About Saint Joseph · Villisca, Iowa
Saint Joseph Catholic Church is a small Roman-Latin rite parish in Villisca, Iowa, part of the Diocese of Des Moines. The parish shares its pastor with St. Clare in Clarinda and Sacred Heart in Bedford, forming a tri-parish family that is administered from Clarinda, about 20 miles south of Villisca. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 8:30 a.m. in the church on West High Street, with reconciliation offered on the first Sunday of the month following Mass. The parish is supported by a bookkeeper, a bulletin editor, and a music director who keep its weekly life and liturgical music running.
- Established
- 1875
- Patron
- Saint Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Michael Acquah
- Diocese
- Diocese of Des Moines
Why belong here
Saint Joseph is a welcoming small-town Catholic community in southwest Iowa where families can worship together at Sunday Mass in a familiar setting. As part of a tri-parish family with St. Clare in Clarinda and Sacred Heart in Bedford, the parish benefits from a stable resident pastor and shared programming while retaining its own Sunday liturgy, lay staff, music director, and bulletin. Visitors can attend Sunday Mass at 8:30 a.m. and go to confession on the first Sunday of the month right after Mass.
Mass times at Saint Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- First Sunday of the month: after Mass
Overview & Identity
Saint Joseph is a small Catholic parish in Villisca, Montgomery County, Iowa, in the Roman-Latin rite and the Diocese of Des Moines. It belongs to a tri-parish family with St. Clare in Clarinda and Sacred Heart in Bedford, sharing one pastor and a common parish office. The Villisca church sits at 131 West High Street and is the Sunday worship home for local Catholic families in and around Villisca.
- Diocese: Diocese of Des Moines
- Rite: Roman-Latin
- Address: 131 West High Street, Villisca, IA 50864
- Mailing address: 300 E. Lincoln, Clarinda, IA 51632
- Cluster: St. Joseph (Villisca) · St. Clare (Clarinda) · Sacred Heart (Bedford)
History of the Parish
Catholic life in Villisca goes back to 1875, when local Catholics organized a parish and built a small frame church southwest of the town square the same year. That early congregation did not endure, and Villisca went without a Catholic church for many years. The present church on West High Street was built in 1947, and the parish was incorporated as a religious non-profit in the State of Iowa in November 1946. Since then the parish has been served from the larger neighboring town of Clarinda.
- 1875 — Catholic society organized in Villisca; first frame church built southwest of the square
- Many years without a Catholic presence in Villisca
- 1946 — Parish corporation 'St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church of Villisca, Montgomery County, Iowa' registered with the Iowa Secretary of State
- 1947 — Present church on West High Street erected
Pastoral Leadership & Staff
Saint Joseph is currently pastored by Rev. Michael Acquah, who in July 2024 was assigned a six-year term as pastor of St. Clare, Sacred Heart, and St. Joseph parishes. He was born in 1973, ordained in Ghana in 2004, and joined the Des Moines Diocese in 2023. A small lay staff keeps the Villisca church running week to week.
- Pastor: Rev. Michael Acquah (since July 10, 2024)
- Pastor email: [email protected]
- Bookkeeper: Gary Poen
- Bulletin Editor: Jackie Schmitt
- Music Director: Becky Poen
Parish Life & Ministries
Although small, Saint Joseph has a clear structure of lay ministry. The Music Director leads congregational singing, the Bulletin Editor produces the weekly bulletin, and the Bookkeeper handles parish finances. Together with the pastor they keep the parish's liturgical and administrative life functioning.
- Liturgical Music — Becky Poen, Music Director
- Parish Bulletin — Jackie Schmitt, Editor
- Parish Finances — Gary Poen, Bookkeeper
Visiting & Contact
Visitors and parishioners are encouraged to call the parish office in Clarinda for any questions about Mass times, sacraments, or bulletin information, since the parish is administered from there. Mass is celebrated in English at the listed Sunday time.
- Phone: (712) 542-2030
- Email: [email protected]
- Office (mailing) address: 300 E. Lincoln, Clarinda, IA 51632
- Church address: 131 West High Street, Villisca, IA 50864
The Villisca Community
Villisca is a small town in Montgomery County in southwest Iowa. Its surrounding rural landscape has long been home to a sparse but loyal Catholic population that has sustained the parish through periods of consolidation. The parish's clustering with St. Clare and Sacred Heart is part of a wider pattern of rural Catholic life in the Diocese of Des Moines, where small communities share pastoral care to keep weekly Mass and the sacraments available.
- Town: Villisca, Montgomery County, Iowa
- ZIP: 50864
- Region: Southwest Iowa (Diocese of Des Moines, Red Oak Region)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Fr. Ezo V. Umunrakwy, CSSp
Listed as registered agent for the parish corporation on file with the Iowa Secretary of State; served the tri-parish grouping in earlier years.
- Rev. Fr. Sylvester Okohthrough July 2024
Pastor of St. Clare, Sacred Heart, and St. Joseph; reassigned July 10 to a two-year metro chaplaincy assignment in the Des Moines Diocese. Born 1981, ordained in Nigeria in 2008, came to the diocese in 2020.
- Rev. Michael Acquahfrom July 10, 2024
Current pastor of the tri-parish family (St. Clare Clarinda, Sacred Heart Bedford, St. Joseph Villisca), six-year term. Born 1973, educated and ordained in Ghana in 2004, joined the Des Moines Diocese in 2023.