About St Lawrence Church
Founding the Church Parish
Immigrants from the Chodsko region of the province of Bohemia, in the Czech Republic, founded the Church of St. Lawrence in 1864. The first Church was made of logs with a cedar shingle roof. This church was built on the spot where several Bohemian workers were miraculously spared from harm even though a large tree was accidentally dropped on them by road workers. This miracle convinced the local inhabitants to build a church on this spot so all would remember the blessings of God.
The old log church has been replaced with the current Church building which was started in 1892 and completed in 1894. The parish rectory was completed in 1905. These Bohemian settlers were low-income farm workers. However, they felt the need to have a magnificent Church to celebrate their Catholic faith. The Church was built for $15,000, an enormous sum in the 1890’s.
Saint Lawrence
The veneration of St Lawrence was common in the Bohemian culture since the battle of Augsburg which occurred on August 10, 955 (the Feast Day of St. Lawrence) when many young men died fighting the German forces of Otto 1. The Bohemians have commemorated that special day ever since. For further veneration, Prince Vratislaus in the 13th century brought several relics of St. Lawrence to Bohemia. The Chodsko region of Bohemia (the highland region around Domazlice) was the home of the Stangelville immigrants. Many had worshiped at the St. Lawrence Church in Mrakov, Czech Republic. It was only natural that these immigrants would build a Church in the name of St. Lawrence in their new homeland.
St. Lawrence Rectory built in 1905
Saint Lawrence Cemetery
