About Divine Mercy Parish /SS Mary and Patrick Church · West Burlington, Iowa
Divine Mercy Parish is the merged Catholic territorial parish serving Burlington, West Burlington, and surrounding Des Moines County in southeast Iowa. Formed by decree on June 30, 2017, by Bishop Thomas Zinkula of the Diocese of Davenport, it unites the former Ss. Mary & Patrick Parish (itself a 1998 merger of St. Patrick, Burlington and St. Mary, West Burlington) with Ss. John and Paul Parish, Burlington. Today the parish family worships at four worship sites — SS. Mary & Patrick Church (West Burlington), St. John Church (Burlington), St. Paul Church (Burlington), and St. Mary Church in Dodgeville — under the spiritual patronage of the Divine Mercy. It is pastored by Fr. Jacob Greiner with a large lay, religious, and diaconal staff, and its families also send their children to Burlington Notre Dame Catholic School.
- Established
- 2017
- Patron
- Divine Mercy (Jesus, the Divine Mercy); historical predecessors: St. Patrick and the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of St. Mary's, West Burlington
- Rector
- Fr. Jacob (Jake) Greiner
- Diocese
- Diocese of Davenport
Why belong here
Divine Mercy is a stable, multi-site Catholic home for everyone in Burlington, West Burlington, and Des Moines County: four worship sites with daily Mass, weekly Confession, weekday Eucharistic Adoration, and a monthly 24-hour First-Friday vigil; a robust Faith Formation program for children, Totus Tuus in summer, RCIA for adults becoming Catholic, and a youth mission program; deeply engaged outreach through St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, Birthright of Burlington, Christmas Giving Tree, blood drives, and Transitions DMC homeless shelter; and a sister-parish school at Burlington Notre Dame. Membership means plugging into more than 130 years of Catholic witness in southeastern Iowa under one diocesan family.
Mass times at Divine Mercy Parish /SS Mary and Patrick Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm during Adoration at SS. Mary & Patrick Church
- Saturday immediately after the 8:00 am Daily Mass at SS. Mary & Patrick Church
- Saturday 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm before the Saturday Vigil at SS. Mary & Patrick Church
- By appointment (older bulletins also listed Saturdays 11:00 am – 12:00 pm at St. Paul's)
Adoration times
- Thursday 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, SS. Mary & Patrick Church (with confessions)
- 24-hour Adoration on the First Friday of each month, beginning after the 8:00 am Friday Mass and continuing until the 8:00 am Saturday Mass at SS. Mary & Patrick Church
Parish History
The parish is the living continuation of two great Catholic communities that have served Des Moines County since the 19th century. St. Patrick's was founded in Burlington's Hibernia neighborhood on October 9, 1870; St. Mary's in West Burlington was dedicated in August 1886; both were rebuilt after catastrophic fires (1901 and 1913). St. Patrick's and St. Mary's merged in November 1998 to form SS. Mary & Patrick Parish, and on June 30, 2017, Bishop Thomas Zinkula canonically erected the present Divine Mercy Parish — uniting it with the Ss. John and Paul parishes of Burlington — as a single territorial parish for the whole county.
- 1870 — St. Patrick's, Burlington dedicated Oct. 9 (serves Irish-American Hibernia neighborhood)
- 1886 — St. Mary's, West Burlington dedicated in August
- 1888 — Resident pastor appointed at St. Mary's; rectory built by C.B. & Q. Land Co.
- 1901 — St. Patrick's gutted by fire; rebuilt by parishioners
- 1912 — St. Patrick's formally incorporated (Apr. 27)
- 1913 — Epiphany fire destroys St. Mary's church, school and convent
- 1915 — Three-story St. Patrick's School built on Washington St.
- 1917 — Present SS. Mary & Patrick Church on West Mt. Pleasant St. dedicated Memorial Day (May 30)
- 1969 — St. Patrick's parochial school closes
- 1998 — St. Patrick's + St. Mary's merge into SS. Mary & Patrick
- 2002 — St. Patrick's suspended for Washington St. reconstruction
- 2003 — Final outdoor Mass at St. Patrick's, June 8; church closed
- 2017 (June 30) — Divine Mercy Parish canonically erected by Bishop Zinkula
Worship Sites
Divine Mercy Parish is uniquely a four-site community, a legacy of its merges. Each of the four churches has its own character and schedule.
- SS. Mary & Patrick Church — 502 W. Mt. Pleasant St., West Burlington (parish office church; daily Mass, weekday Adoration, 24-hour First Friday Adoration, Confession)
- St. John Church — 700 Division Street, Burlington (Saturday Vigil 4:30 pm, Sunday 10:30 am, Children's Liturgy of the Word, Fellowship Sundays, St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry site)
- St. Paul Church — 504 North 4th Street, Burlington (Sunday 8:00 am)
- St. Mary Church, Dodgeville — 13204 Dodgeville Rd., Sperry, Iowa (Sunday 8:15 am)
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith Formation is led by Director of Religious Education Tammy Bellrichard. The parish serves school-age children from September through May on Wednesday evenings, with sacramental preparation for First Eucharist and Confirmation. A Totus Tuus summer program and Children's Liturgy of the Word during the Sunday 10:00 am Mass at St. John extend formation for younger children. Cindy Pfeiff directs religious education at St. Mary–Dodgeville.
- Religious Education for parish children (Sept–May, Wednesday evenings)
- Sacramental preparation — Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation
- Totus Tuus summer program
- Children's Liturgy of the Word — 10:00 am Mass at St. John
- St. Mary–Dodgeville religious education (Cindy Pfeiff)
Becoming Catholic (RCIA)
The parish runs the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults year-round, welcoming adults and children who wish to be received into full communion through Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. The pastor and team members lead weekly formation; team volunteers are regularly recruited.
Youth Ministry
The parish supports youth in grades 6–12 through Catholic Heart WorkCamp mission trips and other formation events such as Holy Fire. Historical bulletins describe Springfield IL (2019) and Minneapolis MN (2018) trips, with parish youth and chaperones traveling together.
- Catholic Heart WorkCamp — annual summer mission trip for grades 8–12
- Holy Fire — middle-school Catholic faith rally (e.g., Holy Fire–Chicago)
Burlington Notre Dame Catholic School
Divine Mercy Parish shares Catholic education with the wider Burlington Catholic community through Notre Dame Catholic School, which serves Pre-K through 12th grade and is supported by all Des Moines County Catholic parishes. The school Mass schedule (Tuesday 9:30 am at Notre Dame or a designated church) is part of parish life.
- Burlington Notre Dame Catholic School — 702 S. Roosevelt Ave., Burlington, IA 52601
- Phone: 319-754-8431
- Includes Little Nike Pre-School, Elementary, and High School
- Principals: Katie Frakes and Angie Prottsman
- https://www.burlingtonnotredame.com/
Pastoral Staff & Office
The parish is staffed by two priests, two deacons, two pastoral ministers from the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and a capable office team. The Dodgeville (St. Mary) parish is served independently by Deacon Andrew Reif and Administrative Assistant Sue Nelson, with its own phone (319-752-8771).
- Fr. Jacob (Jake) Greiner — Pastor ([email protected])
- Fr. Dominic Nguyen — Parochial Vicar ([email protected])
- Deacon Gary Johnson ([email protected])
- Deacon Andrew Reif — Dodgeville ([email protected])
- Sr. Kathy Braun, SSND — Ministry to the Elderly
- Sr. Peggy Duffy, SSND — Ministry to the Elderly
- Amanda Brent — Parish Evangelization Coordinator ([email protected])
- Tammy Bellrichard — Director of Religious Education ([email protected]; 319-850-1404)
- Cindy Pfeiff — St. Mary Dodgeville Religious Education ([email protected])
- Mary Strausbaugh — Administrative Assistant / Safe Environment Coordinator ([email protected])
- Tony Miller — Finance ([email protected])
- Susan Crabb — Bulletin Editor ([email protected])
- Sue Nelson — Administrative Assistant, Dodgeville ([email protected])
Liturgical Ministries
A broad team of lay liturgical ministers supports every Mass and devotion across the four worship sites.
- Altar Servers
- Choir and Music (adult, youth, cantors, instrumentalists)
- Greeters & Ushers (Ministers of Hospitality)
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (incl. homebound distribution)
- Lectors
Prayer & Devotional Life
Beyond the Mass and Confession schedule, the parish nurtures a robust devotional life through Eucharistic Adoration, praise and prayer evenings, the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the sick and dying, and a parish prayer chain.
- Eucharistic Adoration — Thursdays 6:00–8:00 pm at SSMP
- 24-hour First Friday Adoration vigil
- Praise and Prayer Nights — Sundays 6:00–8:00 pm at SSMP
- Divine Mercy Chaplet for the sick and dying (Sr. Kathy Braun)
- E-mail Prayer Chain — [email protected]
- St. Theresa Little Flower Circle — crafts for Birthright and fund-raisers
Outreach, Charity and Social Justice
Outreach is central to the parish's vision, with ministries that touch pregnancy care, food insecurity, homelessness, blood supply, and seasonal giving.
- St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry — 700 Division St., Burlington (319-752-9332); M–F 1:00–3:00 pm
- Birthright of Burlington — 1113 S. Main St.; free pregnancy testing, referrals, parenting/adoption planning (Lisa Jennison 319-753-2702)
- Transitions DMC — 13-bed homeless shelter; 30-day program toward permanent housing (Joe Myers)
- Blood Drives — every two months at the SSMP parish hall
- Bereavement/Grief Ministry — quarterly meetings and phone outreach
- Christmas Fruit Baskets — to homebound and assisted living
- Christmas Giving Tree — parish-wide gift tags for families in need
- Cookies for Comfort — 1st Friday of each month baked for the Hospice House
Care for the Homebound, Elderly and Sick
Two School Sisters of Notre Dame, Sr. Kathy Braun and Sr. Peggy Duffy, lead the parish's ministry to elderly, homebound and hospitalized parishioners. Health Ministry meets the first Monday of the month at 10:00 am in the SSMP parish center; Extraordinary Ministers bring Holy Communion to those unable to attend Mass.
- Pastoral Ministry to the Elderly (Sr. Kathy Braun, Sr. Peggy Duffy)
- Ministers of Holy Communion to the Homebound, Hospitalized and Assisted Living
- Health Ministry meetings — first Monday, 10:00 am at SSMP
- Sick Calls — parish wants to be notified whenever parishioners enter the hospital
Parish Life and Fellowship
A wide range of social and service organizations gives parishioners of every age and stage a way to belong.
- Altar & Rosary — women's social organization
- Fellowship Sundays — 9:00–10:15 am at St. John's cafeteria
- Senior Potluck — monthly luncheon for parish seniors
- Funeral Luncheons
- Garden Angels — care of St. John's grounds
- Grotto Committee — care of the Our Lady of Grace Grotto at SSMP
- Knights of Columbus — Burlington Council; Lenten Fish Fry; monthly meetings
- Welcoming Ministry for new parishioners
- Praise and Prayer Nights
Stewardship, Giving and Cemeteries
The parish publishes a 'One Body of Christ' Stewardship Handbook laying out every ministry and contact. Direct deposit for recurring Sunday giving is available through the parish office.
- Direct deposit / recurring giving available; contact 319-752-6733
- Cemeteries — Sacred Heart (Joe Stevens 319-752-7309), St. Mary (Beverly Holmes 319-759-5523), St. Mary-Dodgeville (Paul Beckman 319-750-3900)
Safeguarding and Reporting
All adults who work with children and vulnerable adults in the Diocese of Davenport must complete Safe Environment CMG (Catholic Mutual Group) training and a clear background check. The parish's CMG administrator is Mary Strausbaugh in the parish office. Abuse involving clergy or church personnel may also be reported to the diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator.
- Iowa DHS Child Abuse Hotline — 800-362-2178
- Diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator — Alicia Owens, 563-349-5002, [email protected]
Contact and Visiting
Parish office hours are Monday–Thursday, 7:30 am – 4:00 pm. Visitors are warmly welcomed at any of the four worship sites. The most up-to-date bulletin, Mass schedule, and announcements are posted on dmcountycatholic.org and the parish Facebook page.
- Parish Office — 502 W. Mt. Pleasant St., West Burlington, IA 52655
- Phone — 319-752-6733 (St. Mary–Dodgeville line: 319-752-8771)
- Email — [email protected]
- Web — http://dmcountycatholic.org
- Facebook — Divine Mercy Parish (Parish157944747552559)
- Office hours — Mon–Thu 7:30 am – 4:00 pm
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Very Rev. Martin (Marty) Goetz, VF2017–c. 2021
Named first pastor of the newly erected Divine Mercy Parish in the June 30, 2017 decree; previously pastor of Ss. Mary & Patrick and named a Vicar Forane.
- Fr. Jacob (Jake) Greinercurrent
Current pastor; listed as pastor on the 2025–2026 stewardship handbook and bulletins.