Read St. Dennis Full History

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.

In records from those early years, the name Michael Pryor is noted often. Pryor was helpful in the
purchase of the present St. Dennis Church property. He and Lott Ryan, Fr. Ryan’s brother, had the log
cabin mission chapel moved from Haytown to the newly acquired church property. On the last Sunday
of May 1846, a small group gathered on the northeast corner of the present-day property (12th and
Washington Streets) with their new pastor, Fr. Dennis Ryan. This land appears to have been donated by
the Canal Commissioners. Later, the log cabin church building would be converted into a parochial
school. The newly founded St. Dennis Church belonged to the Diocese of Chicago, which had been
created on November 28, 1843. St. Dennis Church was one of the first churches to celebrate its
centennial in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Fr. Dennis Ryan remained at St. Dennis until his death on
August 28, 1852. He is buried at the small cemetery across from Taft School.

For the next decades, the St. Dennis community was served by a succession of Irish/Irish American
pastors: Fr. Michael O’Donnell (Sept. 1852-June 1854), Fr. Thomas Fitzgerald (Aug 1854-Aug 1855), Fr.
Michael McLaughlin (Mar 1856-July 1856), Fr. P.J. Meehan (Sept 1856), Fr. John Larkin (1857), Fr.
Michael Hurley (1857-63), Fr. William Herbert (Nov 1859-Aug 1860), Fr. John Mackin (Feb 1864- Mar
1868), and Fr. Andrew Eustace (Mar 1868-1873), Fr. William Murphy (Dec 1873-1876).
From 1846 until 1880, St. Dennis was considered the mother church for other churches and missions
along the I&M Canal, including St. James at Sag, St Patrick (Lemont), and missions at Summit, Cass,
Palos, Romeo.

Sometime around 1857, an additional lot of land next to the original on Washington St. was again
donated by the Canal Commissioners and would allow for the eventual construction of larger school
(1920-22). In June 1863, the parcel of land at the corner of 12 th and Hamilton Streets was purchased
from Michael Hurley. This would become the site of what is now the present-day church building.

Fr. Maurice Dorney became pastor in 1876, and he quickly recognized the inadequacy of old frame
church. Within a few years, he was able to initiate the construction of a new church. On October 14,
1877, the cornerstone for our church was set as construction began. The stone was pulled from the
J.A.Boyer Quarry, at the approximate location of the old Haytown settlement. Construction was
completed in 1879, for an estimated cost of $25,000 (over $748,900 today). The original entrance to the
church was located on the north side of the building, on 12th Street. St. Dennis was dedicated on the
Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 1879.

The St. Dennis steeple, recognizable from afar, has its own rich history. The church building as
completed in 1879 did not have a steeple. Fr. James McGovern, St. Dennis pastor from 1880 to 1914,
built a wood steeple with a chime clock and a statue of the Sacred Heart was placed on its pinnacle in
1887. Fr. McGovern collaborated with Italian stonemason Girolomo Baldo, and the old tower size was
reduced, and limestone brought from Joliet – a clock tower originally from the Baptist church was placed
126ft above ground level. Later, The Northern Italian Society raised funds to purchase a clock (from
Austria or Italy). The stone addition was complete by June 1898.

In August 1881, Fr. McGovern began the first parochial school in Lockport. Using the original log cabin
church, he commissioned the Sisters of Providence from St. Mary of the Woods in Indiana. Potbelly
stoves heated the classrooms and outside toilets. Sacred Heart Academy served grades 1 through 12
and began to prosper immediately. The Sisters educated both boys and girls, although they were taught
in separate classrooms. Many were trained as educators and went out as missionaries to teach in Will
County. Sometime around 1893, the academy was transformed into a grammar school for grades 1
through 8. Known as Sacred Heart School until 1957, the current St. Dennis School building was built in
the early 1920s, thanks to the generous support of the Fitzpatrick family. The Sisters of Providence
continued to teach in the school for over one hundred years.

On March 30, 1914, the St. Dennis community suffered the loss of their beloved Fr. McGovern. His
successor, Fr. Francis O’Bryan, held the community steady from 1914 until 1922.

Between 1922 and 1927, Fr. O’Donoghue was responsible for the construction of the present-day
rectory and a retaining wall around the church. This made possible the creation of a basement hall
gathering space, as well as the addition of the twin stairway in the vestibule. The opening of the
basement required the church entryway to be changed to its present-day Hamilton Street location. Fr.
O’Donoghue also enlisted the aid of the Fitzpatrick family as benefactors to build the current structure
of the school building. These changes dramatically changed the landscape of our St. Dennis campus and
surrounding future streets and housing.

From 1927 to 1931, Fr. Charles Murphy was able to dramatically reduce the parish debt and promote
parish organizations. From 1931 to 1942 Fr. Charles McClellan continued to reduce parish debt, despite
the Great Depression and his own ill health.

Fr. Michael Mugan served as pastor from 1942 until 1958, years during which he was busy with
additional campus improvements.

In March 1946, a fire that started in a basement supply room burned through the floor into the sacristy,
destroying the main altar and the south side altar. Damages were estimated at $45,000 (over $758,000
today). Around 1950, school renovations included a new addition that resulted in three classrooms and 
a basement. Later, in 1958, the old convent was torn down and a new convent built. The new convent
would later be converted to what is the present-day Early Learning Center.

A tornado ripped through Lockport in 1965, causing damage to the St. Dennis structure as the stone
steeple crashed through the roof of the church. Masses were held in the auditorium at Lockport Central
High School until repairs to the church were made. The steeple was repaired and replaced with the
current stainless-steel steeple, which still stands as a highly visible landmark and symbol of the change
and resilience in Lockport and along the canal.

For the next few years, our church was shepherded by pastors Fr. John F. Nellis (1959-1965), Fr. Edward
Hughes (Mar 1965 – June 1970), and Fr. Theodore Berst (June 1970 –Mar. 1982).
On April 17, 1977, another fire struck St. Dennis Church. The fire was contained in the vestibule, but
there was heavy smoke damage throughout the building. A fundraising effort in October 1985
supported the restoration of the church steeple, new clock and bell system, the installation of a stairway
in tower, tuckpointing, and a few additional upgrades.

For the remainder of the 20 th century, the pastorate was held by: Fr. David Stalzer (Mar-Apr 1982), Fr.
Leroy Marco (Apr.1982 – Dec. 1984), Fr. David Stalzer (pastor administrator, Dec. 1984-Mar. 1985), Fr.
Robert Maternoski (Mar 1985- 1997).

Under the direction of Fr. James Curtin, who served as pastor from 1997 until 2020, the early years of
the 2000’s also brought dramatic changes to the St. Dennis campus, which now encompassed the entire
block of land surrounded by 12th , Washington, 13th and Hamilton Streets. In December of 2000, the St.
Dennis Parish Center and church narthex were constructed and dedicated. The St. Dennis Parish Center
created parish offices, a gymnasium and a meeting space for ministries, community fellowship events,
and youth sports. Fun fact: the school children of St. Dennis signed their names and blessings on the
concrete foundation of both the narthex and parish center prior to the final flooring installation. There
are generations of blessings and prayers under your feet each time you journey our St. Dennis campus. 
A full restoration of the interior church was complete in 2012, followed by a complete renovation of the
church basement.

In 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic, St. Dennis Church celebrated 175 years of history, community,
and faith. While celebrating a history filled with resilience as strong as the stone foundation our church
is built upon, we look forward to a future that continues to bring Catholic hearts together.