About Assumption · Churchville, Iowa
Assumption Shrine (also known as the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) is a small historic Catholic church in the unincorporated village of Churchville, Iowa, in Jefferson Township, Warren County. Originally built in 1859 to serve the early German and Irish immigrant families of the area, it is the oldest Catholic parish in Warren County and the last remaining church in the village. After the Diocese of Des Moines discontinued regular Sunday worship in August 2014, the building was preserved as a 'shrine,' where Mass is celebrated on a limited monthly schedule and on holy days. Day-to-day parish business is administered from St. John the Apostle Church in nearby Norwalk, and the shrine's current administrator is Father Dan Kirby, pastor of St. John the Apostle.
- Established
- 1859
- Patron
- The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Rev. Daniel (Dan) Kirby (Administrator; pastor of St. John the Apostle, Norwalk, with shrine oversight since at least 2020)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Des Moines
Why belong here
Assumption Shrine offers something increasingly rare in central Iowa: a small, intimate country Catholic church where generations of the same families have worshipped since the 1850s. Today it functions as a diocesan shrine under Father Dan Kirby, with monthly Mass on the first Sunday at 10:30 a.m., the Rosary prayed together 20 minutes before Mass, and a small, active lay community of lectors, ushers, Eucharistic ministers and musicians who keep the doors open. It is a place to pray for loved ones in historic Calvary Cemetery, to mark holy days and holy moments (Christmas Midnight Mass, Ash Wednesday, First Communions, weddings and funerals), and to belong to a parish family that 'knows everybody on a personal basis.' Visitors, especially those with roots in Warren County or in the German and Irish Catholic families who built the parish, are warmly welcomed.
Mass times at Assumption
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Advent — December 1, 5:00–7:00 p.m. at Churchville (per Dec. 6, 2020 bulletin)
- Advent — December 19 (Saturday), 7:00–9:00 a.m. at Churchville (per Dec. 6, 2020 bulletin)
- Communal Penance Service — December 20, 1:30 p.m. at Norwalk (per Dec. 6, 2020 bulletin)
- Confessions are also offered at nearby St. John the Apostle, Norwalk, throughout Advent
Parish Identity & Patron
The church is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the parish's liturgical feast is the Solemnity of the Assumption on August 15. In its current life as a diocesan shrine it carries the formal title 'Shrine of the Assumption.' Its full historical name, used in county records, is the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Churchville.
- Patron: Blessed Virgin Mary (Assumption)
- Feast Day: August 15
- Status since 2014: diocesan shrine
History of the Parish
Catholic worship in Churchville goes back almost to the village's 1854 founding. The Catholic Almanac for 1857 records 'St. Lambertus' in Churchville attended by Rev. F. McCormick, and a Father DeCailly planned a log church in the area around the same time. A Catholic church was built in Churchville in 1859 — the oldest Catholic parish building in Warren County. A second church was built in 1890 under Father Dunyan for a parish of about 90 families, and a parochial school opened in 1903 staffed first by the Humility Sisters and then by the Franciscan Sisters. That school closed in 1937.
- 1855 — first recorded Catholic mission in Churchville (Rev. F. McCormick)
- 1859 — first Catholic church built in Churchville
- 1890 — second church built by Father Dunyan
- 1903 — parochial school opened (Humility Sisters, later Franciscan Sisters)
- March 13, 1933 — church destroyed by fire
- 1941 — present church built by Father Denis Curtin, dedicated by Bishop Gerald T. Bergen
- 1937 — parochial school closed
- August 28, 2014 — final regular Sunday Mass; building preserved as a shrine
Architecture & Building
The present church was completed in 1941 after the 1933 fire destroyed its predecessor. A contemporary account in the Indianola Record described the new building as being 'in the style architecture of the early missions.' Inside, the Shrine is a small, simple country church with wooden pews, a modest altar and a handful of stained glass windows — a setting deliberately scaled to the small farming community it serves.
- Built 1941 by Father Denis Curtin
- Mission-style architecture (per 1941 dedication account)
- Wooden pews, small altar, stained glass windows
Devotions & Other Services
The Rosary is prayed in the church 20 minutes before each Mass, and parishioners are warmly invited to join in. Communion is brought to the homebound by a designated lay minister (Doug Volkmer). Like most Catholic shrines in rural Iowa, the building also hosts occasional memorial Masses, weddings and funerals by arrangement with the parish office.
- Rosary — 20 minutes before each Mass
- Communion to the Homebound — Doug Volkmer, 515-689-4564
- Communal Penance Service — held jointly with Norwalk cluster parishes
- Weddings, funerals and memorial Masses — by arrangement through the parish office
Parish Ministries & Lay Leadership
Even though the parish no longer has weekend Masses, it keeps an active lay leadership: a Liturgy/Worship coordinator, Altar and Rosary Society, Music Ministry, Finance Council, hall rental contact and money counters are all named in the bulletin with phone numbers. Lectors, ushers and Eucharistic Ministers are scheduled by name for each Mass. Day-to-day shrine business is handled by Tim Mineart, Office Manager at St. John the Apostle.
- Liturgy / Worship — Donna Hill (515-981-4324)
- Altar and Rosary Society — Judy Johnson (515-344-5131)
- Music Ministry — Kathy Bruere (515-314-2702)
- Finance Council — Dan Cassady (515-981-0326)
- Hall Rent & Information — Lorretta Bell (515-249-3965)
- Money Collection — Dennis Johnson (515-981-4598)
- Office Manager — Tim Mineart ([email protected], 515-981-4855)
- Communion to the Homebound — Doug Volkmer ([email protected])
- Mass Intentions — Jane Cassady ([email protected])
Sacraments
Mass Intentions can be requested by emailing Jane Cassady and placing a donation in the collection basket. Baptism, Marriage and Anointing of the Sick are coordinated through the parish office at St. John the Apostle, Norwalk. Children's First Reconciliation is celebrated with the cluster faith-formation program. Holy Day and Christmas liturgies are scheduled at the Shrine as they fall.
- Mass Intentions — by email and collection-basket donation
- Baptism — through St. John the Apostle parish office
- Marriage — through St. John the Apostle parish office
- Anointing of the Sick — through St. John the Apostle parish office
- First Reconciliation — cluster-level children's program
Calvary Cemetery
Calvary Cemetery, the parish's cemetery, sits about a mile west of the village of Churchville. Its first burial was in 1854 — five years before the first Catholic church was built and making the cemetery itself older than the parish. It is one of the oldest Catholic burial grounds in Warren County and remains an important part of the parish's identity and family heritage.
- Established 1854 (first burial)
- Located about one mile west of Churchville
- One of the oldest Catholic cemeteries in Warren County
Bulletin & Communications
The Shrine publishes a printed bulletin that lists each month's Mass schedule, lector/usher/Eucharistic Minister assignments, and a 'From Fr. Kirby' reflection. Bulletins from December 2020 and January 2021 are archived on the parish website, and they include the wider Norwalk-area Mass times for the convenience of travelling parishioners. The parish office at St. John the Apostle in Norwalk handles phone calls, offerings and general correspondence.
- Bulletin archives at assumptionshrine.org (2020–2021)
- Parish office: St. John the Apostle, 720 Orchard Hills Drive, Norwalk, IA 50211-9669
- Office hours via phone: 515-981-4855 (fax 515-981-9475)
From a Parishioner's Perspective
Local press coverage of the 2014 transition captured the heart of the Shrine. Parishioner Emily Cassady told Fox News: 'A lot of us go to this church because we want the smaller church experience. We like that. We know everybody there on a personal basis.' That spirit is still visible in the bulletin, where lectors, ushers, money counters and Eucharistic Ministers are named one by one, and where Father Kirby writes a personal reflection each week about history, mystery and majesty — and about the privilege of celebrating Mass in a small country church that generations of the same families have filled with prayer.
- Active lay involvement: lectors, ushers, Eucharistic Ministers, money counters, musicians
- Multi-generational parish community rooted in German and Irish Catholic heritage
- Administered in union with St. John the Apostle, Norwalk
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. F. McCormickcirca 1855
Resident pastor of St. Patrick's; served the early Churchville mission from the Dubuque diocese era.
- Rev. Edward F. Weilthrough December 1907
Made the first entries in the parish's surviving register, beginning October 1, 1905.
- Rev. J. J. Condon1908–1920
- Rev. P. J. Casey1920–1940
Long pastorate spanning the original church era and the run-up to the 1933 fire.
- Rev. Denis Curtin1940–1966
Built the present church in 1941 after the 1933 fire; served until his death by accident in 1966.
- Rev. M. A. Churchman1967–1972
A priest descended from the Churchman family who founded the village of Churchville.
- Rev. Richard L. Bergman1972–1975
- Rev. Daniel J. Clarke1975–1976
- Rev. Francis Swift1976–1979
- Rev. John Richter1979–1986
- Rev. John Lorenzfrom 1986
Listed as 'present pastor' in the 1987 Warren County history compiled by the Warren County Genealogical Society.