Excerpt from Between the Rivers: The Catholic Heritage of West Tennessee
by: Brother Joel William McGraw, FSC, Reverend Milton J. Guthrie, Mrs. Josephine King
Catholicism came to Obion County as early as 1866 with the missionary efforts of Fr. William Bourke. It was not until 1867, however, that the first Catholic family arrived in Union City. Mr. Hugh Garrigan, the section foreman of the North & Northwest Railroad, now North Central & Saint Louis, offered his home to Fr. Aloysius Orengo, O.P., from McEwen for the celebration of the liturgy. From 1872 -1891, Mass was offered by several missionary priests in the homes of the Thomas Dean family on Home Street, the Joseph Roberts family on Washington Avenue, and other prominent Union Citians such as the John O’Donnell family, the Burke family, and the Gilmore family.
After Fr. Orengo, the northern part of the western Tennessee was attended by clergy from Hickman & Paducah, Kentucky.  Some of these priests were: the Rev. John Feehan, 1873; the Rev. John F. Walsh, 1875; the Rev Richard Davis, 1891; the Rev. W. King, who appeared the first time in 1886 and the left for the Arizona Missions, to come in 1893. Fr. King was extremely well thought of in Union City.
In 1889, came Fr. Thomas A. York who built the substantial frame church at 5th & Church Streets in Union City in the year of 1891.  Mr. James Whipple, a non-Catholic, donated the property at the corner of 5th & Church for the structure which was to become the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.  The building had a seating capacity of 100. While the work was going on, Mr. Whipple remarked, “This is the happiest day’s work of my life.”  In order to pay for the building, large donations were made by Mr. Charles Duval, Mr. Adam Semones, Mr. William Garrigan, and Mr. Seth Curlin. Other substantial gifts were received by Mr. J.J. Cartan, whose father drew up the plans for the church, and Mr. Frank Mooney, a Catholic who worked as a carpenter on the building.  From 1891 to 1939, the Immaculate Conception Church was attended by the pastors from the Sacred Heart Church of Hickman, Kentucky and the Sacred Heart Church of Humbolt, Tennessee.
In 1939, the Most Rev. William L. Adrian, D. D., Bishop of Nashville, constituted the Immaculate Conception Mission Church as a parish to include the counties of Obion, Lake, Weakley, and Henry.  This caused the church of the Holy Cross at Paris, Tennessee, to become a mission church of Immaculate Conception parish. In 1924 Holy Angels Church in Dyersburg was a mission parish to Immaculate Conception. The Rev. M. Edward Dolan was appointed pastor and took up residence with the Paul Wiley family who then lived on 5th & Church Streets. Both Paul & Pearl Wiley were faithful parishioners who contributed generously to the church & school.  In 1941, Fr. Dolan was officially installed as the first resident pastor of Union City and was responsible for building the rectory next to the church.  Fr. Dolan also acquired one of the town’s fine old homes, the Whipple family home, as a school & convent.  The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth were enlisted to serve on the faculty.  Sr. Rose Miriam, S.C.N., served as the first Superior, and was accompanied by Sr. Rose & Sr. Annette & 18 to 21 children were enrolled as the first students.
In 1959 to 1961, a number of priests of the Diocese of Nashville succeeded Fr. Dolan as Pastor.  These include: Fathers Charles O’Donnell, William R.  Nelson, E. O. Heymer, and James W. Murphy.  It was during the administration of Fr. Murphy that the school of the Immaculate Conception was closed in the year 1961.  A school bus was purchased in partnership with the St. Edward Catholic Church of Fulton, Kentucky, and the children of Union City and Fulton were transported to the Sacred Heart School of Hickman, Kentucky.
On January 1, 1961, the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Immaculate Conception Church took place on a seven acre tract of land purchased from Dr. David Prather.  The site was located on the Martin Highway bypass (now Reelfoot Avenue) opposite Obion County General Hospital (now Baptist Memorial Hospital).  On the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, August 22, 1961, the new structure was dedicated.  The first Mass was offered and the Most Blessed Sacrament was placed in the tabernacle by Bishop William L. Adrian.
Following the transfer of Fr. Murphy in 1963, the pastorate of Immaculate Conception Parish was filled by Fathers Coleman Ballinger, Patrick Heenan, and John V. Scola. In 1966, while Fr. Scola was pastor, a Catholic mission was established in Martin, Tennessee, in Weakley County, known as the St. Jude Chapel.
In the fall of 1970, all the parishes of West Tennessee, that is those churches located west of the Tennessee River to east of the Mississippi River, were informed that they were to become a new Diocese of Memphis.  One January 6, 1971, Bishop Carroll T. Dozier, D.D., became the first bishop of Memphis, and a new era was born.
Fr. Scola served well the Catholic of Lake, Obion, and Weakley counties until his transfer in June of 1973.  He was succeeded by the Rev. William R. Regenold who continued to serve the Immaculate Conception parish and St. Jude Mission.  The Rev. Paul W. St. Charles was appointed to the Immaculate Conception Parish on June 25, 1974.
On August 1, 1980, Fr. William F Burke became pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish.  A much needed parish center was built.  The dedication was held on January 16, 1983, and named “The Bishop Carroll T. Dozier Parish Center.”  Bishop Dozier was present for the occasion and it was to be the last dedication of a structure by him before his retirement.  St. Jude the Apostle Mission was made a parish on June 20, 1984, and Fr. Burke was appointed their first pastor.  One June 20, 1984, the Rev. Michael L. Stewart was named pastor of Immaculate Conception Church. He completed the final phase of the parish center by constructing permanent classrooms for the parish religious education program.
 

Estimated: 1951

May Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary

It was in 1945 that Father Getteelfinger noticed that the glands in his neck, under his arms, and in other parts of his body were greatly enlarged in size.  Upon madical examination, it was determined that Fr. Gettelfinger had contracted lympho-blastoma, cancer of the glands, and had six months to live.  A young Dominican, the Rev. H.B. Schaller, was then living in the dame reactory and gave Fr. Gettelfinger the Dominican relic of Martin De Porres from the Mother House in Louisville, Kentucky.  The relic of the then Blessed Martin was imbedded in a large cross covered with mother-of-pearl, which was suspended by a heavy chain.  Fr. Gettelfinger wore this cross under his shirt every day, enduring the pain and the discomfront of the large relic.  After a two week duration, the swelling of the enlarged glands began to diminidh, and they finally returned to normal size.  After three months of wearing this large relic, a smaller reliquary arrived from Rome and Fr. Gettelfinger was relieved of the heavy cross and chain.
In 1945, he made a pilgimage to Fatima, Lourdes, the Shrine of the Little Flower, and finally to Rome itself.  Upon his arrival in Rome, he visited the Dominican House, where he informed the community of the disease which had apparently disappeared.  The Dominicans advised Fr. Gettelfinger to return home and obtain photo copies of all the doctor's records together with sworn statements of any doctors still living, as well as, his own sworn statement, and return the edivence to Rome. For thirty years the Dominicans had hoped to obtain the canonization of Blessed Martin DePorres.  They needed one final documented miracle attributed to his intercession.  Several weeks later, Martin DePorres was raised by Rome to offical sainthood.

Father E. Gettelfinger was a priest at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church from 1924-1930.