St. Wenceslaus and the Tornado of 1951: The Light Never Went Out!

Last Sunday, on June 25th, I had the privilege of attending the 125th anniversary of Saint Wenceslaus Catholic Church in the small village of Duncan, Iowa (pop. 57).

Like many towns across America, the village of Duncan was birthed by the westward expansion of the railroad in the 1870s.  Branching out from Chicago, the railway builders typically set up a depot and water tower every 10 miles of track to service the trains.  Once a depot had been established the land rush in the surrounding area began.  With the Homestead Act (1862) well in effect, and the railroad companies advertising land as far away as Europe, it was not long before Bohemian (Czech) families began immigrating to this region.  Untouched land was surveyed, platted and divided into lots of 80 and 160 acres.  Private bankers followed the railroad and  in short time the land was being tilled, grazed and settled. By 1900 some 60 Czech families had relocated to the Duncan area establishing a small village surrounding the depot. 

Devout Catholics, the families were required to travel hazardous roads to attend Mass at the nearest church in Garner – the county seat - some 5 miles east.  Unfortunately for them, that particular parish was not predominantly Czech, a language still spoken by most immigrants.  Before long, however, the people of Duncan decided it was time to have their own church officiating in the Czech language and in 1900 they built a simple wood-framed structure, St. Wenceslaus (the patron saint of Bohemia), and welcomed their first Czech priest, Fr. Joseph Broz.

Due to population growth in the area the Catholic Workman (Branch 51), decided to build a community center in 1922, and by 1938 the old wooden church was replaced with a fine brick building.  Still a relatively small farming town, Czech Catholicism and heritage continued to thrive until 1951 when tragedy struck.  On a warm Monday in June of 1951 an EF2 tornado ripped through Duncan and several of the surrounding farms. Within a few minutes all the hard labor and sacrifice of the past 50+ years was destroyed. Not a single home or business escaped the destructive winds, and at the center of the devastation was St. Wenceslaus.  The new brick building, just 13 years old, took a direct hit through the middle, leaving only the west tower and east altar areas intact.  It was enough to make grown men of stout heart weep at the sight.  Despite the darkness of the day, however, there were two miracles that survived that moment of violence.  First, and most importantly, while there were some injuries, there were no fatalities; a true blessing.  Second, the sanctuary lamp, cradled in thick red glass and brass hanging high above the altar and tabernacle, remained burning.   

News quickly spread among the inhabitants that, "The light never went out!"

In 1952 the people rebuilt Duncan including a new St. Wenceslaus and community center.  Today, 125 years later, Duncan continues to shine as the center of local Czech heritage and, perhaps more importantly, as a symbol of the Catholic faith embedded in the hearts and minds of those early immigrants from Bohemia who chose to make America, and Iowa, their home.  St. Wenceslaus has been recently renovated inside (www.archangelscc.org/st-wenceslaus-duncan) and if you are ever up to a polka - check out the events at the “Duncan Ballroom” (www.duncanballroom.com).

Vítejte všichni!