"Our Lady of Lourdes Church"
Dobie, (barron county) Wisconsin

HISTORY

• The great migration of the 1800s fueled the movement of immigrants from many nations to the new world and intowhat is known as the Dobie area, where a strong Catholic community became rooted. This parish is the result of their strong desire to have a place of worship.

• The first two immigrant groups were French (from Quebec) and Irish (from eastern Ontario). The French settled south and the Irish settled north of the Church. While culture, language, and background could have divided them (and sometimes did), they shared the hardships of settling new land. A love and reverence of the common Catholic faith kept them in an enduring community. Later they were joined by German, Swiss and Czech immigrants.

• Our Lady of Lourdes is the site of the first Roman Catholic Church in Barron County. The first Mass was celebrated in George Roberge's cabin by Fr. Nacli in 1869. That same year Fr. George Keller, a missionary, marked out the location of the first church, a 40' x 70' log building located just north and east of this church.

• Fr. Joseph Dolé became the first pastor (1876) and built the altars in the first church. During his pastorate, the first rectory was built (1878), $851.72 land across the road purchased for a school and a convent (1879), which were built in 1889-81. The school opened September 28, 1881, staffed by School Sisters of Notre Dame until 1968. The school had non-Catholic students and some of them boarded with the sisters. The school closed in the spring of 1970. In 1883 the congregation was incorporated under the name The Roman Catholic Congregation of St. Mary of Lourdes, Stanfold. The nam