The Sisters of Mercy came to Cedar Rapids on the Feast of St. Mary Magdalen, 22d July, 1875. They came from Davenport, which at that time was subject to Dubuque Bishop for there was only one diocese in Iowa. Sister Mary Isadore and Sister Mary Gertrude were the first to visit Cedar Rapids, and in a few weeks afterwards Sister Mary Agatha and Sister Mary Francis came. These four formally took possession of the building which had been secured for school purposes, and in September, 1875, St. Joseph's Academy and parish school was opened for the first time in Cedar Rapids.
This community at Cedar Rapids remained subject to the mother house in Davenport until 1881, when the southern part of the state was cut off and made a new diocese. This new division of the Dubuque diocese necessitated the subjection of the Cedar Rapids community to the diocese of Dubuque and so the branch house became an independent community in November, 1881.
At this time the community at Cedar Rapids consisted of about ten Sisters, and there were about twenty-five boarders at St. Joseph's Academy at the time.
Previous to the installation of Father Quinn as pastor of Immaculate Conception church the parish school was independent of the academy. After this they were united and the academic school became a free school for all those who were unable to pay for tuition.
QUAKER OATS TRAIN
