POLO — A history of St. Mary’s Parish in Polo, Illinois was recently released. It starts with the early explorers in Illinois and brings the history of the parish up to the present day.
The history is the project of parishioner Larry Plachno who started work on it nearly 25 years ago and has been updating and revising the material for special events and when new pastors arrive. The reasons for the current revision include the recent arrival of Rev. Bernard Sehr as pastor and the forthcoming 125th anniversary of the dedication of the church on Jan. 7, 1900.
Plachno credits several groups and individuals for help in researching the material over the years. Included are Betty Obendorf and the Polo Historical Society as well as the Diocese of Rockford. In addition, several parishioners, pastors and others helped with obtaining information and photographs.
The dedication of the current church building took place in a special ceremony on Sunday, Jan. 7, 1900. The lot on the southwest corner of Franklin and Dixon Streets was purchased in 1897 and a building committee was established to plan the church and raise the necessary funds. Records indicate that the cost for purchasing the lot and building the church amounted to approximately $12,000, which was fully paid by the time of the dedication.
A noteworthy feature of the church are the 18 gothic memorial windows which are made of opalescent and cathedral glass.
The first Catholic Church in Polo was completed in 1856 and was the first church to be built in Polo and may have been the first Catholic Church in Ogle County. It was constructed on a lot donated by Polo founder Zenas Aplington in what is now the 600 block of north Franklin Street. Because of an increase in parish members, that original church was doubled in size in 1878. When the current church was built, the old church was sold and moved to the rear of the 100 block of East Mason Street where it survived for several decades as a hall, bakery and a storeroom for the grain elevator.
Copies of the parish history will be available at the Polo Historical Society and at the Polo Public Library for viewing.
