The first Mass in what would become the city of Des Moines was celebrated in a log hut in 1851 at Fort Des Moines by Father Alexander Hattenberger, a priest from Ottumwa, Iowa.
At the time, Des Moines was part of the Diocese of Dubuque, which covered the entire state of Iowa.
Other priests visited the Des Moines area from time to time, including the Revs.
Timothy Mullen, John Kreckel, and Louis De Cailly.
In 1856, one year after the Iowa Legislature voted to move the capitol from Iowa City to its present location in Des Moines, the first St. Ambrose Church was built on land purchased by Father De Cailly.
The church was built by the Rev. George Plathe, who was the first resident priest in Des Moines.
It measured 40 by 24 feet (12.2 by 7.3 m).

The Rev. John F. Brazill became the pastor in 1861, and he built a school in 1863.
The Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary came to Des Moines to teach in the school.
By 1865 a larger stone church building was constructed.
The Gothic Revival structure featured two towers that flanked the main facade.
Brazill was an influential person in the Church and in the society at large.
Bishop Clement Smyth, OCSO named him the vicar general of the diocese, and he cultivated many contacts in state government.
He acquired a great deal of real estate for himself and the Church that amounted to $250,000 at the time of his death in 1885.
One of the parcels of land he owned at Sixth and High Streets became the site of a new St. Ambrose church in the 1890s.

St. Ambrose remained Des Moines' only Catholic church until 1869 when the Rev. Nicholas Sassel established St. Mary's, no longer extant, to serve the pastoral needs of the city's German community.
Des Moines became a part of the Diocese of Davenport when it was established in 1881.
The Rev. Joseph Nugent founded Visitation Parish, now known as Our Lady of the Americas, the following year.
The first Mass in what would become the city of Des Moines was celebrated in a log hut in 1851 at Fort Des Moines by Father Alexander Hattenberger, a priest from Ottumwa, Iowa. At the time, Des Moines was part of the Diocese of Dubuque, which covered the entire state of Iowa. Other priests visited the Des Moines area from time to time, including the Revs. Timothy Mullen, John Kreckel, and Louis De Cailly. In 1856, one year after the Iowa Legislature voted to move the capitol from Iowa City to its present location in Des Moines, the first St. Ambrose Church was built on land purchased by Father De Cailly. The church was built by the Rev. George Plathe, who was the first resident priest in Des Moines. It measured 40 by 24 feet (12.2 by 7.3 m).
The Rev. John F. Brazill became the pastor in 1861, and he built a school in 1863. The Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary came to Des Moines to teach in the school. By 1865 a larger stone church building was constructed. The Gothic Revival structure featured two towers that flanked the main facade. Brazill was an influential person in the Church and in the society at large. Bishop Clement Smyth, OCSO named him the vicar general of the diocese, and he cultivated many contacts in state government. He acquired a great deal of real estate for himself and the Church that amounted to $250,000 at the time of his death in 1885. One of the parcels of land he owned at Sixth and High Streets became the site of a new St. Ambrose church in the 1890s.
St. Ambrose remained Des Moines' only Catholic church until 1869 when the Rev. Nicholas Sassel established St. Mary's, no longer extant, to serve the pastoral needs of the city's German community. Des Moines became a part of the Diocese of Davenport when it was established in 1881. The Rev. Joseph Nugent founded Visitation Parish, now known as Our Lady of the Americas, the following year.
St. Ambrose Cathedral (Des Moines, Iowa)