Paul Dobberstein
Paul Matthias Dobberstein (September 21, 1872 – July 24, 1954) was a German American priest and architect.
Dobberstein was born in Rosenfeld, Germany to Francis "Frank" Dobberstein and Julia Froehlich.
Father Dobberstein was educated at the University of Deutsch-Krone in Germany and at the St. Francis Seminary, in St. Francis, Wisconsin. He was ordained on June 30, 1897.[1]
Grottoes
He is known for designing and building a series of religious grottoes:
- Sacred Heart Church: Sioux City, Iowa
- Immaculate Conception Grotto: Carroll, Iowa (now gone)
- Franciscan Convent: Dubuque, Iowa
- Shrine in the St. Rose of Viterbo Convent of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration: La Crosse, Wisconsin (now gone)
- Catholic Cemetery: Wesley, Iowa
- John Brown Park: Humboldt, Iowa
His most famous work, however, is The Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption, in West Bend, Iowa,[2] in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City. This is actually a series of several connected grottoes.[3] At the neighboring church of Saints Peter and Paul, he also created a fountain and, inside, a majestic nativity scene.
Father Dobberstein's works inspired Mathias Wernerus (who also attended St. Francis Seminary) to build the Dickeyville Grotto in Dickeyville, Wisconsin in 1930,[4][5] thus starting the grotto building movement in America.[6]
Pastoral career
In addition to his prolific works of art and stone, he led a busy life as the pastor of Saints Peter and Paul there in West Bend for more than 57 years. His signature appears on over a thousand baptism records from his time in the parish.
References
- An Explanation of the Grotto of the Redemption
- ↑ Grotto of the Redemption, rff.org Archived November 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Grotto of the Redemption, West Bend, Iowa, roadsideamerica.com
- ↑ West Bend - Sts. Peter and Paul, catholicglobe.org
- ↑ History of Providence Home Health Care Center of Jasper, providencehome.org
- ↑ Grotto of the Redemption, agilitynut.com
- ↑ Grotto of the Redemption, ww2.lafayette.edu/~niless