archbishop the late Rev. F. Sommerhouser, who had the new school erection uppermost in mind, was one of his first callers to tell him of the need of a school in Jackson. The appointment of the Rev. Francis L. Auer, present pastor, termed the “Man of the hour,” was paid a tribute by the Archbishop: “He has given evidence of his ability and you as Catholics and Americans by your sacrifices have spoken of your sincerity to your community.”

The Most Rev. Ritter recalled that through the nation’s history, “We have always had religious schools. Today as we dedicate this school building we are giving testimony of our religious freedom for as long as parishioners can build schools we know we have freedom and our liberties, and as we dedicate this building we give witness of our Americanism. Religious schools have contributed greatly to America, and freedom of education and religion are the basis of our constitution and must be preserved.”

The Rev. Rev. John O’Neill, dean of the Cape Girardeau Deanery, joined in the program, saying, “You have flung forward your banner and have attained your goal.” The Rev. James Hofflich superintendent of the parochial schools of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, after lending his congratulations spoke of the life of a child as a “piece of plastic,” to be molded, and through education, beginning at home, ordained by God, carried on through the school and the church, to make him a patriotic, upright citizen.

Children attend

Beginning in the Immaculate (Conception) Church at 2 o’clock, where the 76 boys and girls of the school were seated with superior and principal of the school, Sister Mary Raymond, and Sister Hugh Marie. The 15 minute ceremony was followed by the procession, four abreast to the new building led by a Boy Scout flag squadron – Tommy Brice, Billy Birk, Paul Biri and Ralph Self – followed by the school pupils, parishioners, Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus, directed by the Thomas A. Langan Assembly of Cape Girardeau, and visiting clergy where the ceremonies of the cornerstone, blessing and dedication of the new building took place, first at the cornerstone and later in the auditorium.

The Rev. Auer was master of ceremonies at the civic celebration and afterwards open house and social, with refreshments served. Seeing the semi-modern rectangular building so near complete, designed with little ornamentation, fireproofed throughout and so architecturally planned to fit the needs of the children, the assemblage rejoiced in the “69-year-old dream” of the parish.

Sharon Sanders is the librarian at the Southeast Missourian.