St. Mary’s Catholic Church also known as the German Catholic Church was founded in 1867 by the German Catholics of Bloomington, Illinois. The first church building was built in 1869 and later replaced with the current building in 1886 designed by architect George H. Miller and constructed by Frank A. Weishaar. The church is under the direction of the Diocese of Peoria and was run by the Franciscan Order for 135 years until May of 2016.
St. Mary’s School was opened in September 1873. It was founded by Reverend W.J. Reeves and operated out of the original church which was renovated into a school. In 1955, the completed new St. Mary’s School was dedicated. In 2003, a new addition to the school was dedicated by Bishop Daniel Jenky of the Diocese of Peoria. The school was operated by Ursuline sisters from 1877 until 1883. The Franciscan sisters came to run the school in 1888. Currently, the school is staffed with lay teachers and administrators.
The St. Mary’s Catholic Church and School Collection contains 3 boxes with 89 folders. Included in the collection are parish history, records, bulletins, church and school directories.