Our Parish
The parish of Our Lady of the Presentation was founded on Nov. 1, 1915.
The first parochial Mass was offered in a cottage on Birdie Ave. The first
permanent brick church consisted of a chapel and two rooms in the rear
which served as living quarters for Father John Tracy. Father Tracy’s motto
was “Hope and Courage”. Christmas morning 1916, Holy Mass was offered
for the first time in the new church. In 1920 a new frame church was built
and the old church was converted into a school building. There were 29
families affiliated with the parish and on Sept. 5, 1921 forty five children
began their studies in the school. In 1925 a new one story combination
church and school was erected with the school on the first floor and the
church on the ground level. The original church was remodeled into a
convent for the Sisters.
In 1943 the parish properties consisted of a combination brick church
and 6 room school building, the brick convent, a frame hall, four frame
portable school rooms, a rectory and bungalow and the parish was free of
debt. March 23, 1943 Rev. John J. Fisher was appointed the third pastor.
Six new rooms were built in the school and was dedicated on July 1, 1945
with 13 Classrooms, Cafeteria and First Aid room.
October 17, 1948 the new church and rectory was solemnly blessed. With
the dedication on the new church Fr. Fisher changed the parish motto to
“Faith and Thanksgiving”.
In 1963 the Sisters’ new convent was completed.
The school closed in 2009, with the school children attending Holy Spirit. The church and rectory are modernized Romanesque in design. The seating capacity is about eight hundred.