Construction of St. John's Catholic Church, Diagonal, Iowa, began in August of 1908, and completed in 1909. Father J. J. CONDON planned the construction of the church. When Father CONDON left in 1908, Father John C. WHITE supervised the completion of the project.

St. John's was served by Father Charles WATSON and Father Henri POUGET, in 1914, and Father Maurice J. CULHANE in 1922. The priests resided at the Maloy rectory and also attended to St. John's Catholic Church in Mount Ayr.

The first marriage ceremony at St. John's was the wedding of Stephen O'GRADY and Jennie CONWELL of Grand River on October 6, 1909, with Father John C. WHITE officiating. Lewis and Mary SLAVIK were married in St. John's on February 2, 1910, with Father John C. WHITE officiating.

On January 23, 1910, the first baptism was for William Eugene and Mary Catherine, twins of John M. and Nora (O'CONNOR) MULLIN. Paul Alotfius, the son of Joseph and Nora (MEAGHER) KAFKA, was baptized on January 23, 1910.

In the beginning, St. John's parish consisted of a large attendance from the Irish farm families residing north and west of Diagonal. By the fall of 1960, the congregation consisted of six families. The church doors were closed and the religious artifacts, stained glass windows, and pews were auctioned off to antique dealers on October 22, 1970. Arnold "Buck" KESSLER purchased the church building and lot. Later, John and Lawrence RYCHNOVSKY purchased the building, and Art GARRETT bought the lot.

Father Maurice J. CULHANE retired in 1971 after serving the parishes of Diagonal, Mount Ayr, and Maloy for 49 years. He passed away on October 7, 1974, and was buried at St. Mary's Cemetery, Maloy, Iowa. He was loved and adored by Protestants and Catholics alike.

SOURCE:
Diagonal Centennial History: 1888 - 1998, p. 163. 1998.

St. John's photograph courtesy of Depot Museum, Mount Ayr, Iowa

Compilation by Sharon R. Becker, April of 2010