About Saint Mary of the Assumption · Panama, Iowa
St. Mary of the Assumption is a small Roman Catholic parish in the rural farming community of Panama, in Shelby County, Iowa, belonging to the Diocese of Des Moines. The parish traces its origins to the 1880s German Catholic settlement of the area and is one of the historic 'German Villages' of Shelby County featured on the local heritage tour. Today it is served as part of a tri-parish cluster with St. Mary, Our Lady of Fatima in Portsmouth and St. Boniface in Westphalia, and gathers for Sunday Mass each week at its church on the north side of town.
- Established
- 1885
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (under her title of the Assumption)
- Rector
- Rev. Michael Antoh (Administrator of the tri-parish cluster of St. Mary of the Assumption, Panama; St. Mary, Our Lady of Fatima, Portsmouth; and St. Boniface, Westphalia)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Des Moines
Why belong here
St. Mary of the Assumption is a small but long-standing Catholic parish that has anchored the spiritual life of Panama, Iowa for more than a century. The parish gathers weekly for Sunday Mass and weekday Mass, is part of a tight-knit tri-parish community with Portsmouth and Westphalia under a single administrator, hosts the beloved annual St. Mary's Church Picnic each June, and is connected to St. Mary's Cemetery — a living link to the German Catholic pioneer families of Shelby County. For Catholics in western Iowa looking for a faithful, down-to-earth parish rooted in tradition and rural community life, St. Mary's offers a genuine place to belong.
Mass times at Saint Mary of the Assumption
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity & Heritage
St. Mary of the Assumption is a Roman Catholic parish in Panama, a small town in Shelby County in southwestern Iowa, founded as part of the 19th-century German Catholic settlement of the region. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Des Moines and, together with St. Mary, Our Lady of Fatima in Portsmouth and St. Boniface in Westphalia, forms a tri-parish cluster sharing one priest. Its patron is the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of the Assumption, and the parish observes August 15 as its patronal feast.
- Patron: The Blessed Virgin Mary — Assumption
- Feast Day: August 15 (Solemnity of the Assumption)
- Diocese: Des Moines
- Cluster parishes: St. Mary, Our Lady of Fatima (Portsmouth) and St. Boniface (Westphalia)
History
Panama was platted in 1882 along the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway, and German Catholic families organized their mission shortly after the town's founding. In October 1885 Bishop H. Cosgrove of Davenport appointed the newly ordained Rev. Joseph B. Hummert to the Shelby County missions of Earling, Portsmouth, and Panama. A building committee in Panama erected a frame church on a hill overlooking the new settlement; that property was later traded for a better location, where 'magnificent substantial buildings' were subsequently erected by a later pastor — as recorded in the 1915 History of Shelby County Iowa. The parish was formally incorporated in the State of Iowa on December 13, 1912 as 'St. Mary's Church of the Assumption of Panama, Shelby County, Iowa' and remains an active domestic non-profit corporation (Entity No. 81227). St. Mary's Cemetery in Washington Township is the parish's historic resting place and is still associated with the parish today.
- 1885: Rev. Joseph B. Hummert assigned to the Panama mission as part of his Shelby County pastorate
- 1880s: Frame church built on the hill; later exchanged for the current church site
- December 13, 1912: Parish formally incorporated in the State of Iowa (Entity No. 81227)
- Panama platted 1882 by the Milwaukee Land Company as 'Crandall's Station'
Clergy & Leadership
St. Mary of the Assumption is currently served by Rev. Michael Antoh as Administrator. Father Antoh also serves as Administrator of the sister parishes St. Mary, Our Lady of Fatima in Portsmouth and St. Boniface in Westphalia, a tri-parish arrangement common in rural Iowa. The Diocese of Des Moines announced in its 2026 priest assignments that Father Antoh will return to his home Diocese of Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana, effective July 9, 2026.
- Rev. Michael Antoh — Administrator (Diocese of Des Moines, 2026 assignments list)
Mass & Worship Schedule
According to the Diocese of Des Moines' official parish directory, St. Mary of the Assumption offers Mass on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and on Thursdays at 8:30 a.m. Public third-party Mass-time listings suggest the Sunday schedule may shift seasonally (e.g., to 8:30 a.m. in April–June, Saturday Vigil at 5:00 p.m. in July–September); parishioners and visitors are encouraged to confirm the current week's schedule with the parish office at (712) 489-2030.
- Sunday — 10:30 a.m. (per Diocese of Des Moines)
- Thursday — 8:30 a.m. (per Diocese of Des Moines)
- Some seasonal variation reported by third-party Mass-time sites
Community Life & German Villages Heritage
Panama is one of the historic 'German Villages' of Shelby County, settled heavily by German Catholic immigrants in the late 19th century, and St. Mary of the Assumption sits on the local heritage tour. The parish is closely tied to the broader life of the town: it hosts the annual St. Mary's Church Picnic each June, featuring an auction, live music, a chicken supper, children's and adult games, raffles, and a tractor pull — a tradition that has drawn the community together for generations.
- St. Mary's Church Picnic — held annually in June (auction, music, chicken supper, games, raffles, tractor pull)
- Stop on the Shelby County 'German Villages' heritage tour
- Affiliated with St. Mary's Cemetery, Washington Township, Shelby County
Visiting & Contact
Parishioners, visitors, and those interested in learning more about the parish can contact the parish office directly. The parish's mailing address and email are good ways to reach the office for sacramental inquiries, Mass intentions, or pastoral needs.
- Address: 104 N. 2nd St., Panama, IA 51562
- Mailing: PO Box 203, Panama, IA 51562
- Phone: (712) 489-2030
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocese: Diocese of Des Moines
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph B. Hummert1885–
Newly ordained in Davenport in September 1885 by Bishop H. Cosgrove and appointed to the Shelby County missions of Earling, Portsmouth, and Panama; oversaw the construction of the first frame church in Panama on the hill, later exchanged for the present site.