Rectory
With the assignment of a resident priest to Winner in 1914, a "Subscription List for the Erection of the Parsonage" was circulated. A two-story residence was built to replace the small structure that had been used when Winner was a mission parish. The cost of the building was $2,321.78. An insurance policy on the building protected items such as plate and stained glass doors, windows, engravings, and portraits. Horses in the barn were also protected. Attached to the policy was a special gasoline stove permit which gave permission to possess a gas stove provided it was only filled in the daylight when the stove was not in use. |
Immaculate Conception Church
The first Mass was said in the new church on December 11, 1920. Due to a manufacturing delay, the church did not have windows for the first year. The parish also delayed purchasing an altar and pews because of a lack of funds. In 1946 the trustees recommended enlarging the church and in 1948 the decision was made to build a new building. On April 12, 1950, the new church was blessed and dedicated. The old church was dismantled.
In January of 2010, the church was emptied and remodeled. The ceiling and flooring were replaced and a larger vestibule was created. |
St. Mary School
St. Mary Elementary School was dedicated November 21, 1920. The building featured three classrooms for eight grades, dormitories, and living quarters for the nuns. It was staffed by the Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Dubuque, Iowa. The school was closed in 1938, but was reopened in the fall of 1940. In 1956 the decision was made to build a parish hall. Work began on the hall in June of 1958 and on April 5, 1959, St. Mary Hall was dedicated. The building featured a regulation size basketball court, stage, dressing rooms, and convent facilities. In the spring of 1968 the school closed its doors and stood vacant until it was torn down in 1974. |
Immaculate Conception Church, Winner, celebrated 100 years as a parish on June 19. The celebration began with tours of the newly remodeled church. (Below) Alex and Aryn Meiners watch balloons float away while they wait to release theirs. Following Mass, 
