About St. Mary · Galena, Illinois
St. Mary Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic parish located at 406 Franklin Street in Galena, Illinois, within the Diocese of Rockford. Founded in 1850 to serve the German Catholic community of this once-booming Mississippi River lead-mining town, the parish is celebrated for its 1860s brick church designed by the celebrated missionary-architect Father Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, O.P. Today St. Mary is paired with its sister parish, St. Michael (est. 1832), the oldest parish in the Diocese of Rockford, and is served by a parochial administrator from the Miles Jesu (MF) community along with a permanent deacon. The parish continues to celebrate Mass in its landmark church in the heart of the old German-Catholic Vinegar Hill / Franklin Street neighborhood.
- Established
- 1850
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (specifically honored under the title Our Lady of the Assumption — a large painting of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was commissioned for the high altar in the 1870s)
- Rector
- Rev. Robert Chinnapan, MF — Parochial Administrator (a priest of the Miles Jesu community, serving both St. Mary and neighboring St. Michael Parish)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rockford (the parish sits in the Freeport Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Mary is one of the oldest German-heritage Catholic parishes in the Upper Mississippi lead-mining region, founded in 1850 to care for immigrant families in Galena's Franklin Street / Vinegar Hill neighborhood. A parishioner joins a living community that still worships in the historic brick church designed by the celebrated missionary-architect Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, O.P., with its 1870s steeple and Swiss-painted Assumption altarpiece — and that continues the parish's 160-year tradition of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Catholic education, and care for neighbors across the rolling Jo Daviess County countryside.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. (at St. Mary, Galena)
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
History of St. Mary Parish
St. Mary was formally organized in October 1850 by Bishop James Van De Velde, S.J., and Father Rodericus Heimerling for the German Catholic community of Galena, then the second-busiest city in Illinois during the lead-mining boom. The parish grew quickly: it acquired a former Baptist wood-frame church that St. Michael had used as a school, then in 1851 bought a lot at Franklin and High Streets — the heart of the German-Catholic neighborhood — and built the present brick church, designed by Father Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, O.P., with construction substantially completed in 1862 even as the Civil War raged. The long pastorate of Father William Bally (1862–1914) saw the building of St. Mary's School, the arrival of the School Sisters of Notre Dame from Milwaukee in 1866, the acquisition of the parish cemetery on the south side of town, and — thanks to a bequest from the eccentric parishioner Leopold de Massuir — the construction of the present steeple (1875–76), rectory (1876), and high altar with its Swiss-painted Assumption of the Virgin Mary (1878). Father John Nilles, who succeeded him, served another 26 years, enlarging the cemetery, rebuilding the rectory, raising the church floor 2½ feet and redecorating the interior.
- Parish formally organized October 1850 by Bishop Van De Velde and Father Heimerling for the German Catholic community.
- Brick church designed by Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, O.P.; construction substantially completed 1862.
- Steeple and rectory built 1875–76 from the estate of Leopold de Massuir.
- High altar and Assumption of the Virgin Mary painting (by Swiss artist D. Annen, $600 in gold) completed 1878.
- Father William Bally served 52 years (1862–1914); Father John Nilles served 26 more.
- St. Mary's School opened 1864–65; expanded 1917; closed 1974.
The Mazzuchelli Church: Architecture & Furnishings
The present St. Mary church is a brick structure of roughly 40 by 80 feet, designed in a style that combines Italian Renaissance and Romanesque influences by Father Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, O.P., the Italian-born Dominican missionary who was also an educator and self-taught architect. The elegant front steeple was added in 1875–76 and is the church's most recognizable feature. The high altar — installed in 1878 — is dominated by a large painting of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary commissioned by the parishioner Leopold de Massuir and painted in Switzerland by the artist D. Annen. A marble altar that Mazzuchelli himself donated at a cost of $140 was later reused as a side altar. The roof uses cast-iron straps and rods in a truss system typical of mid-19th-century Galena construction.
- Architect: Father Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, O.P.
- Style: Italian Renaissance with Romanesque influences.
- Steeple added 1875–76, funded from the Massuir estate.
- Assumption altarpiece painted in Switzerland by D. Annen, $600 in gold, 1878.
- Marble altar donated by Mazzuchelli ($140).
Cemetery
Father William Bally spearheaded the acquisition of eight acres for a Catholic cemetery on the south side of Galena during his long pastorate. Under his successor Father John Nilles the cemetery was enlarged and beautified at a cost of $9,000 and remains the resting place of generations of Galena's German-Catholic families.
- Eight-acre parish cemetery on the south side of Galena, acquired under Father Bally.
- Enlarged and beautified under Father John Nilles ($9,000).
St. Mary's School (1864–1974)
St. Mary's School opened in 1864–65 on the hill behind the church at Hill and Elk Streets and was a central part of parish life for more than a century. Father William Bally made the school a priority as soon as the church was finished; in 1866 he brought the School Sisters of Notre Dame from Milwaukee to take over teaching, and under their care enrollment reached 220 students by the 1869 school year. The Franciscan Sisters had charge from 1903 to 1909, and a major addition was added to the building in 1917 under Father John Nilles. The school closed in 1974; the building, an integral part of Galena's mid-19th-century historic landscape, was placed on Landmarks Illinois' 2019 list of Most Endangered Historic Places because of years of neglect and deterioration.
- Opened 1864–65; expanded 1917; closed 1974.
- School Sisters of Notre Dame (Milwaukee) taught from 1866, with the Franciscan Sisters in charge 1903–1909.
- Listed on Landmarks Illinois' 2019 'Most Endangered Historic Places.'
Clergy & Staff
St. Mary is paired with neighboring St. Michael Parish under a single parochial administrator, with the assistance of a permanent deacon. The parish office is at 231 S. Bench Street, Galena, and the mailing address is 227 S. Bench Street, Galena, IL 61036.
- Rev. Robert Chinnapan, MF — Parochial Administrator (Miles Jesu).
- Deacon Jay Achino.
Visit & Contact
St. Mary is located at 406 Franklin Street in the historic Vinegar Hill / Franklin Street neighborhood of Galena. The parish shares its phone line, email and website with neighboring St. Michael Parish under the CatholicGalena.com umbrella.
- Address: 406 Franklin Street, Galena, IL 61036.
- Phone: (815) 777-2053.
- Email: [email protected].
- Website: http://www.CatholicGalena.com.
- Parish office: 231 S. Bench Street, Galena, IL 61036.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Rodericus Heimerling1850–1856
First pastor; named pastor immediately when the parish was organized in October 1850 by Bishop James Van De Velde, S.J., for the German Catholic community.
- Rev. Bernard Herderer1856–1861
Second pastor; ministered widely across Hazel Green, Pilot Knob, and the townships of Rush, Elizabeth, Hanover, Guilford, Plum River, Vinegar Hill and Spruce Creek.
- Rev. Peter Fischer1861–1862
Oversaw construction of the present brick church designed by Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, O.P.
- Rev. William Bally1862–1914
Served 52 years; longest tenure in parish history. Built St. Mary's School (1864–65), brought the School Sisters of Notre Dame from Milwaukee in 1866, acquired the parish cemetery on the south side of town, and oversaw the construction of the steeple and rectory (1875–76) from the estate of Leopold de Massuir.
- Rev. John Nilles1914–1940
Served 26 years. Enlarged and beautified the cemetery ($9,000), rebuilt the rectory ($20,000), raised the church floor 2.5 feet, extended the sanctuary as a gallery for the children, and redecorated the interior; oversaw a major 1917 addition to the school.