History
Nativity of Our Lord
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Nativity of Our Lord Parish was formed on July 1, 2013 with the merger of Immaculate Conception, Sts. Peter and Paul, and St. Anthony parishes.
The rays of light and the Halo around the head of the Christ Child as he lays in the manger. The cross behind the manger as a prophecy of the future.
The three crowns symbolic of the Three Wise Men that came to honor the child.
Symbolized by the crown, cross and palms. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to me on that day and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
The rays of light and the Halo around the head of the Christ Child as he lays in the manger. The cross behind the manger as a prophecy of the future.
St Mary
​A history of Bureau County, published over a century ago, tells us that the first Christian services held in Bureau County were in 1673 when Father Marquette, a missionary priest, landed on the shore of Lake DePue, erected a cross, and said mass.
In the early 1900’s, visiting priests from LaSalle, Peru, and Spring Valley, served approximately seventy-five Catholic families of DePue. Services were held in Fowler Hall which was located on Third Street across from the old bank building.
The Catholic population of DePue in 1908 was predominantly Polish and the parish was known as St. Mary’s of Czestochowa, when it was organized. Read More...
St Mary Church
St Mary Church
Brief Histories of Parishes Which Formed Our Community
Immaculate Conception
Father John Power, who was then pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Peru, Illinois, established Immaculate Conception Parish in Spring Valley. His first mass in Spring Valley was said in 1884 on the second floor of the building at the corner of St. Paul and Greenwood Street. Later masses were said in the Spring Valley Coal Company office on the northeast corner of St. Paul and Spalding Street.
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In 1885, the first church of the Immaculate Conception was built and dedicated by Bishop Spalding. It was a wooden structure costing $6,000. The day was wet and to make things as pleasant as possible for the Bishop and visitors who arrived by way of the Rock Island Rail, scores of men turned out. And under the direction of Mr. Devlin built an entire plank walk from the depot to the church in two hours. Read More...
Sts. Peter & Paul
Sts. Peter and Paul’s Parish in Spring Valley, Illinois was organized officially on September 30, 1891, for the Polish and Lithuanian Catholics of the area, who had attended the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church up to this time.
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The cornerstone of the neat frame building located one-half block north of the present edifice was laid November 15, 1891. Father Likorski was the first pastor and on August 14, 1892, the structure was dedicated. Eventually the Lithuanians built their own church in 1897. Read More...
St. Anthony
St. Anthony's story unveils a few years after the turn of the century when an Italian priest, the Rev. Eugene Raschiotti of Torino, Italy, came to Spring Valley to care for the spiritual well-being of his fellow Northern Italians both in Spring Valley and in the neighboring village of Dalzell, Ill.
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With no church building of their own, the parishioners attended services conducted by Fr. Raschiotti in the hall of the old Immaculate Conception School Building from 1904 - 1906. Fr. Raschiotti officiated at the first recorded parish baptism on December 13, 1904. Read More...
St. Anne
St. Anne’s Church, located on the corner of Spalding and Fourth Street, in Spring Valley, is one of the historic landmarks of the city. The half century of its existence is a golden record of sacrifices, labors, and loyalty of the Lithuanian – speaking Catholics.
It was about 1885-1890 that the Lithuanian people began to settle in Spring Valley and the surrounding town. The newly opened mines attracted these immigrants who were simple honest folk not afraid of hard work, in order to make a decent living. Read More...
St. Benedict (Ladd)
We are seeking information and pictures. If you have any information please contact the Parish Office.
St. Gertrude (Seatonville)
We are seeking information and pictures. If you have any information please contact the Parish Office.