A Catholic community in Ames was established by natives of New Iberia, Louisiana, including prominent families such as the Wickliffs, Trahans, and Cormiers, who purchased farmland in the area. Because poor road conditions made attending church in Liberty difficult, local Catholics built Sacred Heart Chapel in 1897, served as a mission by Josephite priests from Houston. A second building was constructed in 1912, and a rectory built in 1915 ensured a full-time priest. The establishment of a school in 1914 strengthened the Catholic presence, and by 1929 the growing community needed a larger church, renamed Our Mother of Mercy. Mission churches were later established in Raywood and Dayton. Over the years the complex expanded to include a parish hall and education center, and since 1937 the church has sponsored an Easter Sunday rodeo. Since 1993, priests from the Missionary Society of St. Paul in Nigeria have served the congregation, and Our Mother of Mercy remains a center of church and social life in Ames.