Local farming communities …
Lodi, Sycamore, Virgil and Blackberry
The names back in the mid 1800’s in some cases were different. Blackberry
Township’s largest community of
Blackberry (or
Blackberry Station as it is noted on this early plat map), destined to be called
Elburn. Our other neighbor, Maple
Park, was then called
Lodi.

Traveling to Church before the early 1850’s
Elburn area Catholics were totally dependent on missionary priests from Elgin and
Chicago OR they were forced to walk
10 miles to St.
Charles – the closest church!

1851 – the first Catholic church in Blackberry Township
1853 –
Fr. Patrick
O’Dwyer
The first Catholic church in Blackberry
Township was just off Keslinger Road on land donated by the Barney Milnamow family. The site was halfway between
Elburn (then called Blackberry) and
Maple Park (then called Lodi) and included members from both. The small wood frame church was called at various times Milnamow Chapel, Barney’s Hill, and, most often, simply the Hill Church.
The official name was St. Mary.
Construction began with Fr. William
Feely, pastor of St. Mary, Elgin, in 1851.
The church was completed in 1853 by Fr.
Patrick O’Dwyer. Only a partial cemetery survives there today as the tiny church was moved to DeKalb.
1851 –
Fr. William
Feeley

1870 - The first St. Gal Church is built.
1870 –
Fr. O'Leary,
Missionary
1872 –
Fr. McGuire
The first Catholic Church in
Elburn was located on the southeast side of town near the end of First and Swain
Streets. It was called St.
Gal (with just one “L”, taken from the ancient Gaelic spelling). The church was built of pale colored cut stone.

1875 – Church debt is cleared
1872 -
Fr. James Maloney
Lodi (Maple Park)
A bell tower and a new steel roof are added to the young church, now a mission of St. Mary in Lodi
(Maple Park). Fr. Maloney pays off the church debt of $1700 – a huge sum in those days – by establishing a Building Fund and working tirelessly to raise the needed funds through contributions.
1875 - Fr. Paul
Halbmeier

Local young man ordained
In mid 1894
– Fr.
Daniel J. Conway was ordained in the
Chicago Archdiocese and celebrated his
First Mass in Elburn.
He was the first of the sons of our parish to become a priest. The name of the parish had evidently changed by then to the current spelling – St. Gall with two “L”s.

1911 - St. Gall named an independent parish and resident pastor assigned
In 1911, just three years after Rockford Diocese was created out of the
Archdiocese of Chicago, the small St. Gall Church, by now a mission of Holy
Cross in Batavia, was assigned its first resident pastor. St. Gall was now an independent parish for the first time! Fr. Daniel
Drennan, the first pastor, had been the Assistant pastor at our parent parish of Batavia before this assignment.
1911 - Fr. Daniel
Drennan,
1st pastor / St. Gall

The 1 st rectory …
Prior to his arrival… the parish bought a home across First street from the stone church as a rectory for Fr Drennan. His mother and sister lived with him. This house is still standing in south Elburn
– it is yellow and blue.

The parish relocates to Shannon Street
This excerpt came from an unidentified newspaper clipping – August 1925:
“During the past several years plans were formulated for a modern and up to date edifice.
These plans have been perfected under the supervision of the present pastor, Fr. Robert C.
[Troy] … The new church, of Romanesque design, because of its central location at the corner of Main and Shannon Streets will add not a little to the beauty of Elburn’s main thoroughfare … Buff colored pressed brick is to be used in the construction of the church and a
Spanish belfry will top it as a fitting and pleasing ornament. This new church will be completed and furnished at a cost of $28,000.”
In today’s dollars that would be at least
$700,000
– which still seems like a bargain!

1924 – 1925 Present church constructed
1921 - Fr. Daniel
McCaffrey
In this photograph we see the very recently finished current church.
Notice the surrounding ground is still all bare dirt.
It was also under Fr. Troy’s leadership that the parish purchased the 2nd rectory – the two story white house next to the old post office.
First Mass is celebrated in new church on Christmas Eve 1925.
1924 - Fr. Robert
Troy

The original interior …
The original interior looks quite a bit different than today.
Notice the stained glass windows are already in place.

Early Depression
1929 –
Fr. Edward
O’Brien
With the impact of the financial hardships of the
Depression, the 31 remaining families (an all time low membership) could not afford to keep a resident pastor.
Fr. James Friedrich was the chaplain of the
Illinois School for Boys and St. Gall became a mission under his care. He served the needs of the parish faithfully and well for ten years, until his death in 1940. He never took a dime as pay and even paid some of the parish bills.
1929 –
Fr. James
Friedrich

Late 1920’s – the old stone church is dismantled
Elburn Forest Preserve
The stone and timber from the original St. Gal is later used in the construction of shelters at both
Johnson’s Mound and Elburn Forest Preserve
Parks. Parts of the story behind this happening are still a mystery under investigation
– including the exact date. Tillie Henderson, a 93 yr. old lifelong resident, has a distinct memory of watching the old stone church being torn down through the windows of the old elementary school on south First Street. She was between
3rd and 5th grades, placing the date as between
1927 and 1929.

Johnson’s Mound
The stone was at some later point donated to the Forest Preserve to be used in the shelter construction.
According to legend the men of St. Gall parish also donated much of the labor.

St Gall receives their longest serving pastor …
After rapid growth in the late ’30s, Fr. Leonard
Guzzardo is appointed resident pastor.
Sisters of St. Francis from Virgil begin religious instruction classes.
Fr. Guzzardo served the longest period of time as pastor … 20 years.
1940 –
Fr. Leonard Guzzardo

1952 - Rectory is built next to the church.
By 1958 the parish has
110 families on the membership roster and that number continues to climb steadily.

St Gall
Latin Mass
1960 -
Fr. Edward Fanning
He becomes new pastor, but only stays for 1 year.

Priests of our Parish …
1961 –
Fr Joseph Driscoll
He takes over as pastor. He remains until 1967 when ill health forces him to resign.
1967 –
Fr. Harold Nilges
He is appointed pastor for three years.

Construction and Changes …
1970 –
Fr. Robert Devine appointed pastor.
The new Parish hall, begun by Fr. Nilges, is completed.
By 1970 the parish has nearly doubled in size from the previous decade – reaching 202 families enrolled. At the end of this decade there were even more, 275 families.

New Parish Hall 1970

Ties to the Old church reconnected …
The stone lintel and keystone on the 1870 St. Gal Church
AND in its current place of honor on the side of the parish hall near the current entrance.

New Shepherd
1974 –
Fr. Thomas
Dempsey
He then directs renovation of facilities.

Bishop O’Neill re-dedicates the church in 1975
You can also find Fr Thomas Dempsey to the Bishop right (center).

50 th Anniversary of the Church building

1978 –
Priests of our Parish …
Fr. Walter Roberts
1986 –
Fr. Albert Rennell
He served only until 1987

A Growing Parish …
From 300 families in 1987, when Fr.
Paddock joined the parish, the
Elburn area undergoes a population and building boom.
By 2003, when he retired, the membership had mushroomed to
700 families!
1987 –
Fr. Richard Paddock

1990 – Church interior is renovated again
Paneling removed and many other changes made. During the time the scaffolding was up parishioners were peeking through the doors trying to see what it looked like. The church ended looking much as it does today.

Great outreach and
Fundraiser … Turkey Dinner

TH

Fr. Richard Paddock’s Retirement
2003
Fr. Paddock retires in 2003 after 16 years as St. Gall pastor
– the 2nd longest in our history.

2003 –

Fr. Karl’s 40 th Anniversary – 2008
He looks just the same, doesn’t he?

Photos taken during Fr. Karl’s 40 th Ordination celebration.




Rev. Daniel J.
CONWAY
Rev. Francis J.
KEENAN
Rev. Thomas G.
FLYNN
 Msgr. Leo M.
KEENAN
 Rev. Kenneth
THEISON





Rev. John MOORE,
OSM
Rev. Robert
SCHNEIDER
Rev. Howard
LEUER, OP
Rev. Richard
LEUER, OP
Rev. Randy
FRONEK
What an awesome heritage

 Sr. Mary Margaret
FARRELL
 Sr. Mary Ellen PITZ
 Sr. Madelyn GOULD
A continuing tradition …

Family centered activities enrich our parish life.

Blessing the bicycles and more …

Celebrating the sacraments together is a golden thread connecting all of our history.

What a beautiful Easter

Serving the parish and the wider community is something for which St. Gall has a well-deserved reputation for caring and going the extra mile.

Not least of which is our 128 year history of St. Patrick’s Day Turkey Dinners.

From yesterday …
To today …
To tomorrow …

Our FAITH, FAMILIES, SACRAMENTS, and SERVICE all combine to create our SOLID GROUND.