It was the year 1864, and a new chapter was dawning on the Catholic Church in Hokah. Fr. Franz Neubrandt had just come from Germany as the first resident priest in Hokah. Just after the new priest’s arrival, Joseph Pfeffer offered a 200 acre plot of land as a donation to the parish, provided a church with a school or convent was built on the site.
The daughter of Joseph Pfeffer, Sr., was a student with the School Sisters of Notre Dame at St. Mary’s school in La Crosse. Through her, a connection was made with Mother Caroline in the order’s Motherhouse in Milwaukee, WI. Her impression of the offer is best displayed in the record of the incident: “A wealthy gentleman and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pfeffer of Minnesota, donated to Mother Caroline 200 acres of land. She promised to build thereon a convent to educate poor working girls and at the same time provide another tabernacle of the worship of the Eucharistic King. The location was ideal. The land lay about eight miles from the Mississippi River in MN, directly west of La Crosse, WI. Mother Caroline made a tour of inspection, gratefully accepted the gift and agreed when the convent was finished to furnish Sisters who would help execute the wish of the pious couple.”
Construction was commenced immediately. Lumber came in ready supply from the forests, and stone and sand was brought from the hills and valleys. By the early summer of 1867, the peaceful Hokah valley was graced by a four story building, measuring sixty feet by fifty. That Autumn, September 17th to be exact, Mother Caroline and the Sisters arrived. Mother Seraphine was appointed superior of the new convent, and she soon arranged the chapel for its first Mass. On September 20th, the Holy Sacrifice was celebrated for the first time in the new chapel.
That first year, the Sisters had seventy-three students, of which twenty-eight were boarders. The altar, communion rail, confessional, and pews were moved from St. Joseph’s to the convent. A new altar was built in St. Joseph’s, but now Mass was only celebrated there once a year, on the Feast of St. Joseph. The congregation from St. Joseph’s now attended the Convent Chapel.
After the completion of the Convent, Fr. Neubrandt left, and Rev. Matthew Sternburg, OSB, became Hokah’s second resident priest. In addition to Hokah, Fr. Sternburg also had charge of the Catholic communities in Rushford, Houston, Brownsville, Freeburg, Caledonia, Ridgeway, Riceford, and Jefferson. Fr. Sternburg, while at the convent, worked tirelessly to beautify the grounds, clearing and burning brush, building fences, creating a garden for the sisters, and building a miniature zoo of native animals. He was also adept at managing the church finances, especially when money was none to ready to come by.
By 1876, the town, and, consequently, the Church, was growing rapidly, and there was a need to start building yet again. This time, a regular church was to be built on the convent grounds. The locals provided both labor and financial support, and it was planned to build a church with a tower and two additional rooms for the priest’s residence. Upon the completion of the building, with the exception of the tower, which was never built beyond the foundation, Hokah could finally boast its own parish church. Unfortunately, due to a current disfavor of the parochial school system, the church never officially recieved the status of parish church. However, the new church was still dedicated by Archbishop Ireland that same year.
After the dedication, Fr. John Garner took charge of the church until his death in March, 1877. During Fr. Garner’s final illness, and the following eight months, Frs. Solanus and Dominik, OFM Cap. and Fr. Weis ministered to the needs of the Convent and Parish. In October 1877, Fr. Charles Walter arrived in Hokah as the resident priest. Despite his advanced age when he came to America, he adapted himself to the conditions remarkably. He would meticulously write out his sermons in English, then read them from the pulpit. Fr. Walter died in 1883, and was buried in the Convent cemetery. After his death, the Convent was placed under the care of the Jesuits of Prarie du Chien. One of the Order would come weekly to the church, usually coming on Saturday, celebrating Mass on Sunday and Monday, and then returning.
In 1878, an attempt was made to build a new church within the city of Hokah proper, as the Church of the Blessed Sacrament was almost a mile outside of town. Unfortunately, at the same time that the new church, to be named St. Peter’s, the railroad shops in Hokah, which provided much of the town’s jobs and income, were closed. The result was very nearly a disaster. The construction had to be abandoned, and the community, with the loss of its main source of income, was no longer able to adequately support the Convent Church. Hokah was no longer able to have a resident priest, and only through the hard work of the parishioners and the sister’s ability to get a priest from the Motherhouse in Milwaukee (most of the time) kept the parish, and the convent school, in existence. In 1904, it became evident that this was to be only the start of their troubles. The sisters had managed to procure the services of a retired priest, Fr. Knauf, but the lack of support and official recognition from the diocese soon forced him to leave. Upon his departure, there was no successor appointed. The Sisters were forced to leave. In August 1904, they packed the Convent property and returned to Milwaukee. The parish now fell under the care of Fr. John Dolle of La Crescent. After his first Mass in the convent, he held a meeting with the parishioners in an adjoining classroom. They were informed that the convent, grounds, building, and adjoining farm had been sold to William Handorf. The news was such a shock that nobody said a word. After the meeting, recovering from their initial consternation, the parishioners decided that something had to be done. They sent Mr. John Stark to Milwaukee to meet with the Sisters. After some difficulty, a five year lease was secured, with the option to buy the property back at the cost of $300. In the meantime, Mr. Handorf had transferred the right to the property to Jacob Fuchs. Mr. Fuchs apparently wanted to get the property himself at the expiration of the lease, and perpetrated many disgraceful acts in an effort to make the congregation release their tenacious hold on the property. His efforts, by whatever means, were unsuccessful: the church meant too much to the parish to let it be taken from them. By the time of the expiration of the lease, the parishioners were ready with the $300 necessary to buy back the property. Mr. Fuchs did his best to avoid it, but they tracked him as he went toward La Crosse, and gave him the purchase price of the property. In June of 1909, Bishop Cotter died, and his successor, Bishop Haffron decided to close the convent. The parishioners were told to go either to St. Peter’s parish in the Hokah proper, or that of La Crescent.
Another chapter of the story was drawing to a close. The Convent Church of the Blessed Sacrament, built in 1864, was closed and would later be torn down. The site of the church, about 1 mile east of Hokah, overlooking present Hwy. 16, shows no sign of the buildings that stood there for 45 years. Soon, construction would begin on Hokah’s third church building, St. Peter’s.
(Based on They called Hokah their Home, compiled by Carol Walcker)
