50 Year Jubilee

By PJ Martin

Editor

The Herald-News

 

A Golden Jubilee service was held on October 26^th at Christ the Healer Church, celebrating the church’s 50th anniversary and the legacy of Father George Bowling in Metcalfe County. As written by Daniel S. Mulhall, a National Catholic Reporter, “The centerpiece of George’s theology of recreation” was the parks and playgrounds he built.”

It is impossible to talk about Christ the Healer Church without talking about Father Bowling and his mission.

Father Bowling’s plan was to bring the people to you through recreation and fellowship, then teach them the faith. Today, that park and playground are named in his honor as Bowling Community Park, but it began as the Municipal Area Recreational Community (M.A.R.C.) Park that many of the older generation remember.

When Father Bowling first came to Edmonton, he began by creating a used clothing store to not only fund the future park and church building, but also clothe the poorer members of the community. He had at that point already been the first, as far as I can find, to introduce the Catholic mission to Metcalfe County.

In a story published by The Record in 1975, Father Bowling described his efforts to build the park as “pre-evangelization,” noting that the park aimed to “show the community that the church will serve the people.”

On September 14, 1975, Father Bowling held the first service of Christ the Healer Church at his then residence on Miller Street in Edmonton with around 5 worshipers.

As the number of parishioners grew, the location had to grow also, and the services moved into a renovated barn on the park property, which was called “The Stable.” The building was converted into a two-floor space with a meeting room and two dormitory sections on the upper floor and a sanctuary, nave, and kitchen/dining area on the bottom floor. This was used for a few years, but as the number of parishioners continued to grow, it led to the church construction beginning in 1980.

In 1976, Archbishop Thomas J. McDonough named the church Christ the Healer Catholic Church.

Not only was Father Bowling the founding priest in Edmonton, but he was also the serving priest at the Holy Redeemer Church in Greensburg at the time. Father Bowling continued to serve until his retirement in 1991.

Also in 1975, the first nuns who arrived were the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. They eventually moved into what is now referred to as the Leftwich House on the park property. The sisters were a huge part of establishing prayer groups and teaching the faith. They worked at the park events and were known by all who attended.

The present Church was completed and the cornerstone was blessed on April 18, 1982, and dedicated by Archbishop Thomas C. Kelly, O.P. That year, a time capsule was placed in the yard of the Church to be opened sometime in the Jubilee year and then replaced for future generation.

Since Father Bowling’s retirement in 1991, there have been several priests at the church: Reverend Jim Hagen (1991-1992), Reverend Jim Graf (1992-1993), Reverend John Stoltz (1993-2001), Reverend Kevin Bryan (2001-2007), Reverend Larry Gelthaus (2007-2017), Reverend Wilfredo Fernandez (2018-2020) and the present Priest Reverend Joseph Thomas (2020 – Present). Deacon John Froehlich is the first Deacon at the church (2016-present).

There are currently around 25 families in the church, and Christ the Healer began a memorial garden in 2020 for parish members and their families who have passed on. The first memorial stone was placed in 2021, and the garden has been dedicated as the “Larry Gelthaus Memorial Garden.”

The park has also grown to include a homeless shelter, large food pantry, a walking trail, a fitness center, and the gymnasium and Leftwich Hall are used for many programs and events.

There have been two upgrades of the food pantry that serve the needs of Metcalfe County. The 3rd, much larger food pantry was completed in 2025, and the building bears a plaque dedicating it to Father Larry Gelthaus.