St. Mary’s, Rock Island, will have blessing to celebrate 175 years
Father Witold Adamczyk, OFM Conventual, pastor of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church in Rock Island, will lead a blessing and unveiling of the new QC PastPort historical interactive sign recognizing St. Mary’s Catholic Church as the first Catholic church in Rock Island County and marking the beginning of their celebrations of its 175th anniversary in 2026, according to a news release.
The blessing ceremony will take place immediately after 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, April 28, outside the entrance to the church.
The historical sign and accompanying mobile app features the early history of St. Mary’s Church including pictures, an imagined audio conversation between the first pastor, Father John George Alleman, and one of the parish’s original benefactors, Antoine LeClaire, as well as two musical performances on St. Mary’s pipe organ, played by church organist Christopher Versluis.
The Development Association of Rock Island provided a majority of the funding though a place-making grant. St. Mary’s remains the oldest Catholic Church in Rock Island County. It is considered the cradle of Catholicism in western Illinois and eastern Iowa due to Father Alleman’s missionary travels throughout the region and his establishment of many Catholic missions.
This interactive sign is one of many historical destinations that are part of a unique way-finding system developed by QC PastPort, which includes narratives of the past through self-guided, physical, and digital tours throughout the Quad Cities. Lifelong parishioner Christopher Versluis also assisted in the compilation of the historical narrative for the app and shared his thoughts.
“As a teacher and student of history, I’m in awe thinking about how truly amazing it is to marry the 173-year history of this great parish and its people with the new technology of the app – bringing the old and new together,” he said. “This place of worship has served as a ‘home away from home’ for generations of parishioners. I have found it an honor to have been part of this process so that more people can get to know the history behind this great parish and its dedicated parishioners as we embark on our 175th Anniversary in 2026.”
The blessing ceremony will be simple and short. The public is welcome.
St. Mary’s was founded in 1851 by the Rev. George Alleman.
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