About Annunciation · Coon Rapids, Iowa
Annunciation Church is a small, rural Roman Catholic parish located at 724 Elm Street in Coon Rapids, Iowa, in the heart of Carroll County's agricultural countryside. Today it functions as a 'secondary church' of St. John Paul II Parish in Carroll, having been merged into that parish in 2021 alongside St. Joseph in Dedham and St. Elizabeth Seton in Glidden. Worship continues at the Annunciation church building, with Sunday Mass on weekends and a weekday Mass on Fridays, all celebrated in English. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Sioux City and is the spiritual home of multi-generational Catholic farming families in and around Coon Rapids.
- Established
- 1885
- Patron
- The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Rev. Patrick A. Behm (Pastor of St. John Paul II Parish, which has Annunciation Church as a secondary church)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux City
Why belong here
Annunciation Church in Coon Rapids is a tight-knit, multi-generational Catholic farming community in rural western Iowa, where the same parish has welcomed families for well over a century. The church itself was newly built in 1957 and tastefully renovated in 2010–11 with new stained-glass windows, altar flooring, and an updated entrance, so it is a beautiful, intimate place in which to worship. Sunday Mass at 10:00 AM, a Friday morning weekday Mass, the Annunciation Ladies Guild, and the broader family of St. John Paul II Parish give parishioners a real sense of belonging — a small parish family rooted in the Annunciation of Our Lady, backed by the wider diocesan family of the Diocese of Sioux City.
Mass times at Annunciation
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:30 AM – 9:55 AM (at Annunciation Church, Coon Rapids)
- Friday 8:00 AM – 8:25 AM (at Annunciation Church, Coon Rapids)
- By appointment through St. John Paul II Parish office (712-792-9244)
Adoration times
- Perpetual Adoration is offered at Holy Spirit Church in Carroll (part of St. John Paul II Parish); the chapel closes on Saturdays at 3 PM and reopens at 12 PM on Sundays. Annunciation Church itself does not host listed adoration times.
Overview of Annunciation Church, Coon Rapids
Annunciation Church is a rural Roman Catholic parish in Coon Rapids, Iowa, that traces its Catholic history back to roughly 1880, when the first Mass was offered in a local hotel room. Today the parish is part of St. John Paul II Parish in Carroll, with weekly Sunday Mass and a Friday morning weekday Mass still celebrated in the Annunciation church building. The parish sits in the western Iowa agricultural belt and serves farming families and small-town residents across Carroll County.
History of the Parish
Catholic life in Coon Rapids is older than the parish itself: Father Pape celebrated the first Holy Mass around 1880 in a room of the hotel owned by H.J.P. Mueller and Albert and Almira Brutsche, while the Coon Rapids area was still a mission of the Catholic Church in Templeton. In 1885 the community, under the Dubuque Diocese, erected a small wood-framed church seating 100. The parish formally took the name Annunciation Catholic Church on March 25, 1891 (the Feast of the Annunciation), at the close of its first parish mission, with Father James Brady as first resident priest.
- 1885 — Original wood-framed church built at a cost of $1,850
- February 4, 1885 — First baptism: Mary Stevens, by Father Schulte
- March 13–25, 1891 — First parish mission; church formally dedicated on the Feast of the Annunciation
- 1905 — Father J. S. Shanahan installs a new main altar and stained-glass windows (the altar later sent to a South Dakota Indian mission)
- 1914–1923 — Father George Wessling's pastorate; brick school built (cornerstone July 25, 1915)
- January 1916 — School opens with lay teachers Nellie Martin and Mary Schueller; 28 boarding students enrolled
- 1937 — Last boarding students leave; school eventually closes in 1970
- March 25, 1957 — Present church dedicated by Father Robert Dougherty on the Feast of the Annunciation
- 1965 — Convent built (now the rectory)
- 1966–1969 — Father Harold Cooper serves as pastor
- August 1969–1987 — Father Edward Carpenter serves; oversees demolition of old school/rectory and construction of Parish Center in 1977
- 2010–11 — Renovation of entrance, new altar-floor covering, and completion of new stained-glass windows
- 2017 — Diocese of Sioux City places all Carroll County parishes under one priest team, with Fr. Kevin Richter as pastor
- 2021 — Annunciation, St. Joseph (Dedham), and St. Elizabeth Seton (Glidden) merged into St. John Paul II Parish in Carroll
Faith Formation, School & Catholic Education
The parish ran its own Catholic school for more than fifty years. Under Father George Wessling a brick school was built (cornerstone blessed July 25, 1915; opened January 1916) with two lay teachers, later staffed by religious Sisters. The school at one point housed 28 boarding students, with the last boarders departing in 1937; declining enrollment led to the school's closure in 1970. Sacramental preparation and ongoing faith formation for Annunciation parishioners today are coordinated through St. John Paul II Parish in Carroll.
- Brick parish school opened January 1916
- First religious Sisters: Mary Eileen, Mary Theophilla, Mary Emma, Mary Hilaria
- 28 boarding students at opening; final boarders 1937
- School closed in 1970 due to lack of enrollment
- Old school and rectory demolished under Father Edward Carpenter
- Parish Center built 1977
- Sacramental prep and faith formation now through St. John Paul II Parish
Liturgy, Music & Devotions
Worship at Annunciation is celebrated in English in the Roman Rite. The church hosts Sunday Mass, a weekly Friday Mass, and a monthly Mass at the local Thomas Rest Haven care facility on the 2nd Friday of each month. Stained glass and the altar-floor covering were renewed in the 2010–11 renovation.
- Sunday Mass at 10:00 AM (English)
- Friday Mass at 8:30 AM (English)
- 2nd Friday of the month, 10:00 AM — Mass at Thomas Rest Haven
- All Masses celebrated in English
Buildings, Renovations & Notable Features
Annunciation's physical plant reflects more than a century of growth, replacement, and renewal. The 1885 wood-framed church gave way to the 1957 brick-and-stone present church dedicated on March 25 of that year; a 1965 convent now serves as the rectory; a 1977 Parish Center was added; and a 2010–11 project completed new stained-glass windows throughout the sanctuary, refreshed the entrance, and replaced the altar-floor covering. The 1905 main altar had earlier been donated to an Indian mission in South Dakota.
- Present church dedicated March 25, 1957
- Convent (1965) — now the parish rectory
- Parish Center (1977)
- Stained-glass window installation completed 2010–11
- Entrance renovation and new altar-floor covering 2010–11
- 1905 main altar relocated to South Dakota Indian mission
Sacraments
Annunciation parishioners prepare for and receive the Sacraments through the parish and St. John Paul II Parish. Sacraments listed in the parish history include Baptism (first: Mary Stevens, February 4, 1885) and Matrimony (first recorded: O.W. Paslay and Marie Seidl). Today Reconciliation is offered Sunday 9:30–9:55 AM and Friday 8:00–8:25 AM; arrangements for other sacraments are made through the parish office in Carroll.
- Baptism
- Confirmation (through St. John Paul II Parish)
- Eucharist / First Communion
- Penance / Reconciliation
- Matrimony / Marriage
- Anointing of the Sick (contact the parish office)
- Holy Orders / Vocations — contact the Diocese of Sioux City
Parish Life, Ministries & Outreach
Annunciation's parish life centers on faithful Sunday worship, the Annunciation Ladies Guild, and shared activities with the wider St. John Paul II Parish family of churches (Holy Spirit and St. Lawrence in Carroll, St. Joseph in Dedham, St. Elizabeth Seton in Glidden). The monthly Mass at Thomas Rest Haven keeps the parish connected with homebound and elderly neighbors, and the weekly bulletin carries announcements for all the cluster churches.
- Annunciation Ladies Guild — parish women's fellowship and service (meeting scheduled via the bulletin)
- Cluster Mass at Thomas Rest Haven (2nd Friday, 10:00 AM) — outreach to local care facility
- Joint bulletin with St. John Paul II Parish and the eastern cluster churches
- Shared faith formation and sacramental prep through St. John Paul II Parish
Pastoral Restructuring & St. John Paul II Parish
Since 2017 the Diocese of Sioux City has progressively reorganized Carroll County parishes. Annunciation was part of a county-wide team (2017), then the eastern cluster (2018), and in 2021 was formally merged into St. John Paul II Parish, headquartered in Carroll, while continuing to celebrate Mass in the Coon Rapids church building. Annunciation is no longer home to a resident priest — pastoral care comes from Carroll.
- 2017 — All Carroll County parishes under one priest team
- 2018 — Western/Eastern groupings created; Annunciation loses resident priest
- 2019 — Fr. Tim Friedrichsen becomes western-cluster pastor; Fr. Patrick Behm joins eastern cluster as parochial vicar
- 2021 — Annunciation, St. Joseph (Dedham), and St. Elizabeth Seton (Glidden) merged into St. John Paul II Parish
- St. John Paul's office is in Carroll at 1607 N. West Street
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Papec. 1880
Celebrated the first Holy Mass in Coon Rapids, in the Mueller/Brutsche hotel
- Father Bernard A. Schulte (Templeton)mid-1880s
Attended the Coon Rapids Mission from Templeton
- Father James Bradyfrom 1891
First resident priest; first mission March 13–25, 1891; church dedicated on the Feast of the Annunciation
- Father J. M. McAuliffe
Enlarged the church and added a sacristy; began attendance of Dedham mission
- Father J. S. Shanahan
Installed the new main altar and stained-glass windows in 1905 (the altar later went to an Indian mission in South Dakota)
- Father George Wessling1914–1923 (9 years)
Built the brick school (cornerstone July 25, 1915; opened January 1916)
- Father Louis B. Anthofer1949–1952
- Father Otto Dentlingeruntil August 1954
Then assigned chaplain of St. Ann's Hospital in Algona
- Father Robert Doughertyfrom August 1954
Led the campaign and construction of the present church, dedicated March 25, 1957
- Father Harold Cooper1966–1969
- Father Edward CarpenterAugust 1969–1987
Demolished the old school and rectory; built Parish Center in 1977
- Father Robert Fangmanpost-1987
Served after Father Carpenter
- Father Paul Kelly
Served after Father Fangman
- Father Anthony Pick
Served in the later clustering period; Annunciation was clustered with St. Joseph (Dedham) and St. Elizabeth Seton (Glidden)
- Father Andrew Hoffmann
Served in the later clustering period
- Rev. Kevin Richter2017–present (eastern cluster / St. John Paul II Parish)
Named pastor by the Diocese of Sioux City in 2017; oversaw the 2021 merger of Annunciation, St. Joseph, and St. Elizabeth Seton into St. John Paul II Parish