Address:
PO Box 86
506 Elm Street
Hospers, IA  51238
Parish Secretary: Mary Auchstetter
Phone: 712-752-8784
e-mail: [email protected]  
Office Hours: 
Mon, Wed, Fri. 9am to 1:30pm
 

St. Anthony’s Parish began with the arrival of 17 men of Luxembourg & German descent in the spring of 1870. The first Mass in Hospers was in 1875 by Fr. Lenihan of Sioux City three miles south of Hospers on the Matt Harens farm. In 1875 about 12 families built St Anthony’s first church dwelling at a cost of $500, it was the first Catholic Church, and the second Church in Sioux County.
In 1877 the little church was enlarged in which Fr. Meis said Mass on weekdays. People from Alton and Granville came to worship. The Sunday requirement was met by driving an ox drawn cart to LeMars for Sunday Mass. Some walked to Le Mars on Saturday for Sunday Mass then walked back on Sunday. From 1883-1884, Fr. Frey from Alton St. Mary’s served Hospers parish as a mission, followed by Fr. Luehrsman from1884 -1888.
The second church for St. Anthony’s was built under the direction of Fr. Luehrsman, the rector of Alton, in 1888 at a cost of $3200. It was the largest Church in the county at the time. St. Anthony’s received their own pastor Rev. P. Corbett later that year. In March of 1889, Fr. Corbet was transferred leaving St Anthony’s a mission to be served by Fr. Lynch of Sheldon. This church was enlarged and redecorated and dedicated by Bishop Garrigan in 1903. At the same time, 35 children were confirmed.
In 1889, the parish started Catholic instruction for grades 1-5 in the church, with Sisters quarters in the back, then in the same year, in the newly completed two story wooden school (36x36). Later, grades 6-8 were added. The parish paid for the running of the school and so it was free to all parish children. The Franciscan Sisters of Milwaukee taught at the school in 1889. In 1892 a house was built for the Sisters since the school became too small. The three Sisters taught about 40 students with no grades at first. German was spoken in the morning and after lunch all spoke English. It was encouraged that they continue speaking English at home. The school was a boarding school from 1894 -1934.
In 1908, St. Anthony’s had 75 families and was debt free.
In February 1938, a parish meeting was held in the Church after Mass to discuss the construction of a new Church building with the possibility of using the lumber from the old church to build a new school. In 1938, the 76 families of St. Anthony’s built the present permanent brick Roman style church, seating 400. The cost was $45,000 and was paid in full upon completion, one of the few in the state built with no debt.
The first rectory was built in 1888 and was replaced with a brick rectory in 1957. The church recently renovated the basement and west entrance to include a foyer and elevator access for handicapped accessibility.







In the spring of 1939, the new two story brick school was built (53x57) at a cost of $25,000. The memorial stone above the door is in remembrance of shoemaker Peter Marx, who willed his $10,000 estate to St. Anthony’s school as he had no relatives.
To build the church and school in one year’s time the parishioners donated 10,360 hours of labor to assist in the building process and help keep cost contained.


In the mid 1940’s, St. Anthony’s school consisted of eight grades. Grades 1, 2 and 3 were in the east main floor classroom with one Sister teaching them. The Sister assigned two grades per subject to work on while she was instructing the other class at that same time. Grades 4, 5 and 6 were in the west main floor classroom with one Sister balancing her time between three grades. Grades 7 and 8 were upstairs in the east classroom with one Sister dividing her time between those two grades. The west classroom was used for pullout extra help. This classroom was also used for rainy or cold weather recess with board games to play and also ping pong by putting two tables together. The Sisters sleeping quarters were in the very small rooms in the upstairs east hallway. The larger rooms to the west upstairs were for Mother Superior and presumably the other was a guest room. The students never went near these rooms. On the main floor the Sisters had their living room in the South East room (recently the computer room). Spalding’s office was the Sisters’ kitchen/ dining room. Students were never allowed to see these areas. Past students remember bringing baked bread and produce to the Sisters through the South door, but never stepped in to the Sisters’ quarters. The chapel was housed in the basement of the school and the students had daily Mass there.
In 1962, St. Anthony’s Parish joined St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s Parishes in forming of Spalding Catholic High School. In 1969, St. Anthony’s grade school consolidated with St. Mary’s grade school of Alton. In 1979, the grade schools of St. Anthony’s, St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s all joined to become Spalding Catholic.
The Franciscans withdrew from teaching in the school in 1984.