Immaculate Conception

Immaculate Conception

1416 Great River Rd, Lansing, Iowa, 52151
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Mass Times

Saturday5:30 PM

Parish details

1416 Great River Rd, Lansing, Iowa, 52151
+15635384171http://icwexford.org/
Dubuque

About Immaculate Conception · Lansing, Iowa

Immaculate Conception Parish is a small, historic Catholic church in rural northeast Iowa, situated in the rolling hills of Allamakee County along the Great River Road (Mississippi River), with a Lansing, Iowa mailing address. Founded in 1851 by Irish priest Rev. Thomas Hore, who led seventeen families from County Wexford, Ireland into the valley that reminded them of home, the parish has carried its Irish-Catholic heritage and faith for more than 170 years. Today it is one of five worship sites in the Holy Family of the Bluffs family of parishes under the Archdiocese of Dubuque, and is pastored by Fr. Joseph Sevcik. The parish's signature limestone rock church — built by parishioners in the 1860s — remains an enduring landmark of the original Irish colony.

Established
1851
Patron
Immaculate Conception (the Blessed Virgin Mary, conceived without sin)
Rector
Rev. Joseph J. Sevcik
Diocese
Archdiocese of Dubuque

Why belong here

Immaculate Conception offers something rare: a 170-year-old stone Catholic church on the Great River Road, where a small rural community gathers faithfully each week in a sanctuary their own ancestors built by hand. Weekend Mass is celebrated Saturday evenings at 5:30 pm, with weekday Masses on Mondays at 8:00 am and Eucharistic Adoration on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays, all on-site in the historic Wexford church. As one of five parishes in the Holy Family of the Bluffs family, visitors can also take part in the wider cluster's faith-formation, sacramental preparation, and community events. For travelers along the Mississippi, for area Catholics, and for anyone drawn to a place where Irish Catholic heritage and rural Iowa land meet, it's a deeply welcoming parish with a pastor who invites you to 'stop by during the day to pray.'

Mass times at Immaculate Conception

Weekly Mass schedule

Saturday5:30 pm
Monday (Weekday)8:00 am
Thursday (Weekday)8:30 am

Confession times

  • Saturdays 8:00 am – 9:00 am at Immaculate Conception, Lansing (cluster schedule)
  • Saturdays 3:15 pm – 3:45 pm at St Ann–St Joseph, Harpers Ferry (cluster schedule)
  • Sundays 7:15 am – 7:45 am at St Joseph, New Albin (cluster schedule)
  • First Fridays 8:30 am – 9:15 am during Adoration (cluster schedule)
  • By appointment through the parish office (563-538-4171)

Adoration times

  • 1st & 3rd Wednesdays: St Joseph, New Albin — 9:00 am – 10:00 am
  • 2nd & 4th Thursdays: Immaculate Conception, Wexford — 9:00 am – 9:30 am
  • Every Friday: Immaculate Conception, Lansing — 8:30 am – 9:30 am

Welcome from the Pastor

On the parish's own homepage, Fr. Joseph Sevcik greets visitors personally: 'My name is Fr. Joseph Sevcik, and I am very blessed to be the pastor of our parish here at Immaculate Conception, Wexford. We would love to have you visit us. Stop by during the day to pray. Join us for a Daily Mass. Or, join us Saturday night for our Weekend Mass.' Visitors are invited to check the bulletin — published on the Holy Family of the Bluffs website — for any schedule changes, and to let the parish know where they are visiting from.

  • Mass schedule subject to change — see http://holyfamilyofthebluffs.org under Bulletins
  • Weekend Mass: Saturday 5:30 pm at Immaculate Conception, Wexford
  • Open daytime hours for visitors: typically 7:30 am – 5:00 pm

History of Immaculate Conception, Wexford

Immaculate Conception Parish was founded in 1851 by Father Thomas Hore, an Irish priest who led eighteen families from County Wexford, Ireland into the Mississippi River valley of Allamakee County, Iowa. After a failed attempt to settle in Arkansas, Father Hore met Bishop Loras of Dubuque, scouted the bluffs, and on February 22, 1851, purchased over a thousand acres at $1.25 an acre. The colonists arrived aboard the Franklin steamship on March 25, 1851, at Lafayette Landing near Wexford, and immediately built a log church dedicated on April 23, 1851 (Feast of St. George) to their patron saint. The first baptism — Mary Ann Heatly — was recorded on May 25, 1851, and the first marriage on January 26, 1852. Father Hore served as the only resident priest in Allamakee County until 1855, riding on horseback to minister to Catholics in neighboring counties and into Minnesota. As the colony grew, a second log church (also called St. George) was built, and by the 1860s it had to be replaced again. The present limestone rock church was erected during the pastorate of Father Hannon (1863–1868), built of locally-quarried stone by the united effort of parishioners under Hugh Vincent Gildea. With this building the parish took its present name, Immaculate Conception, after the original patron of the second chapel. A rectory followed in 1905 during Father Laffan's pastorate.

  • Founded March 25, 1851 at Lafayette Landing near Wexford
  • Founder: Rev. Thomas Hore, native of County Wexford, Ireland
  • First log church dedicated April 23, 1851 (Feast of St. George)
  • Present rock church built 1863–1868 under Father Hannon, with Hugh Vincent Gildea directing
  • Rectory built 1905 under Father Laffan
  • 170+ years of continuous Catholic presence in the valley

Holy Family of the Bluffs

Immaculate Conception, Wexford shares pastoral and administrative life with four other parishes along the Upper Mississippi: Immaculate Conception in Lansing (the town parish), St Joseph in New Albin, St Ann–St Joseph in Harpers Ferry, and the Cherry Mound mission. Together they form Holy Family of the Bluffs, sharing a pastor (Fr. Joseph Sevcik), one parish office in Lansing, one combined bulletin, and combined faith-formation and pastoral-council structures.

  • Immaculate Conception, Wexford (Sat 5:30 pm)
  • Immaculate Conception, Lansing (Sun 10:00 am)
  • St Joseph, New Albin (Sun 8:00 am)
  • St Ann–St Joseph, Harpers Ferry (Sat 4:00 pm)
  • St Pius Cherry Mound mission (Waterville area)
  • Shared office: 648 Main Street, Lansing, IA 52151 — phone 563-538-4171

Faith Formation & Pastoral Council

Immaculate Conception and the neighboring parish of St Joseph, New Albin share one Faith Formation Commission, formed in 2010 to combine religious-education efforts across the two parishes. The parish is governed by the Immaculate Conception Pastoral Council, which writes and maintains the parish constitution in line with the mission statement of the Archdiocese of Dubuque.

  • Immaculate Conception & St. Joseph Faith Formation Commission
  • Immaculate Conception Pastoral Council
  • Constitution aligned with the Archdiocese of Dubuque mission statement

Priests of Immaculate Conception, Wexford

The published parish history lists a long succession of priests who have served Wexford since 1851, beginning with founder Father Hore and continuing through more than thirty pastors to the present incumbent, Fr. Joseph Sevcik. Not every priest has his dates recorded online, but the complete roster is preserved on the parish's history page.

  • Founding pastor: Rev. Thomas Hore (1851–c.1855)
  • Builder of the rock church: Father Hannon (1863–1868)
  • Builder of the rectory: Father Laffan (1905)
  • Recent pastors include Fr. Daniel Knipper, Fr. John Moser, Fr. Sean Smith
  • Current pastor: Fr. Joseph J. Sevcik (ordained May 23, 2020)

Visit & Contact

The parish welcomes visitors to its historic stone church on the Great River Road. Open hours are listed as 7:30 am to 5:00 pm, though seasonal variation is acknowledged; anyone wishing to pray during the day is invited to stop in. The parish shares its office, phone, and bulletin with Holy Family of the Bluffs in Lansing.

  • Address: 1416 Great River Road, Lansing, Iowa 52151
  • Phone: (563) 538-4171
  • Open: 7:30 am – 5:00 pm (seasonal variation possible)
  • Wexford Parish alternate line: (563) 586-2150
  • Wexford Hall: (563) 586-2543

Helpful Links

The parish links page points visitors to the wider resources of the Catholic Church and the Archdiocese of Dubuque.

  • Holy Family of the Bluffs — http://holyfamilyofthebluffs.org
  • Archdiocese of Dubuque — https://www.dbqarch.org
  • Readings of the Day
  • Daily Catholic Meditations
  • Catechism of the Catholic Church

Pastors & rectors through the years

  1. Rev. Thomas Hore1851–c.1855

    Founder; native of County Wexford, Ireland; only resident priest in Allamakee County until 1855.

  2. Father Walsh
  3. Father Hannon1863–1868

    Built the present limestone rock church with parishioners under Hugh Vincent Gildea.

  4. Father McGown
  5. Father McManus
  6. Father Kiernan
  7. Father Nelson
  8. Father Cooney
  9. Father Boylson
  10. Father Hetherington
  11. Father Laffan

    Built the rectory in 1905.

  12. Father O'Sullivan
  13. Father Louis White
  14. Father Craney
  15. Father Klassen
  16. Father Tracey
  17. Father McDonald
  18. Father Al White
  19. Father Krocheski
  20. Father Kolfenbach
  21. Father Rahe
  22. Father Perry
  23. Father Condon
  24. Father Tiedemann
  25. Father Lang
  26. Father Levenhagen
  27. Father Heineman
  28. Father Smith
  29. Father Raftis
  30. Father Trzil
  31. Father Daniel Knipper
  32. Fr. John Moser
  33. Fr. Sean Smith
  34. Fr. Joseph Sevcikpresent

    Current pastor; also pastors Immaculate Conception, Lansing and the other Holy Family of the Bluffs parishes.

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