SAINT PATRICK’S PARISH

KEMMERER / DIAMONDVILLE, WYOMING

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF FAITH

1900-2000

[1] The parish of Saint Patrick’s in Kemmerer officially began in 1900. But the history of the Catholic Church in southwest Wyoming began before Wyoming was even a territory. The first Mass was celebrated in Wyoming by Father Peter DeSmet, a Jesuit missionary, on July 5, 1840. This Mass was celebrated near present day Daniel, which was a part of the Kemmerer parish until the 1950s.

Following Father DeSmet’s first visit there doesn’t appear from written records to have been much activity concerning the church. It seems likely, though, that other missionaries periodically passed through the Wyoming territory and administered to the needs of the mountain men and Indians who sometimes held rendezvous on the Ham’s Fork River. The river was named for Zachariah Ham in 1824 indicating that there were mountain men in the area at that time.

It was not until the 1840s, when the Sublette cutoff of the Oregon Train was founded, that settlers began to come through the Kemmerer area. The Sublette cutoff crossed the Ham’s Fork River about 12 miles north of Kemmerer. Pioneers began passing through as the lure of gold had many rushing to settle in the fertile valleys of Oregon and California and some 3,000 wagons passed through the Ham’s Fork Valley in June of 1849. However, it was not until 1876 that the first emigrant family would settle on the Ham’s Fork.

It was not gold, but coal, that brought the larger settlements into being along the River. The discovery of coal in the area, along with the coming of the railroad, began to bring settlers into the area to live in larger numbers.

The first coal production began in 1868 near what is now Diamondville. The Union Pacific Railroad was already serving Evanston when Wyoming became a Territory a year later. Within the next twenty years, the Oregon Short Line would be established from Granger to Idaho, running through what later became the towns of Opal, Diamondville, Kemmerer, and Cokeville.

Wyoming didn’t become a state until 1890. By the 1890s the towns of Opal, Ham’s Fork, Fossil, Twin Creek and Adavill were all in existence. Diamondville was settled [2] by the Diamond Coke and Coal Company in 1894. It was in 1897 that Patrick Quealy decided to establish a new mining camp with financial backing from Mahlon S. Kemmerer of New York. Kemmerer was a pioneer Pennsylvania coal man and financier. The Kemmerer Coal Company became the backbone for the town that bears its’ name, as well as for the towns of Diamondville and Frontier, which still exist today. The town of Kemmerer was incorporated in 1898 and when Lincoln County was established in 1912 Kemmerer became the county seat.

During the town’s early years the Kemmerer church was a mission of the Evanston church. The first Mass actually held in Kemmerer was celebrated by Father Peter Casey in 1898 at Keenan’s Opera House. He covered Kemmerer as a mission from Evanston for about two years and occasionally held services in a boarding house in Frontier where a coalmine opened in 1890.

In 1899 the Kemmerer Coal Company donated land that would become the site for the first Catholic Church in Kemmerer. Father Casey oversaw the building of this new church. It was made of stone and still stands in Kemmerer today on the corner of Sapphire and Sage. The cost of the building was $7,500 and half was raised by the parishioners and half was borrowed.

The church building was completed and dedicated in 1900 with the first baptism being performed there in May of 1900. Getting a priest to pastor the church did not come easily. The first five years of Saint Patrick’s existence saw seven different pastors come and go; and in between these resident priests, Kemmerer was still being served by Evanston. The first resident priest of the Kemmerer parish was Father M. Golden in 1901. He was quickly succeeded by Fathers Blanik for about three months and Father Woldene for about six months. Father Duchesneau was pastor from 1903 to 1904 and he was succeeded by Father M.A. Kennedy until 1905, during which time a large amount of debt of the church was paid off. His successor was Rev. T.J. Barrett from 1905-1906. He was the pastor of Evanston, but attended Kemmerer as a mission.

During this time several mines were opened in the Kemmerer area and a large number of Catholic families of Slavonic nationality came to work them.

Kemmerer was growing. In 1902 James Cash Penney purchased the property on the Triangle which became the mother-store of J.C. Penney Company.

[3] The Reverend George Lavallee finally became the parish priest in 1906 and remained for four years. Father Lavallee not only attended the Kemmerer, Diamondville, and Frontier parishioners, but also those of four nearby coal camps: Sublet, Elkol, Glencoe and Cumberland. As the population of Cumberland rose to a total of 2,300 by 1906, the Immaculate Conception Church was erected halfway between the two Cumberland settlements at a cost of $1,400. The Catholic Church was the only church in the settlement, although a number of persons of other religions worked in those mines.

During Father Lavallee’s stay in Kemmerer, St. Patrick’s rectory was built next to the church at a cost of about $4,000. The rectory still stands and is being used as a private home.

The Reverend James A. Duffy succeeded Father Lavallee as pastor in 1910 and stayed until the Reverend T.D. Lynch came in 1911. Father Lynch would serve as pastor for eight years and it was a time when many improvements were made to Saint Patrick’s. A bell was installed in the church tower and the church debt was erased, largely through the generosity of Joseph Kinney. Father Lynch erected a mission church at the Town of Sublet in 1912. It was named the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin.

In 1912 Father Lynch secured the donation of five acres of land from the City of Kemmerer for Saint Patrick’s cemetery which is still in use today. He also erected a mission church at Sublet, the Assumption of Blessed Virgin.

In 1919, Saint Dominic’s Church was built in Cokeville under Father Lynch’s direction at a cost of $4,000. Saint Dominic is still a mission of the Kemmerer church today.

[4] Saint Patrick’s Altar Society, then as now, enabled Father Lynch and other pastors to make many of these church improvements through its fund-raising activities.

The growth of the parish during Father Lynch’s tenure is demonstrated in the number of confirmations. In 1912, Bishop McGovern confirmed 32 persons; in 1916 the number was 56, and in 1920 the number had grown to 103.

In December 1919, Father Lynch was replaced by the Reverend Gerard Schellinger for his first tour of duty with the parish. During his tenure, a choir loft was built and new windows were installed in the church. The members of the Altar Society held a bazaar which netted $900 and enabled Father Schellinger to pay off the total church debt in August 1920.

In January 1921, Father Schellinger was transferred to Rawlins and his replacement in Kemmerer was Father William J. Short. Father Short made improvements to the Cumberland Church and the Union Pacific Coal Company had the outside of that church painted. The total debt of Saint Dominic’s Church in Cokeville was repaid to Dominic Etcheverry, who had assumed that debt for the new church.

The Kemmerer Council #2337 of the Knights of Columbus received its charter on December 4, 1921. Among the chapter members were: Bert Corollo, Joseph Dona, D.D. Essman, Joe Evans, Jr., Dominic Etcheverry, Fernard [sic] Fagnant, John Fitzpatrick, Patrick George, Thomas Hall, Joseph Motoh, James McNamara, Joseph Piz, P.J. Quealy, John Rizzi, John Sloan, and John Whiston.

In February 1923, Father Short was transferred to Riverton. He was succeeded by Rev. P.P. Szymanski.

August 14, 1923 dawned like any other day for #1 Mine, but within hours an explosion was to cause the area’s greatest mine disaster taking 99 lives, devastating families, and leaving a pall of mourning over the whole community. When most of the bodies had been removed and identified, a mass public funeral was held in Triangle Park. Father Szymanski offered prayers, along with the pastor of the Methodist Church and the president of the Wyoming Federation of Labor.

[5] Father Szymanski was pastor for little over a year and in 1924 Father Short returned to the parish for his second time as pastor. He stayed until 1933.

One of his first duties was to comfort the bereaved of another mine explosion. Just 13 months after the Frontier explosion, the #5 mine was the scene of a similar horror. Because it was an “idle” day only 51 miners were underground, instead of the usual 200, when the explosion occurred. Of these, 12 were rescued and the other 39 perished. The scene at the mine was a repetition of that of a year earlier with families waiting for news, throngs of rescue workers preparing to enter the mine and the women of the camp caring for stricken families and providing coffee and sandwiches for the workers.

In 1924 the women of Saint Patrick’s (then the Altar and Rosary Society) held the first Jiggs Dinner. Named for the comic strip characters, Maggie and Jiggs, the dinner consisted of corned beef, ham, cabbage, potatoes and all the trimmings including apple pie. The Jiggs dinner is still held each year on the Sunday nearest to Saint Patrick’s Day. It is a major fund-raiser for the parish and 2000 marked the 77th annual dinner.

In the spring of 1927 many improvements were made in St. Patrick’s Cemetery. New galvanized iron water pipes were laid to replace the leaking wooden pipes and a building for equipment was erected and the grounds were planted with trees and shrubs. A caretaker was in charge of the cemetery during the summer months. In 1970 the section of the South Lincoln County Cemetery known as “St. Patrick’s Cemetery” was incorporated into the Cemetery District and the city took over all the maintenance work in the cemetery, relieving the parish of quite a financial burden.

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In 1929 Patrick J. Quealy donated $1,000 toward the purchase of two lots across the street from the church. That same year Michael Maley of Sublet, a veteran of the Indian wars, died and left his entire estate to Saint Patrick’s Church—$1,700.00. A beautiful chalice was presented to the church in his memory.

In the spring of 1930 the Cumberland mines closed and most of the people moved to Rock Springs and Superior. The mission church, Immaculate Conception, was closed and the building sold to Lincoln Planing Mill and Lumber Company. The $100 received from the sale was donated to St. Joseph’s orphanage at Torrington.

[6] Father Short was succeeded by the Reverend John McDevitt in 1933. Father McDevitt also tended the mission church at Cokeville regularly and in 1934, with the help of the Extension Society, he erected Saint Ann’s Church in Big Piney. Up until that time Mass was held in a private home in Big Piney. He was only here until 1935. Father Jerome H. Denk followed him for a couple months and then the Reverent A.C. Riester succeeded him on a temporary basis until Father Gerard Schellinger returned to Kemmerer for his second pastorate. In the fall of 1935 the Reverend Paul Hellrung came as an assistant pastor and from that time until the 1970s the parish was seldom without an assistant pastor. Some of the assistants after Father Hellrung were the Reverend Walter Nicholson, the Reverend John Sullivan and the Reverend Joseph Aubuchon. Many of today’s pastors in the Diocese of Cheyenne received their training at St. Patrick’s in Kemmerer as assistants.

St. Dominic’s in Cokeville, St. Ann’s in Big Piney, Our Lady of the Tetons in Jackson, and the Chapel of the Sacred Heart at Moran were all missions of St. Patrick’s at Kemmerer at that time, making it perhaps the largest parish in square mileage in the country—containing over 12,000 square miles.

About the time Father Schellinger came back to Kemmerer in 1935 he began making plans for a mission in Jackson Hole. A donation of $5,000 was made by the Reverend M.K. Merns of Troy, NY for the purpose of erecting a church building in Jackson with the stipulation that it be dedicated to Our Lady of the Tetons. The log building was dedicated by Father Schellinger on Labor Day, 1936. After the church was built it was discovered there were many more Catholic families in the area than any priest had realized.

The following year, again through the generosity of the Catholic Church Extension Society, a chapel was erected at Moran, 30 miles north of Jackson on the shore of Jackson Lake. The chapel was built entirely of logs with the same rustic appearance as the Jackson church.

The Big Piney Mission became a part of the new Pinedale Parish in October 1953. The Jackson Mission acquired the status of a Parish in July 1955 with Moran a Mission of Jackson. Without the Jackson area and Big Piney area as part of the Kemmerer Parish a great deal of travel was avoided for the local priests.

[7] Evidence of the church’s growth during the 1930s is reflected by the numbers of first communion and confirmations during that time. For example, in 1936 the first communion class numbered 85 and the confirmation class numbered 165.

In 1936 a Hammond electric organ was installed and the entire interior of the church was remodeled.

An interesting parishioner during Father Schellinger’s pastorate was Bill Carlisle, lone bandit and scourge of the Union Pacific. During his 20 years in the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins, Carlisle formed a strong friendship with Father Schellinger who was the prison chaplain while serving the Rawlins parish. Upon Carlisle’s release from prison in 1936 he headed for Kemmerer and St. Patrick’s rectory. Of his first morning in Kemmerer Bill Carlisle wrote:

“At early Mass in all humility, I knelt with others and silently looked at the altar, deeply appreciating this new feeling that I never possessed before, and silently I prayed that I might live in such a manner that I would never willingly, sacrifice this possession that had been given me.”

Carlisle opened a successful business in Kemmerer, was married in St. Patrick’s Church and later moved to Laramie where he owned a motel. In his book entitled “The Lone Bandit” he speaks highly of Father Schellinger.

In January 1940, the Reverend John J. O’Connor moved to Kemmerer to shepherd the flock for the next 32 years, longer than any priest our parish has ever had. He had come to Wyoming in 1920 following his ordination at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Carlow, Ireland. He had served at Laramie, Buffalo and Evanston and spent eight years as director of St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Torrington before being assigned to the Kemmerer parish. He oversaw missions at Jackson, Big Piney and Cokeville with the help of a series of assistants including Fathers Ziman, Hmelovsky (1942), McCormick (1945), James Godley (1948), Bartek (1949), Corrigan (1950), Scullion (1953), Moroney (1954), O’Neill (1954), Doudican (1955), McGovern (1955), O’Flannigan (1957), O’Sullivan (1959), Farren (1959), and Colibraro (1961). Kemmerer has not had another assistant pastor since that time.

[8] The highlight of 1945 was the celebration of Father O’Connor’s Silver Jubilee. Nineteen other priests joined the celebrant in a Solemn High Mass. Music for the Mass was written by Father Cyril Hmelovsky and sung by the parish choir. A luncheon at the Kemmerer Field Club, dinner at the Kemmerer Hotel Cafe, and a public reception in the evening topped off the special day.

In 1952 summer school for the children of the Parish was begun by Sisters Angela and Gregory of Rock Springs. In 1959 a mobile home was purchased and set up for the catechetical sisters in the lots across from the church (thereby doing away with a favorite spot for the children—a skating rink). For the next several years the Sisters of Our Lady of Victory Noll conducted catechetical classes, prepared children for First Communion and Confirmation, trained adult teachers and became a vital part of the church community.

In the years following the Second World War the economy of Lincoln County hit its lowest ebb as underground mining was phased out. However, the coal industry was revitalized in the 1960s with the coming of strip mines that were needed to supply the new Utah Power and Light Power Plant and the FMC Coke Plant.

In 1953 St. Patrick’s was the scene of the parish’s first ordination. The Reverend Charles Taylor, a native of Kemmerer and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Taylor, was ordained by Bishop Hubert Newell.

Nine years later, in 1962, Father William Gianola, a native of Frontier and son of Tony and Marguerite Gianola was also ordained in the parish church.

In 1984 another member of St. Patrick’s parish, J. Farrell Peternal, son of Nancy and Bill Peternal, was ordained in Rome for the Prelature of Opus Dei.

Other ordained priests with roots in St. Patrick’s parish include Father Eugene Hall, who grew up in Frontier, and Father Robert Head, who traveled to Kemmerer to say his first Mass in 1974 after being ordained in California.

[9] In 1960 an outdoor shrine was dedicated in Cokeville in honor of the Blessed Mother.

Father John J. O’Connor was named a domestic prelate with the title of Monsignor by Pope Paul VI in 1964.

In 1965, land was purchased in the Ranger Heights Subdivision in Diamondville as the site for a future church building.

In 1970 Monsignor O’Connor celebrated his 50th anniversary to the priesthood. For his gala occasion the ceremonies were moved to the multi-purpose room of the new Kemmerer Junior High School in order to accommodate the large crowds. His Excellency, Most Reverend Hubert M. Newell was the principal celebrant. Forty-seven priests were in attendance and Father Cyril Hmelovsky was again the music director. The program included a welcome by the Mayor of Kemmerer and an address by Bishop Newell. The occasion was indeed a tribute to a much beloved gentlemen, scholar, and spiritual leader of his flock.

[10] Two years later and after more than 32 years in the community, Bishop Newell announced the retirement of Monsignor O’Connor, resulting from new guidelines for tenure and retirement of clergy which had been adopted by the Diocese that year. Monsignor was feted by his parishioners at a picnic at the Utah Power and Light picnic grounds. A special guest that day was his brother Martin from Los Angeles. Following his retirement, Monsignor moved to California where he lived with his sister for several years before returning to Wyoming to live at St. Joseph’s Home in Torrington.

Father Charles Bartek replaced Monsignor O’Connor in 1972. He was no stranger to the community, having been assistant here in the 1950s. By this time St. Patrick’s had land purchased and a sizable amount of money set aside for a new church complex. Father Bartek immediately set about raising more money and making plans, and in 1973 a bid was accepted for the construction of a church, hall and rectory. Father Bartek’s objective was to build a complex that would be adequate for many years to come. It was to contain a church, hall, rectory and basement to the hall that would be divided into six classrooms for CCD and other parish affairs. He immediately took a census of the parish (many who were against the new plant), established a parish council and a building committee. An outline of the parish project was presented to the parishioners in February 1973. The people were given four months to digest the plan and in July a parish drive for funds was held and with the promising results of this, plus the savings already at hand, and with the prospect of reaping a good return on the sale of the old property, it was decided to go ahead with the building of the new complex in Diamondville. Ground was broken in November 1973 and the whole complex was ready for dedication in August 1974.

The new church was dedicated on August 11, 1974, by the Most Reverend Hubert M. Newell, D.D., Bishop of Cheyenne. The dedication was a joyful event followed by a banquet at the Kemmerer Junior High School. The old church building was sold and the stained glass windows taken from it can now be seen at the Fossil Country Futures Museum. The proceeds from the sale went toward the debt on the new church and by 1980 the property became debt free.

[11] In September 1975, the Star Valley area was disassociated from the Kemmerer parish and became a mission of the Jackson church.

Farther Bartek, his church building task accomplished in Kemmerer, moved on to Jackson and the Reverend Gerald F. Chleborad became pastor of Saint Patrick’s in 1978.

Father Chleborad is remembered at St. Patrick’s for his artistic ability and love of music. The church was superbly decorated during holiday seasons and colorful banners began to appear. Father Chleborad shepherded the parish through many changes brought about by Vatican II, including optional Communion in the hand and initiation of lay ministers. He continued to work on planning for the landscaping and beautification of the new church property. Before he could accomplish much he was transferred to Riverton.

In November 1978, Father Thomas Cleary arrived as pastor. Father Cleary was noted for his piety, good nature, and love of learning. Improvements to the church facilities continued to be made during his tenure. After devoting over 40 years to the Diocese of Cheyenne, Father Cleary retired to his native County, Wexford, Ireland in the summer of 1981.

During the 1970s Cokeville just about faded out o the picture as far as Catholic population was concerned. Attendance grew so small and erratic that for a while it was dropped altogether. However, the small numbers there attended Mass faithfully and Mass is again scheduled in Cokeville every other Sunday.

In 1979 the Knights of Columbus Council #2337 changed its name to Monsignor John J. O’Connor Council in honor of our long time pastor, knight and good friend of the Council.

Father Gerald Sullivan began his pastorate at Saint Patrick’s in July of 1981 and stayed with us until 1989. During his years in Kemmerer the parish saw a revitalization and spiritual renewal. He and his twin brother, Eugene, celebrated their Silver Jubilee in 1984 with celebrations held in Kemmerer, Rock Springs and Casper before the twins took off for a vacation to Ireland.

During the 1984-1986 period parishioners participated in the “Renew” Program. [12] Small groups busied themselves in liturgical and study activities which resulted in an increased sense of community which is very much alive at St. Patrick’s today. When Father Sullivan was in Kemmerer he began going to Cokeville one week and to LaBarge the next week to hold Mass at the LaBarge Community Center

While Father Sullivan was in Kemmerer a mission was held here by Father Roberts and he spoke of the apparitions in Medjugorje that had started in 1981. A parishioner organized a group tour to Medjugorje after the mission and in 1988 a group of 30 people from Kemmerer, Cokeville and Evanston went on the trip. She organized another group of about 10 people in 1990 and several other parishioners have since gone on their own.

Father Bill Espenshade replaced Father Sullivan in June of 1989 and was with us until 1993. He was instrumental in getting the statue of Mary erected in the churchyard. A sum of money had been left by a parishioner and that, along with donations from members of the congregation, provided enough to erect the statue. It is hoped that a grotto can be added in the near future.

One of the latest additions to St. Patrick’s Church is a bell tower that was completed in 1989. It houses a bell that was purchased in 1912 and was originally installed in the old stone church. The erection of the tower completed the original plans for the church that were drawn up 14 years earlier.

Father Bill started Monday night soup and videos during Advent and Lent. This became a popular activity for many and is still carried on.

[13] In the fall of 1993 Father Charles Taylor returned to our parish and his hometown. He was with us for five years. Father Taylor considered it an honor and a rare privilege to be Pastor in the place he grew up—especially having classmates and friends as parishioners. Father Taylor arrived at St. Patrick’s on September 1, 1993. During his tenure he initiated the Jesse tree, Wednesday night adoration (praying for vocations), Sunday evening Mass during the summers, and two daily Masses (morning and evening) during Lent. He made EWTN available to the parish. Father, being well read, shared his theological background with his parishioners and he is warmly remembered for giving parishioners a golden rose on Laetare Sunday (4th Sunday in Lent). Also, during Father’s stay the Monstrance and Chalice were re-plated. Father Taylor moved on to St. John the Baptist parish in Buffalo, Wyoming, on May 14, 1998.

When Father Taylor left us, Father John Murray arrived in 1998. We are not only celebrating 100 years of Saint Patrick’s in Kemmerer but Father Murray’s fortieth anniversary of ordination to the priesthood. Father has only been with us a short time, but during that time a pre-school CCD class and an ecumenical prayer group has been started. A group of parishioners formed a landscaping committee and with backing from the parish have started to plant trees around the perimeter of the parking lot and church--a beautiful improvement.

We have been blessed with the many good men who have served us in the priesthood. All have had their own special gifts to bring and we have learned much from each and every one of them.

Saint Patrick’s parish had developed a strong CYO during the 1980s and 1990s. One of the highlights of our parish occurred in 1993 when a busload of our young people and their sponsors make a trip to Denver for World Youth Day. Seeing Pope John Paul II was a real spiritual and learning experience that will never be forgotten by those who went on the trip.

During this time the Living Stations began to be preformed every Good Friday by CYO members and has become an important part of Holy Week, not only for members of our parish, but for many in the community of different faiths.

Our parish has certainly been blessed with strong leadership in this important challenge of directing our youth.

[14] We have many things to celebrate during this millennium year and for them we are thankful.