A Catholic settlement known as the Murphy Settlement in Grant Township predates the founding of Dike by more than 25 years. Beginning in the 1860’s it was served by visiting priests from Ackley, Waverly and Cedar Falls.
Under the direction of Father Charles McCabe, Mr. And Mrs. Michael Doorley ceded an eighth of an acre for a church. St. Mary’s Church and dedicated in 1880 and was in use until 1988 when the parish moved into a church in the town of Dike.
In 1885, Mr. And Mrs. James P. Murphy sold two acres to the parish for a cemetery.
Father Patrick Hogan was appointed resident pastor for the Catholics in Grundy Center and the Murphy Settlement in 1896. Given the option of living in Grundy Center or at the Murphy Settlement, he decided to reside in Grundy Center, the county seat. Every two weeks he drove to the Murphy Settlement. In 1959, the parish returned to the care of the Cedar Falls pastors. In 1980 the parish celebrated it’s centennial.
In 1985 under the direction of Father Funke, the council began to plan the replacement of the 1880 church. In 1987 a building in the town of Dike was purchased and remodeled into a suitable place of worship. Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids donated the pews and stained glass windows from the former Sisters’ and nurses’ chapel. In June, 1988, the new church was dedicated.
In August of 2004, the former parishes of St. Mary, Dike; Sacred Heart, Grundy Center; and Queen of Heaven, Reinbeck, merged to form Holy Family Parish. The parish began plans to build a new larger church centrally located in rural Reinbeck, Iowa. In 2007, construction began on St. Gabriel Church. St. Mary's Church was closed in February 2009 when St. Gabriel was officially dedicated.