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St. Dennis Catholic Church
Established 1846“The history of St Dennis is entwined with the history of the canal, the immigrants who built it, and the growth of the city of Lockport. St Dennis represents the struggles, the ambitions, and the sacrifices of the parishioners.”
Parishes on the Prairie Dr. Eileen McMahon
In a quiet corner of a young midwestern town, St. Dennis Church was built on a foundation of faith. Through a timeline that spans 178 years, there are multiple historical accounts with some conflicting details, but a general history starts to unfold, and the historical characters come into focus.
Our church began as a mission church, like so many of the day, in the first decades of the 19th century. The original mission, housed in a small wooden building, was located north of Lockport, near what is now Lemont, in an area known as Haytown/Emmetsburg. The mission served the Irish/Irish American population, many of whom were busy building what was to be the Illinois and Michigan Canal.
Fr. Dennis Ryan was born in Ireland and sailed to America on an English ship during the War of 1812. He became the first priest ordained in the Diocese of Boston on May 30, 1817. After his ordination, Fr. Ryan served in Maine for almost 30 years, establishing churches and serving those parish residents.
In time, Fr. Ryan traveled to Lockport on vacation with his niece, Mary Ryan; at that time, Lockport was
considered the far west. Here, he discovered a group of hardworking Irish immigrants building the canal, and others who were drawn to the fertile farmlands of this region.
Fr. Ryan was convinced to leave his ministry in the east and establish a church here among his new friends. He returned to Boston, secured his release from that diocese, and returned to Lockport with his brother Lott and Lott’s family. Upon his arrival, Fr. Ryan began a new adventure as the pastor of St. Dennis Church.
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