Rev. F. Bergen was the sixth pastor of Holy Cross. He was the first pastor to move his belongings to Waterloo by train. (In 1985 train traffic stopped coming to Waterloo and the railroad tracks have been removed since.)

Bergen arrived on November 22, 1885 and served almost ten years. His salary was $400/year plus heating fuel. Coal was hauled from Waterloo, Burksville and Centreville (Millstadt) according to 1887 records. Firewood was also cut and brought by the members.

Deficits in the budget were quite common. In 1887, Elder Boedecker asked every member to give more in the offering to cover the debt and not have it roll over into the new year. In February 1889 a special voter's meeting was convened because Rev. Bergen was still owed $12 from his salary from 1888. At that meeting, they decided that the pastor's salary should not be the last consideration in the budget.

German was the official language used in services of the congregation and the Synod. It was also taught in the parochial schools. In 1889 and 1890 the Illinois state legislature tried to enforce English instruction in elementary schools. The same approach was used after World War I. The Compulsory Education Law of Illinois called for a child between seven and fourteen to attend a public day school for at least sixteen weeks. No school should be considered a school under the act unless the major subjects are taught in English.

The fiftieth anniversary of Holy Cross was celebrated in 1891. The only item found in the church records relating to this event was that a committee appointed for the occasion.

It is known that the Bergens had five sons and that they celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary at Wartburg. A three-year-old daughter, Clara, is buried in the cemetery. She died in 1887. Bergen left the parish July 28, 1895.

Rev. Emanuel P. Gesterling came later that year. He taught at the parochial school, but had to retire in 1900 because of poor health.