History of saint florian

The first settlers to arrive in Ino in  1909 were from Bohemia.   The first priest to serve the spiritual needs  of the community was Franciscan Fr. Francis Ramic.  Fr. Florian  Gerhardt, pastor at Washburn in 1913, is said to have planned and built  the first Catholic church in Ino.  Hence, the grateful parishioners  named it St. Florian.  But on the feast of Corpus Christi, in June 1916,  the church was struck by lightning and destroyed by fire.  The original  altar stone was saved, along with the original statue of St. Florian.   Prayer services were held at the homes of John Visocky and Karol Lavota  until the Jednota School was built and used for services.  Plans to  rebuild St. Florian Church were completed in 1917 and the church was  dedicated and blessed by Bishop Joseph M. Koudelka, a fellow Bohemian,  who also donated the church altar.  In 1950, a full basement was added  to the church, along with a water system and oil furnace.  In 1952,  Bishop Albert G. Meyer attached the Ino parish as a mission to Ss. Peter  and Paul Parish in Moquah and granted Benedictine Fr. Florian Herides  permission to celebrate Mass at each parish.  Fr. Herides served the  community for 23 years, from 1948 to 1971.  Other longtime pastors were  Fr. Clement Sobr, 1971-1978, and Fr. Gabriel Zepczyk, 1980-1987;  1990-2002.