About Church of St Mary · Nichols, Iowa
The Church of St. Mary in Nichols, Iowa is a historic Catholic parish founded in 1874 in the small community then known as Nichols Station, serving a founding community of predominantly Dutch, German and Irish Catholic families in rural Muscatine County. Today the parish belongs to the Sts. Mary and Joseph Cluster, joining with St. Joseph in Hills and St. Mary in Lone Tree under one pastor, and forms part of the Diocese of Davenport. Its present brick Gothic Revival church, completed in 1920 after the original was destroyed by fire, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2022, making St. Mary's a living landmark as well as a worshiping community.
- Established
- 1874
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (parish name: Church of St. Mary)
- Rector
- Father David Paintsil (Parochial Administrator of the Sts. Mary and Joseph Cluster since July 1, 2024)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Davenport
Why belong here
St. Mary's Nichols offers the kind of small, multigenerational parish community that has sustained rural Iowa Catholics since 1874: a historic Gothic Revival sanctuary on the National Register of Historic Places, a working Parish Council and Altar and Rosary Society, an active CCD/religious education program for school-age children, a parish choir joined by twelve families who bring forward the bread and wine each Sunday, and a sister-parish bond with Our Lady of Lourdes in Zorange, Haiti that has sent volunteers to ServeHaiti's medical and educational mission and funded a community well. Confession is heard every Sunday morning before Mass, and the parish shares faith-formation and sacramental preparation with St. Mary, Lone Tree and St. Joseph, Hills under one pastor.
Mass times at Church of St Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday, 7:30 – 7:50 a.m. at St. Mary, Nichols
- Saturday, 3:30 – 3:50 p.m. at St. Mary, Lone Tree
- Sunday, 9:30 – 9:50 a.m. at St. Joseph, Hills
About the Sts. Mary and Joseph Cluster
The Church of St. Mary in Nichols is one of three parishes in the Sts. Mary and Joseph Cluster, joined with St. Joseph in Hills (added in 2010) and St. Mary in Lone Tree. The cluster shares one pastor, one parish staff, one bulletin, one website (stsmaryjoseph.com) and a Cluster Parish Office at 209 Brady Street, PO Box 187, Hills, Iowa 52235-0187 (319-679-2271). The cluster's mission statement reads: 'We at St. Mary & Joseph Parishes strive for a deeper encounter with Jesus Christ through Scripture and Sacraments, in order to form missionary disciples and send them forth to transform the world.'
- St. Mary, Nichols — Sunday Mass 8:00 a.m.
- St. Mary, Lone Tree — Sunday Mass 10:00 a.m.
- St. Joseph, Hills — Saturday Vigil Mass 4:00 p.m.
- Cluster Parish Office: 209 Brady Street, PO Box 187, Hills, IA 52235-0187, 319-679-2271
History of St. Mary, Nichols
St. Mary's was founded in 1874 by Dutch, German and Irish Catholic families who had previously traveled to Iowa City, Davenport or Muscatine for Mass. A bequest from town founder Samuel Nichols supplied half the brick for the first modest church. After the Diocese of Davenport was created in 1881, the parish became part of it. A larger brick church was dedicated in 1904 and destroyed by fire (defective wiring) in 1920; the present Gothic Revival brick church was completed that same year on the surviving old walls. The parish paid off the $11,800 fire debt by 1944, weathered a lightning strike to the steeple in 1953, built a parish hall in 1955–56, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2022. The parish is described in detail in the 1884–1984 centennial book from which most of the early history is drawn.
- Founded 17 September 1874; first resident pastor Rev. William Purcell, March 1877
- 1904 brick church built (40×77 ft, 100-ft tower with gold-leaf cross, $18,000)
- 1920 fire destroyed 1904 church; present Gothic Revival church rebuilt on surviving walls ($30,699)
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 19 September 2022 (NRHP #100008198)
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Religious-education classes are coordinated across the three-parish cluster by Director of Faith Formation Mrs. Nancy Waldschmidt (319-331-2077; [email protected]). The 2024–25 program began on Saturday, 21 September 2024 at St. Mary, Lone Tree and Sunday, 22 September 2024 at St. Joseph, Hills. The parish also historically hosts week-long summer religious-education classes taught by the Franciscan Sisters of Clinton, Iowa. Inquiry classes for OCIA (formerly RCIA) begin in September; those interested should contact Father David or Carol Kaalberg.
- Director of Faith Formation: Mrs. Nancy Waldschmidt (319-331-2077, [email protected])
- OCIA / RCIA Inquiry classes — begin in September, contact Father David or Carol Kaalberg
- 2024–25 Religious Education Class Registration Form posted on the parish website
Parish Ministries and Organizations
St. Mary's has long-standing lay organizations and a working Parish Council and Finance Council. The Altar and Rosary Society is the parish women's group, and twelve families from the parish regularly bring forward the bread and wine each Sunday and join the St. Mary's choir to complete the liturgy. Bulletins and council meeting minutes are posted on the parish website.
- Parish Council
- Finance Council
- Altar and Rosary Society
- Parish Choir
- 12 families providing bread and wine each Sunday
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the seven Catholic sacraments, with confession heard before Sunday Mass. Anointing of the Sick and other pastoral sacraments are arranged through Father David Paintsil. Sacramental preparation for baptism, first Communion, confirmation and marriage is coordinated through the Cluster Parish Office. OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) Inquiry classes begin each September for adults seeking to enter the Catholic Church.
- Reconciliation: Sundays 7:30–7:50 a.m. at St. Mary, Nichols
- Anointing of the Sick: contact the parish
- OCIA / RCIA Inquiry: contact Father David or Carol Kaalberg
- Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage: contact the Cluster Parish Office
Our Lady of Lourdes, Haiti — Sister Parish
The cluster's sister parish is Our Lady of Lourdes in Zorange, Haiti. For several years the cluster has sent a lay volunteer to Haiti to work with ServeHaiti at the St. Vincent de Paul Clinic in Grand Bois and at the sister parish. Cluster ladies have sewn for Haitian children, and the parishes once funded the digging of a community well. Haiti is kept in the prayers of the cluster.
- Sister parish: Our Lady of Lourdes, Zorange, Haiti
- Mission partner: ServeHaiti, Grand Bois, Haiti
- Medical/educational mission at St. Vincent de Paul Clinic, Grand Bois
Buildings, Cemetery and Grounds
The historic 1920 Gothic Revival brick church stands as the centerpiece of the parish campus. A 38-by-90-foot cinderblock parish hall with cooking and meeting facilities was built in 1955–56 with approximately 600 days of donated parish labor and dedicated on 31 January 1956. The present rectory, northwest of the church across the street, was the former home of John and Agnes O'Brien Foley, given to the parish through their will and re-wired and re-sided in 1976. A parish cemetery — St. Mary's Cemetery, Nichols — is associated with the parish and is documented in local Muscatine County histories.
- 1920 Gothic Revival brick church (NRHP #100008198)
- 1955–56 parish/community hall (dedicated 31 January 1956)
- Rectory (former Foley home, given to the parish by will, re-sided 1976)
- St. Mary's Cemetery, Nichols (Pike Township, Muscatine County)
Contact and Visiting
Parishioners and visitors are encouraged to contact the Cluster Parish Office in Hills for any need. The parish's mailing and physical addresses, phone, and staff emails are all published on the Contact Us page of stsmaryjoseph.com. Maps and directions for all three parishes are published under the Maps tab.
- Cluster Parish Office: 209 Brady Street, PO Box 187, Hills, Iowa 52235-0187
- Phone: 319-679-2271
- St. Mary, Nichols: 201 Short Street, Nichols, IA 52766
- St. Mary, Lone Tree: 216 W. Jayne Street, Lone Tree, IA 52755
- Father David Paintsil: [email protected]
- Mrs. Carol Kaalberg: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Nicholas Duggan1876 (and earlier, serving also Wilton)
Pastor of St. Mary's Wilton who also shepherded Nichols Station and sent the petition that won a resident priest
- Rev. William Purcell1877 – first resident pastor
First resident pastor, arriving March 1877
- Rev. Robert Nolanbefore July 1901
Deceased; preceded his brother as pastor of Nichols
- Rev. M. F. Nolansucceeded brother in July 1901; led 1904 rebuilding
Directed construction of the second St. Mary's Church, dedicated 30 October 1904
- Rev. M. W. Kissneafter 1920 fire
Led rebuilding of the present Gothic Revival church on the surviving old walls
- Rev. T. P. Colemansix years after 1920
Worked down the fire debt; final $1,400 retired in 1944
- Rev. L. J. Vogelthrough 1956 dedication
Pastored during the 1955–56 building of the parish hall
- Father Sullivan1969–1979
Also had charge of Columbus Junction and Ardon
- Father Walter Helms1979–
Also served St. Joseph's, Columbus Junction and St. Malachy's, Ardon
- Father Bill KneemillerAugust 2010
Assigned as pastor of the new three-parish cluster when St. Joseph Hills was added
- Father Michael Spiekermeier2012 – June 30, 2021
Retired from priest ministry June 30, 2021
- Father Hai DinhJuly 1, 2021 – June 30, 2024
Immediate predecessor in the cluster
- Father David PaintsilJuly 1, 2024 – present
Current Parochial Administrator