The Catholic congregation in Marshalltown, Iowa, was founded in 1869 to serve the community’s Irish immigrant families. The current Romanesque style building, known as St. Mary’s Church, was constructed in 1890 by architect and master carpenter L.J. Carter, with materials obtained through Marshalltown’s advantageous proximity to the railroad. The church has served and welcomed the Marshalltown immigrant community through the passing decades, including people immigrating to Iowa from Germany, Mexico, North Africa, Central America, Haiti and Cuba. In 2018, St. Mary’s Church unified with Immaculate Conception Oratory in Haverhill to become officially known as St. Francis of Assisi Parish.

St. Francis of Assisi Parish continues to serve its community with educational programs and resource sharing. The congregation offers space for a free immigration attorney, Know Your Rights seminars for undocumented immigrants, and financial literacy classes in Spanish. The church serves as an emergency overnight shelter for unhoused individuals, while the Social Justice Committee and Good Samaritan Fund connect anyone who walks into their offices to helpful organizations and financial assistance. Originally implemented to assist with immigration needs, the Good Samaritan Fund expanded in response to the EF3 tornado in 2018 and a derecho in 2020 and is still operated to adaptively serve the shifting needs of the community.

​ A National Fund grant of $240,000 with equal matching funds raised by the congregation will allow St. Francis of Assisi Parish to restore the plaster and repaint the sanctuary walls of St. Mary’s Church, now that exterior envelope repairs have been completed.

Photo by Fr. Alan Dietzenbach