About Immaculate Conception · Sumner, Iowa
Immaculate Conception is a small Catholic parish in Sumner, Iowa, serving the community of Bremer County in northeast Iowa. It is one of four parishes in the St. Joseph the Worker Cluster, alongside St. Peter in Clermont, St. Francis of Assisi in Fayette, and Holy Name in West Union. The parish falls under the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dubuque and currently offers Sunday and Friday Masses within the cluster's rotating schedule, along with Sunday-morning confessions. Beginning July 14, 2025, Immaculate Conception is being incorporated into the new Oelwein Area Pastorate as part of the Archdiocese of Dubuque's sweeping 'Journey in Faith' reorganization, which restructures 24 pastorates across northeast Iowa to address declining Mass attendance and a shortage of priests.
- Established
- 1884
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of her Immaculate Conception
- Rector
- Rev. Donald Komboh (listed as parish priest on the Sumner community directory); the parish is currently transitioning into the Oelwein Area Pastorate, led by Rev. Henry Huber with parochial vicars Rev. Gabriel Anderson and Rev. Isaac Boadu, as part of the Archdiocese of Dubuque's 2025 'Journey in Faith' reorganization.
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dubuque
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception offers a faithful Catholic presence in the heart of Sumner, with celebrated Sunday Mass at 8:00 AM and a Friday morning Mass at 9:00 AM, plus Sunday-morning confessions at 7:00 AM. As part of the four-parish St. Joseph the Worker Cluster — and now the broader Oelwein Area Pastorate — parishioners enjoy a wider community of fellow Catholics, shared faith formation, and joint cluster ministries such as a Faith Formation Commission, Liturgy Committee, and Social Justice outreach. The parish maintains the simple, prayerful, family-friendly character of a small-town Iowa Catholic church that has gathered worshippers continuously since 1884.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 7:00 AM (before 8:00 AM Mass)
Parish Identity and Patron
Immaculate Conception Parish takes its name and identity from the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception, one of the four great Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church and the patroness of the United States. The parish was dedicated on November 13, 1892, in honor of this mystery of Mary's sinless conception, and the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8 remains the parish's patronal feast day. The original frame church was a simple white building — 30 by 50 feet, with seating for 175 — built for the remarkably low sum of $600.
St. Joseph the Worker Cluster
Immaculate Conception is one of four parishes in the St. Joseph the Worker Cluster, an arrangement in which neighboring parishes share clergy, faith formation, and liturgical resources across northeast Iowa. The other three cluster parishes are St. Peter in Clermont, St. Francis of Assisi in Fayette, and Holy Name in West Union. Together the cluster rotates weekend and daily Masses across its four worship sites and offers confession at multiple locations each weekend. The cluster also maintains joint commissions for Faith Formation, Liturgy, and Social Justice, and produces a Cluster Pictorial Directory.
- St. Peter — Clermont
- St. Francis of Assisi — Fayette
- Holy Name — West Union
- Cluster Faith Formation Commission
- Cluster Liturgy Committee
- Cluster Social Justice Committee
- Cluster Pictorial Directory
Oelwein Area Pastorate (2025 Reorganization)
On April 11, 2025, the Archdiocese of Dubuque announced its final 'Journey in Faith' pastorate plan, restructuring all parishes in the archdiocese into 24 pastorates effective July 14, 2025. Under this plan, Immaculate Conception in Sumner is leaving the four-parish St. Joseph the Worker Cluster and joining the new Oelwein Area Pastorate. Going forward, the Sumner church will no longer host a regular weekend English-language Mass — that role shifts to Holy Name in West Union — but the Immaculate Conception building will continue to serve its community for weekday Masses, funerals, weddings, and faith formation. The Oelwein Area Pastorate is led by Rev. Henry Huber, with parochial vicars Rev. Gabriel Anderson and Rev. Isaac Boadu.
- Plan announced: April 11, 2025
- Effective date: July 14, 2025
- Pastor: Rev. Henry Huber
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Gabriel Anderson
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Isaac Boadu
- Replaces former weekend English Mass at Immaculate Conception
Parish History
Catholic life in the Sumner area began in 1884. By 1892 the local Catholic families judged their numbers sufficient to build a proper church, raising money through a fair at the Cass Opera House. They hauled rocks for the foundation in August and completed the building that same year — a 30 x 50 foot white-frame structure with seating for 175, an entry, and a belfry, built for $600. It was dedicated to the Blessed Mother under the title of her Immaculate Conception on November 13, 1892. New pews and an altar were installed in 1895 (the pews donated from the now-defunct Christian Prairie Church), and the Stations of the Cross were added the following year. The parish celebrated its centennial in 1994 with special coverage in The Witness, the Archdiocese of Dubuque's newspaper.
- 1884 — Catholic worship begins in the Sumner area
- 1892 — Church built and dedicated November 13
- 1895 — New altar installed; pews donated from Christian Prairie Church
- 1896 — Stations of the Cross added
- 1991 — Parish Profile #223 published in The Witness (Rev. Msgr. Edgar Kurt)
- 1994 — Centennial of the parish celebrated
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
Immaculate Conception has been served by a succession of priests assigned by the Archdiocese of Dubuque, most recently as part of the St. Joseph the Worker Cluster. Rev. Ralph E. Davis served as the cluster's pastor and was reassigned to the Webster City area in 2025 as part of the 'Journey in Faith' reorganization. The community directory currently lists Rev. Donald Komboh as the parish priest. Beginning July 14, 2025, pastoral care of the parish falls to Rev. Henry Huber (pastor) and parochial vicars Rev. Gabriel Anderson and Rev. Isaac Boadu of the new Oelwein Area Pastorate.
- Rev. Donald Komboh — listed parish priest
- Rev. Ralph E. Davis — recent cluster pastor, reassigned 2025
- Rev. Henry Huber — incoming pastor, Oelwein Area Pastorate
- Rev. Gabriel Anderson — parochial vicar, Oelwein Area Pastorate
- Rev. Isaac Boadu — parochial vicar, Oelwein Area Pastorate
Sacraments and Devotions
Immaculate Conception celebrates the core Catholic sacraments in cooperation with the wider cluster and pastorate. Weekend Masses, weekday Masses, and regular Sunday-morning confessions are offered at the church itself; baptisms, marriages, funerals, First Eucharist, and Confirmation are arranged through the parish office in coordination with cluster and archdiocesan programs. The parish's Marian identity is reflected in its very name, with the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (December 8) as the annual patronal feast.
- Sunday Mass — 8:00 AM
- Friday Mass — 9:00 AM
- Sunday Confession — 7:00 AM
- Baptism by arrangement
- Marriage preparation
- Funerals
- First Eucharist and Confirmation via cluster faith formation
- Patronal Feast: December 8
Visiting and Contact
Immaculate Conception Church is located at 404 West 1st Street in Sumner, Iowa 50674. The parish telephone line is (563) 578-8227. Visitors and parishioners are encouraged to consult the current St. Joseph the Worker Cluster website for the latest Mass and confession schedule, the weekly bulletin, and any cluster-wide announcements. As of July 2025, parishioners are also being directed toward the new Oelwein Area Pastorate website (maryicjoseph.org) for the reorganized schedule and contacts.
- Address: 404 W 1st Street, Sumner, IA 50674
- Phone: (563) 578-8227
- Current website: stjosephtheworkercluster.com
- Future website (post-July 2025): maryicjoseph.org
- Archdiocese: dbqarch.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Ralph E. Davis
Recent pastor of the St. Joseph the Worker Cluster that included Immaculate Conception; reassigned by the Archdiocese of Dubuque to the Webster City area in 2025 as part of the 'Journey in Faith' restructuring.
- Rev. Donald Komboh
Listed as the parish priest for Immaculate Conception, Sumner, on the community directory.