Heer also had a new 60x60-foot school with nine classrooms built near the church. Heer was followed by James Zigrang in December 1889. During Zigrang's tenure as priest, the interior of the church was frescoed and new Stations of the Cross were placed in the church. After Zigrang returned from the Holy Land in 1907, he provided the church with a new pipe organ, which continues to serve this church today. He would serve until his death in 1913, having given the last 24 years of his life to St. Paul's parish. Fr. Zigrang was buried in the parish cemetery. J.H. Schilmoeller was assigned as pastor of St. Paul's in August 1913. He would be another long-term priest of the parish, who served 39 years at St. Paul's. During his tenure the church was enlarged. He also directed the construction of a Sisters' Home in 1914. This particular convent was the first one in Iowa in which every nun had her own private room. This 54x44-foot building had 29 rooms. Postwar years In 1956, because of its great size and beauty, Pope Pius XII proclaimed St. Francis Xavier Church a Basilica (among only nine other Basilicas in the USA at that time, and still the only Basilica in a rural area). School There was previously a parish school, St. Paul's School. It started circa 1874. In 2015 it had 26 students, and closed that year. By 2016 the Worthington city council was considering whether to buy the building so it could be converted into a factory. Notes External links - Hosted on Google Sites Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque Churches in Dubuque County, Iowa Gothic Revival church buildings in Iowa Roman Catholic churches completed in 1889 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Religious organizations established in 1868