About Saint Mary · Shenandoah, Iowa
St. Mary's Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Shenandoah, Iowa, serving some 185 registered families across both Fremont and Page Counties in southwest Iowa. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Des Moines and is currently led by Father Jason Lee, who was appointed pastor of St. Mary's Shenandoah and St. Mary's Hamburg effective July 10, 2025. St. Mary's describes itself with the welcome statement 'In the heart of Mary, our Parish community welcomes all people as Christ, offering a place of peace, love, and prayer,' and emphasizes an open-door welcome to members, visitors, fallen-away Catholics, and non-Catholics alike.
- Established
- 1870
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Father Jason Lee
- Diocese
- Diocese of Des Moines
Why belong here
St. Mary's welcomes anyone seeking a Catholic home — long-time parishioners, returning Catholics, visitors, and those of any background — and has roots in Shenandoah going back more than 150 years. The parish combines classic Catholic liturgical life (daily and Sunday Mass, Saturday confession, livestreamed services, monthly Mass at Accura Healthcare) with active youth ministry, faith formation for grades 7–12, Confirmation preparation, mission trips, and the National Catholic Youth Conference. Its outreach to the wider community runs through the Shenandoah Food Pantry, and the parish supports planned giving through the Catholic Foundation of Southwest Iowa.
Mass times at Saint Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 – 4:30 PM in the confessional
About St. Mary's Catholic Church
St. Mary's Catholic Church in Shenandoah, Iowa is one of southwest Iowa's historical parishes, with more than 150 years of Catholic life in the community and over 185 registered families. Located in a town that straddles Fremont and Page Counties, the parish describes itself with the statement 'In the heart of Mary, our Parish community welcomes all people as Christ, offering a place of peace, love, and prayer.' The parish explicitly welcomes members, visiting Catholics, fallen-away Catholics, non-Catholics, and people of any orientation, asking visitors to come in person and 'become a part of our growing congregation.'
- Founded 1870; 185+ registered families
- Located in both Fremont and Page Counties
- Parish mission: 'In the heart of Mary, our Parish community welcomes all people as Christ, offering a place of peace, love, and prayer.'
Our Pastor & Staff
The parish is led by Father Jason Lee, who was appointed by Bishop William Joensen as pastor of St. Mary in Shenandoah and St. Mary in Hamburg effective July 10, 2025, for a six-year term. Father Lee was born in 1995, grew up attending Waukee High School, studied at St. John Vianney College Seminary and St. Paul Seminary in Minnesota, and was ordained in 2023. Before his appointment to Shenandoah he served as parochial vicar at Our Lady's Immaculate Heart Parish in Ankeny. The parish staff includes Gigi DeSa, Director of Youth Ministry, and Tiffany Doyle, who serves both as Director of Religious Education (faith formation registration) and Website Manager.
- Father Jason Lee — Pastor (effective July 10, 2025)
- Gigi DeSa — Director of Youth Ministry
- Tiffany Doyle — Director of Religious Education / Website Manager
History of St. Mary's, Shenandoah
Catholic worship in Shenandoah began in the early 1870s when Father Bernard McMenomy of Council Bluffs started celebrating Mass in the local railroad section house. Local Catholics secured two donated lots from the Burlington Railroad and set up a building fund; the parish is formally dated to 1870. Through its first decades the Shenandoah mission was served by priests based in nearby Hamburg, including Father Frederick W. Pape (1874–1876) and Father Gerald Stack (1876–1881), who also organized mission parishes at Imogene, Red Oak, and Villisca. Father John Ryan arrived in 1882, used his personal inheritance to buy parish lots and build the rectory, and died of pneumonia in February 1884 after falling into the icy Nishnabotna River on a sick call to Imogene. Father John A. Cook moved the regional headquarters from Hamburg to Shenandoah in 1893, a rectory was added in 1898, and in 1908 the two parishes formally separated — the present church at 512 W. Thomas Avenue was built in 1909 under Father George Toher.
- 1870 — parish founded; Father McMenomy celebrates Mass in the section house
- 1874–1876 — Father Frederick Pape serves Shenandoah from Hamburg
- 1876–1881 — Father Gerald Stack organizes Imogene, Red Oak, Villisca missions
- 1882–1884 — Father John Ryan; dies of pneumonia after Nishnabotna River accident
- 1893 — Father John Cook moves parish HQ to Shenandoah
- 1898 — Rectory built
- 1908 — Shenandoah and Hamburg become separate parishes
- 1909 — Present church built under Father George Toher
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The parish runs a faith formation program for children and a youth ministry program for students in grades 7–12. Children preparing for the Sacraments are registered through Lynda Marshall/Tiffany Doyle, Director of Religious Education, with forms turned in to the Church Office. The youth ministry meets the first and third Sunday of each month, 9:00–10:15 AM, in the basement of the church, and welcomes students to participate liturgically as ushers, cantors, and lectors. Confirmation preparation is a two-year program starting in 9th grade and culminating in 10th grade, with the bishop celebrating the Confirmation Mass in the spring.
- Faith Formation registration via Director of Religious Education
- Youth Ministry (grades 7–12)
- Sessions first and third Sunday, 9:00–10:15 AM, church basement
- Youth liturgical roles: ushers, cantors, lectors
- Two-year Confirmation program, 9th–10th grade
- Confirmation Mass celebrated by the bishop in spring
Youth Ministry & Mission
St. Mary's Youth Ministry 'empowers young people to live as disciples of Christ in our world today and to foster their total personal and spiritual growth,' with a strong social-justice focus built around service to the Shenandoah Food Pantry. The program takes part in the biennial National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) — a three-day Catholic youth gathering organized by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry — and plans parish mission trips through Group Mission Trips, including a 2022 mission trip program.
- Shenandoah Food Pantry service
- National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC)
- Group Mission Trips
Sacraments
The parish website describes Confirmation as the sacrament 'by which Catholics receive a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit,' confirming the gifts of Baptism. Confirmation preparation is a two-year program for students in 9th and 10th grade that includes an offsite retreat; the sacrament is offered every two years with the bishop celebrating the Mass in the spring. Adults seeking Confirmation and families wanting to begin the Sacrament process for their children are directed to contact the parish office or the Director of Youth Ministry.
- Confirmation — youth (9th–10th grade, two-year program with retreat)
- Confirmation — adults (contact parish office)
- Children's Sacrament process — contact Director of Youth Ministry
Outreach & Giving
St. Mary's channels much of its social-justice outreach through the Shenandoah Food Pantry, supporting 'the never-ending efforts [of staff and volunteers] to assist those in need in our community.' The parish offers Online Giving for regular tithing, and planned giving is facilitated through the Catholic Foundation of Southwest Iowa, which helps parishioners make bequests and planned gifts to St. Mary's or other ministries within the Diocese of Des Moines.
- Shenandoah Food Pantry
- Online Giving
- Planned Giving / Catholic Foundation of Southwest Iowa
Livestream & Online Presence
St. Mary's livestreams its Sunday Mass on YouTube, allowing homebound parishioners and those unable to attend in person to worship with the community. The parish's YouTube archive of recorded Sunday Masses goes back to April 23, 2022. The parish website, stmarysiowa.org, also features a Facebook page for the latest news, fundraising events, photos, and parish updates, and a Website Manager (Tiffany Doyle) oversees the site.
- YouTube livestream of Sunday Mass
- Recorded Mass archive back to April 23, 2022
- Facebook page for parish news, fundraising, and photos
- Website: stmarysiowa.org
Visit & Contact
St. Mary's is located at 512 W. Thomas Avenue, Shenandoah, Iowa 51601, with the parish office reachable at (712) 246-1718 or [email protected]. The parish invites visitors to attend Mass in person, noting 'If you're looking for a church please visit us in person and become a part of our growing congregation. May God's peace be with you, and may joy be abundantly yours.'
- Address: 512 W. Thomas Ave, Shenandoah, IA 51601
- Phone: (712) 246-1718
- Email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Bernard McMenomyearly 1870s
Based in Council Bluffs; began celebrating Mass in the Shenandoah railroad section house.
- Father Frederick W. Pape1874–1876
First resident pastor of the regional mission; traveled from Hamburg to serve Shenandoah once a month.
- Father Gerald M. Stack1876–1881
Organized the parish and helped raise funds for a frame church and mission churches (Imogene, Red Oak, Villisca, etc.).
- Father John J. Ryan1882–1884
Used personal inheritance to buy Shenandoah church lots and build the parsonage; died of pneumonia after falling into the Nishnabotna River on a sick call to Imogene in February 1884.
- Father John A. Cook1885–1896
Moved the parish headquarters from Hamburg to Shenandoah in 1893; oversaw construction of the rectory in 1898.
- Father George J. Toher1906/1908–1908/1910
Pastor when Shenandoah and Hamburg were formally separated into two parishes in 1908; built the present church in 1909.