St. Michael's History at 1445 N. 2nd street, Philadelphia, PA 19122 US -
Rt. Rev. Bishop Mathias Loras, journeying on steamboat from St. Louis, arrived at Dubuque on Friday, April 19, 1839, and was installed in St. Raphael's Cathedral on Sunday, April 21st; and on the following Sunday, April 28. 1839, held public services in St. Michael's Church, Galena, Illinois over which region he had been appointed as Vicar General of St. Louis. … Thus 1846 found us with an academy for boys at Dubuque, conducted by priests of the cathedral.Mother Frances Clarke had in her community thirteen sisters and seven novices, an academy with seventy young ladies, and several schools. The activity of the Bishop and his priests continued; but our study comes to a close with the Territorial days of Iowa in 1846, at which time we find the Bishop with the same vast territory in good bodily and mental vigor, aided by Rev. John G. Alleman at Fort Madison; Very Rev. Joseph Cretin, at Dubuque; Very Rev. Terence Donaghoe, at Dubuque; Rev. Anthony Godfert, at Iowa City; Rev. J. A. M. Pelamourgues, at Davenport; Rev. J. C. Perrodin, at Maquoketa; Rev. H. Herrog, at Burlington; with the Indians mostly gone from Iowa, but large numbers of Sioux, Chippewa, Mandans and Winnebago in Minnesota, under the car of Rev. Father A. Ravoux near Fort Snelling, and Rev. George A. Bellecourt, Pembina; with several academies and schools under the guidance of twenty Sisters of Charity, several priests, and some lay teachers; thirteen churches, nine stations, and a Catholic population of nearly seven thousand. In the directories for Dubuque, we sometimes come across the announcement as occasion required, "Sermons preached in English, German, French or Sioux" language. In 1844, the dioceses of Chicago and Milwaukee were created, and some of the Dubuque priests remained there, as follows: Very Rev. Samuel Mazzuchelli, Rev. Lucien Galtier, and Rev.James Causse in Wisconsin; Rev. Remigius Petiot in Illinois. (From the: Iowa History Project
…In 1840, the Bishop endeavored to obtain Sisters for his schools. Being unsuccessful at this time, he in 1843, prevailed upon the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary to remove their Mother house from Philadelphia to Dubuque. They arrived the same year under the guidance of Mother Frances Clarke, and immediately established schools in their new home. The Very Rev. Terence Donaghoe was received as their director in 1843, and appointed as Vicar General of the diocese. He likewise aided in missionary work in Dubuque, Holy Cross, Bellevue and Maquoketa.
