About Saint Patrick · Lenox, Iowa
Saint Patrick Parish is a small Roman-Latin Catholic parish serving the rural community of Lenox, Iowa, in Taylor County in the southwest corner of the state. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Des Moines and is currently administered by Father Livinus Anweting, who also shepherds the nearby St. Patrick Church in Corning. The parish is a legal Iowa non-profit corporation registered on January 16, 1913, as "St. Patrick's Church of Lenox and Bedford, Taylor County, Iowa," reflecting its historic pastoral responsibility for the neighboring town of Bedford as well. Weekly Mass is celebrated Sunday morning and on weekdays, with confessions heard before the Sunday Mass.
- Established
- 1913
- Patron
- Saint Patrick
- Rector
- Father Livinus Anweting
- Diocese
- Diocese of Des Moines
Why belong here
St. Patrick Lenox offers a faithful, intimate Catholic community in rural southwest Iowa where parishioners can attend Sunday and weekday Mass, receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before Mass, and stay connected through the parish's Facebook page. As a smaller parish within the Diocese of Des Moines, it provides a personal setting for worship, sacramental preparation, and Christian fellowship — a place where Catholics in and around Lenox can grow as disciples of Jesus Christ in the heart of Taylor County.
Mass times at Saint Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:00 a.m. – 8:20 a.m. (before Mass)
About Saint Patrick Parish
Saint Patrick Parish is a Roman-Latin Catholic parish serving Lenox, Iowa, and the surrounding Taylor County countryside. It is part of the Diocese of Des Moines and continues a Catholic presence in southwest Iowa that reaches back more than a century. The parish welcomes visitors and is administered by Father Livinus Anweting, who also pastors the nearby St. Patrick Church in Corning.
- Address: 600 West Michigan Street, Lenox, IA 50851
- Diocese: Des Moines
- Rite: Roman-Latin
- Pastor: Father Livinus Anweting
Parish History
The parish's recorded history reaches into the early twentieth century, when Bishop Dowling of the Des Moines diocese sent the Irish-born Rev. James J. Troy to Lenox to build up the local Catholic mission. Within less than eight years of ordination, Father Troy had erected three handsome Iowa churches at Churchville, Winterset, and Lenox, earning him the title of 'diocesan church builder.' The parish was formally incorporated under Iowa law on January 16, 1913, as a non-profit under the name 'St. Patrick's Church of Lenox and Bedford, Taylor County, Iowa.'
- Incorporated January 16, 1913 under Iowa non-profit law
- One of the parish's early pastors was Rev. James J. Troy, praised as a 'diocesan church builder'
- Historic pastoral responsibility also covered Bedford, Taylor County
Clergy
The parish is currently administered by Father Livinus Anweting, who also serves as administrator of St. Patrick Church in Corning. Earlier parish directories also list Father Lazarus Kirigia as pastor.
- Father Livinus Anweting — current administrator
- Father Lazarus Kirigia — listed as pastor on earlier directories
Visit & Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach Saint Patrick at the parish address on West Michigan Street in Lenox, by phone, or by email. The parish also maintains a Facebook page where news, announcements, and spiritual content are shared.
- Address: 600 W. Michigan, Lenox, IA 50851
- Phone: (641) 333-2565
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: stpatricklenox.com
- Facebook: St. Patrick Catholic Church Lenox
Diocese & Canonical Status
Saint Patrick Parish is a parish of the Diocese of Des Moines, which is led from the Cathedral of St. Ambrose in Des Moines, Iowa. The parish is one of many small rural parishes across southwest Iowa served by the diocese. Its registered corporate agent is Jason Kurth of the diocesan offices at 601 Grand Avenue, Des Moines.
- Diocese: Des Moines
- Registered agent: Jason Kurth, 601 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50309
- Rite: Roman-Latin
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James J. Troyearly 1900s (by 1915)
Irish-born priest from Listowel, County Kerry; assigned by Bishop Dowling of the Des Moines diocese and praised as a 'diocesan church builder' for erecting the Lenox church along with churches at Churchville and Winterset within his first eight years as a priest.
- Father Lazarus Kirigia
Listed as pastor on earlier parish directories.