About Sacred Heart · Morristown, South Dakota
Sacred Heart Catholic Church is a small mission parish in the town of Morristown, in Corson County, western South Dakota. It is classified as a mission of St. Mary Parish in nearby Lemmon, meaning it is served by the pastor of St. Mary's rather than having a resident priest of its own. The mission lies within the Diocese of Rapid City and is one of several rural mission churches the diocese pastors across the northern Great Plains. Sacred Heart provides the small Catholic community of Morristown with regular weekend Mass and sacramental ministry through the surrounding St. Mary cluster of missions.
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rapid City
Why belong here
Sacred Heart in Morristown is a small but faithfully Catholic community in rural Corson County, served through the St. Mary cluster of parishes based in Lemmon. Visiting Catholics can expect a welcoming country congregation, regular weekend Mass in a simple mission setting, and a connection to the broader sacramental and devotional life of the cluster, which includes periodic Eucharistic processions. For Catholics on the northern prairie, Sacred Heart offers the rhythms of Sunday worship, fellowship, and prayer that have marked western South Dakota's rural Catholic communities for generations.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Sacred Heart Catholic Mission, Morristown
Sacred Heart Catholic Church is a mission parish in the small town of Morristown, South Dakota, in Corson County in the north-central part of the state. Because the Catholic population in the area is small, Sacred Heart is not an independent parish but is administered as a mission of St. Mary Parish in Lemmon, about 20 miles to the east. The mission shares its pastor and Sacramental life with the other St. Mary cluster missions at Bison and Drew, and alternates weekend Masses with St. Michael's in Watauga.
Cluster and Clergy History
As a mission of St. Mary Parish in Lemmon, Sacred Heart's pastoral care has been provided by the successive pastors of St. Mary's. One of those pastors, Fr. Brian Clare Fawcett, served the Lemmon cluster — including missions in Morristown, Bison, and Drew — from 1998 until May 2010, when Bishop Robert Gruss reassigned him to St. John the Evangelist in Fort Pierre. Fr. Fawcett, who died in October 2011, was remembered for his care of the rural missions and his involvement with local youth.
- Sacred Heart is a mission of St. Mary Parish, Lemmon.
- Pastoral care is provided by the pastor of St. Mary's and shared across the Lemmon cluster of missions.
- Fr. Brian Fawcett served the Lemmon cluster (including Morristown) from 1998 to May 2010.
Devotions and Parish Life
Like other small rural missions of the Diocese of Rapid City, Sacred Heart participates in the wider liturgical and devotional life of the cluster. The mission has hosted a parish Eucharistic Procession in conjunction with other cluster parishes, joining Catholics from across the Lemmon area for outdoor procession and Benediction. Funerals, rosaries/vigil services, and other Sacramental celebrations are also held at the church, drawing worshippers from the surrounding ranch and farm country.
- Eucharistic Processions observed with other cluster parishes
- Funeral Masses and vigil/rosary services held at the church for local families
Contact and Visiting Information
Because Sacred Heart is administered through St. Mary's in Lemmon, inquiries about Mass times, sacraments, and parish life are best directed to the St. Mary's rectory. The mission's listed contact phone number and email — (605) 374-3767 and [email protected] — reach the St. Mary's parish office, which coordinates ministry across the cluster, including Sacred Heart in Morristown and the other missions.
- Phone: (605) 374-3767
- Email: [email protected]
- Parish office: St. Mary, Lemmon, SD
- Website: rapidcitydiocese.org (diocesan page for the mission)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Brian Clare Fawcett1998 – May 2010
Pastor of St. Mary's Parish in Lemmon, with missions including Sacred Heart in Morristown, Bison, and Drew. (Ordained 1997; reassigned May 2010 to St. John the Evangelist, Fort Pierre; died October 9, 2011.)