PHOTOS: 150th anniversary celebration, St. Patrick in Laurie

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Past and present parishioners, their friends and their families gather in Laurie to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of St. Patrick parish. A horse-drawn cart carrying Father John Schmitz, pastor of the Laurie and Versailles parishes, led a motorcade from the cemetery and restored 1968-vintage stone St. Patrick Church on Highway O to the current church, completed in 1980, and the nearby National Shrine of Mary, Mother of the Church, completed in 1992. Festivities continued on the parish grounds and in St. Leo Hall, followed by Mass in the outdoor shrine. Fr. Schmitz presided and preached the homily. Deacon David Lovell assisted. Photos and memorabilia overflowed onto tables in St. Joseph Hall, while items from the collection of the late Father Fred Barnett, who was pastor for 30 years, adorned the museum at the old church. The jubilee was an occasion to celebrate, reminisce, give thanks to God and recommit to everyday practice of the faith that sustains the parish and to devotion to Christ, Who is the reason for the parish’s existence. (91 photos)

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