Construction of the school/social hall/church building began in the summer of 1957 and by June of the following year, the first Mass was celebrated in the newly completed $300,000 facility. That fall the parish school opened with grades 1 - 3 on the second floor of the building. By adding grades in successive years, the building was eventually filled with grades 1-8 and another building for Sunday worship became necessary. The present church, built at a cost of $92,000 was finished just before Christmas 1961 and has provided space for a steadily increasing church membership. Presently we have more than 900 families.

After 16 years of leadership at Queen of Apostles, Fr. Hart was assigned to Winterset. In July 1972, Fr Richard E. Gubbels, appointed by Bishop Maurice Dingman, arrived from Des Moines to assume the responsibilities of pastor to the nearly 600 families which then made up the parish and the mission church in Carter Lake which had been organized less than two years earlier. The closing of St Francis Xavier Church in downtown Council Bluffs added more that 50 families to our parish and expansion to the south and east of the city brought in more people

In 1978 Fr Robert Schoemann became the pastor. One of the early highlights of his ministry was the pilgrimage of more that 400 of our parishioners to be with Pope John Paul II on October 4, 1979 when he visited and celebrated Mass at the Living History Farms in Des Moines. Queen of Apostles people celebrated the 25th anniversary of the parish in 1981. Fr. Schoemann was transferred to Des Moines in 1985.

In July of 1985, Fr Larry Hoffman was assigned to our parish. During his first two and one-half years, the RENEW program was planned and completed under the supervision of our pastoral minister Sr. Shirley and the RENEW committee. Fr. Hoffmann was transferred to Des Moines in 1992; Sr. Shirley also left to pursue other ministries

In 1992 Fr. Phillip Kruse was appointed pastor. The following year Fr. Kruse was appointed Executive Coordinator of the St Albert School System and Fr. Fred Reischl replaced him for one year. In 1994 Fr. Kruse was appointed administrator at Queen of Apostles in addition to his position with the school. In 1996 Fr. Kruse was appointed full-time pastor for Queens and served the people until July of 1997.

The generosity of many parishioners both of talents and treasure have made possible many construction and renovation projects throughout the history of Queen of Apostles Parish. Hard-working men and women have established a tradition of renovation and improvement with carpentry, electrical work, cleaning, painting and roofing projects throughout the years of caring for our church. And to all of them we are truly grateful.

The construction of the current rectory was completed in 1981, replacing the one several blocks from the church. Just outside the church is the outdoor shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary completed in 1992.

In the fall of 1993, the parish began the renovation of the church with the construction of the gathering space, sacristry, reconciliation room, handicapped-accessible bathrooms and balcony areas in the entryway.

The outside church sign was donated and constructed by the Knights of Columbus in 1995. Over the years, the Altar and Rosary Society has also contributed to the needs of the church, as well as the rectory.

A house across the street with an extra lot became available upon the death of the occupants and was purchased as the Pastoral Center for offices. In 1995 plans were developed for an apartment complex called St Anne's Court, specifically for the elderly, to be built on the vacant lot.

Again we had the opportunity to purchase additional property in the summer of 1996 at 3rd Ave and South 33rd Street upon the death of the owner. This property was turned into the new Pastoral Center, now called the Religious Ed Center and the garage was converted into the Fr. John Hart Center.

The old Pastoral Center was torn down and another apartment complex built. With the completion of these two apartments, St. Anne's Court now consists of four apartments and elderly people from the parish have rented these spaces.

In 1999 ground was broken for the new Parish Activity Center which was completed in the fall of 2000. The facility provides a beautifully-furnished social hall area which acts as an extended worship area when needed and a large multi- purpose activity center complete with a large kitchen and storage areas. The worship space underwent rearranging and design to better accommodate the church community as they gather for worship. As the parish continues to grow, the Parish Activity Center will serve the spiritual, pastoral and social needs of our community for years to come.

The theme of our 40th Anniversary in 1996 was "40 Years and Building for the Future". This certainly expresses the building blocks of faith that the men and women of the parish have witnessed over the years and will continue to be a part of in the years to come. Our past is important because it reminds us of our spiritual needs and helps us launch out to the future with confidence and courage.