About Saint Joseph · Earling, Iowa
Saint Joseph Catholic Church is a small, family-style parish in the rural community of Earling, Iowa, in the Diocese of Des Moines. It is partnered with neighboring St. Peter Parish in Defiance and shares a pastor, staff, religious education program, and weekend Mass rotation between the two church towns. The parish is rooted in the late-19th-century German Catholic immigration to Shelby County and today reaches beyond its walls through livestreamed Masses on Facebook and YouTube.
- Established
- 1887
- Patron
- Saint Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Andrew Windschitl
- Diocese
- Diocese of Des Moines
Why belong here
St. Joseph's is a close-knit rural parish where members know one another by name and worship together in a historic 1892 church set in the rolling Shelby County countryside. Faith formation is offered for K–12 through the joint Sts. Peter & Joseph program, weekday and weekend Masses are celebrated multiple times each week (with live streaming for the homebound), and the parish is paired with St. Peter's in Defiance so families have two welcoming congregations to call home.
Mass times at Saint Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before Saturday Mass, 3:15–3:45 p.m. (or by appointment)
- Diocese listing also notes First Saturday Mass at 9 a.m.
History of St. Joseph Parish
Founded in 1887 by German-Catholic immigrants and served from the start by Rev. Joseph B. Hummert, the parish built its first church-school-parsonage in 1887, opened the Catholic school in 1886, and dedicated the present brick church — modeled on the Breda, Iowa church — on December 13, 1892. A Franciscan Sisters' convent and a larger three-story school were added in the following decades; the church was expanded to its current configuration in 1918. The parish is also indelibly associated with the famous 1928 exorcism carried out in its convent.
- 1885: Rev. Joseph B. Hummert assigned to Earling, Portsmouth, and Panama missions
- 1886: Catholic school opens with fifteen pupils and teacher Katherine Golobitz
- 1887: First combined church-school-parsonage completed
- 1889: Brick convent/school built for the Franciscan Sisters
- December 13, 1892: Present church dedicated under the patronage of St. Joseph
- 1918: Church expanded into present configuration; three-story school built
- 1928: Earling exorcism at the parish convent
The 1928 Earling Exorcism
For twenty-three days in 1928, Capuchin Father Theophilus Riesinger performed an exorcism on a woman recorded under several names (Emma Schmidt, Anna Ecklund, 'Mary') in the Franciscan Sisters' convent that stood on the St. Joseph parish lot. St. Joseph's pastor at the time, Father Joseph Steiger, assisted and later gave testimony of the events. The account was translated into English by Father Celestine Kapsner and published as Begone Satan! (1935), one of the best-known sources William Peter Blatty drew on for The Exorcist.
- Location: Franciscan Sisters' Convent on the St. Joseph parish grounds, since demolished
- Exorcist: Fr. Theophilus Riesinger, O.F.M. Cap. (1868–1941)
- Assisting pastor: Fr. Joseph Steiger
- Published English account: Begone Satan! (1935), translated by Fr. Celestine Kapsner, O.S.B.
- Cultural legacy: a key source for William Peter Blatty's novel The Exorcist (1971)
Parish Staff
St. Joseph and St. Peter in Defiance share a pastor and support staff, with parish offices open several days a week in each town. Father Windschitl can be reached at [email protected].
- Rev. Andrew Windschitl — Pastor (St. Joseph Earling & St. Peter Defiance); [email protected]
- Mary Gross — Business Manager / Religious Education
- Dianne Goeres — Property Care (St. Peter's); (712) 269-7694
- Adam Goeres — Property Care (St. Peter's); (712) 269-7694
- Emergency line for a priest: (712) 747-2461
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The Sts. Peter & Joseph religious education program serves school-age and high-school youth from both parishes. Classes meet Wednesday evenings during the school year, with separate meeting locations for the younger and older students.
- Program year: September 10 to April 22, 2026
- Class time: 6:30–7:30 p.m.
- Grades K–8 meet at St. Peter, Defiance
- Grades 10–12 meet at St. Joseph, Earling
- Coordinator: Mary Gross (contact during office hours)
Sacraments & Pastoral Care
Sacramental preparation for youth runs through the religious education program. Reconciliation is offered weekly before the Saturday Vigil Mass and by appointment; the parish provides a separate phone line for emergencies requiring a priest.
- Reconciliation (Confession): Saturday 3:15–3:45 p.m. or by appointment
- Sacramental prep through Religious Education (K–12)
- Anointing / emergency calls: (712) 747-2461
- Diocesan listing: First Saturday 9:00 a.m. Mass
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph B. Hummert1887–1913
Founding pastor. Appointed by Bishop Cosgrove of Davenport to the missions of Earling, Portsmouth, and Panama; opened the school (1886) and built the 1892 church. Made rector emeritus June 27, 1913, by Bishop Austin Dowling on account of ill health.
- Rev. Joseph Steiger1920s–1930s
Pastor during the 1928 exorcism at the parish convent; assisted Capuchin Fr. Theophilus Riesinger and later gave testimony used in the Begone Satan! account.