By 1845 St. Raphael's was usually quite crowded on Sundays. In 1849 there was a number of German families in the parish. Because of the crowded conditions, and because of the challenges of ministering to them, Bishop Loras granted permission for the Germans to form Holy Trinity parish in Dubuque. The parish eventually became known as St. Mary's. In 1853 St. Patrick's Church was built 12 blocks north to serve as a second parish for Irish families. Loras, however, made it a mission of St. Raphael's so he would not lose the income he needed to build a new cathedral. This created problems between him and the local Irish community.