About SS Mary and Joseph · Preston, Iowa
Ss. Mary & Joseph Parish (also known as Ss. Mary & Joseph – Sugar Creek) is a small Roman Catholic parish in rural Clinton County, Iowa, with its parish address at 3218 110th St., Preston, IA 52069. It was formed on July 1, 1993, by the merger of St. Joseph Church in Sugar Creek and St. Mary Parish in Bryant, and today serves about 82 families. The parish is part of a five-parish cluster in the Diocese of Davenport and is best known for its historic St. Joseph Church, the annual Corpus Christi outdoor procession, and its deep roots in the German and Irish Catholic immigrant farming community that settled Sugar Creek in the mid-19th century.
- Established
- 1859
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph (parish merged from a St. Mary parish and a St. Joseph parish; St. Joseph is the patron of the Sugar Creek worship site)
- Rector
- Father Robert Cloos (serves the five-parish cluster that includes Ss. Mary & Joseph-Sugar Creek; he took over the cluster in 2022 after Father Francis Odoom returned to the Archdiocese of Cape Coast, Ghana)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Davenport
Why belong here
Ss. Mary & Joseph is a small, family-oriented rural parish where everyone knows one another and worship is rooted in deep agricultural-Catholic heritage. The cluster of five parishes shares priests and ministries, so parishioners join a broader faith family that includes Assumption & St. Patrick in Charlotte, St. Patrick in Delmar, Immaculate Conception in Petersville, and Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Lost Nation-Toronto, with joint evangelization retreats, school of religion programs, and seasonal celebrations. The historic St. Joseph Church in Sugar Creek also offers distinctive traditions like the annual outdoor Corpus Christi procession and an active retreat ministry in the former 1902 school building.
Mass times at SS Mary and Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity and Location
Ss. Mary & Joseph Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish located in rural Clinton County, Iowa, with its parish mailing address at 3218 110th St., Preston, IA 52069 (PO Box 428). The parish takes its name from the 1993 merger of a St. Mary parish (Bryant) and a St. Joseph parish (Sugar Creek), and is best known by its historic Sugar Creek worship site. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Davenport and, as of 2024, operates as part of a five-parish cluster in northern Clinton County.
- Legal name: SS. MARY & JOSEPH OF SUGAR CREEK, IOWA
- Iowa corporation number 168123, Revised Domestic Non-Profit, effective July 15, 1993
- Registered agent: Thomas J. Hennen, 780 West Central Park Avenue, Davenport, IA 52804
- Approximately 82 families (2021 Catholic Messenger count)
History
Catholic life in Sugar Creek began in the 1840s when German and Irish Catholic settlers — including Henry Nurre — arrived in the area then known as Brown's Station. Nurre's wife Mary, dying of typhoid fever, asked him to donate 40 acres for a Catholic church; the deed, filed January 5, 1859, names Bishop Mathias Loras of the Diocese of Dubuque as purchaser for $1, with the land to be used for a church, school, and cemetery. A small frame church was built for $1,500, and the parish was assigned its first full-time resident pastor by 1888. In 1911 Clinton County was transferred to the newly created Diocese of Davenport. St. Joseph Catholic School opened in 1902 and closed in 1967; the building was later converted into a retreat center in 1983. On July 1, 1993, St. Joseph Church in Sugar Creek and St. Mary Parish in Bryant merged into Ss. Mary & Joseph Parish – Sugar Creek-Bryant. The merged parish subsequently clustered with Assumption Church in Charlotte and St. Patrick Church in Villa Nova, and was later joined by the parishes in Petersville, Delmar, and Lost Nation, forming today's five-parish cluster.
- 1840s: Henry Nurre and other Catholic settlers arrive in Sugar Creek
- January 5, 1859: deed filed for 40 acres for church, school, and cemetery
- 1888: first full-time resident pastor assigned; rectory built (later rebuilt in brick after fire)
- 1898/1902: St. Joseph Catholic School established and opened
- 1911: Clinton County becomes part of the Diocese of Davenport
- 1967: St. Joseph Catholic School closes
- 1983: former school building converted to a retreat center
- July 1, 1993: St. Joseph-Sugar Creek and St. Mary-Bryant merge into Ss. Mary & Joseph Parish
- Cluster later expanded to include Charlotte, Villa Nova, Petersville, Delmar, and Lost Nation
The Sugar Creek Worship Site and Its Distinctive Traditions
St. Joseph Church in Sugar Creek is the historic worship site of the parish and the spiritual heart of the Ss. Mary & Joseph community. The church is used for Sunday and weekday Mass, weddings, funerals, and special devotions. Among its most distinctive traditions is the annual Corpus Christi procession, which for decades has wound through the church grounds with four stops at outdoor chapels. In 2021, during the diocesan Year of St. Joseph, the parish refreshed its identity as a St. Joseph site: a new statue of St. Joseph was dedicated at the entrance to the church grounds on October 31, 2021, by Father Francis Odoom, and bears the inscription "St. Joseph, Pray for Us." It stands behind a memorial to 18-year-old Daryl Burken, who died of leukemia in 1969. The entrance sign was also repainted and new brickwork completed in St. Joseph's memory.
- St. Joseph Church, Sugar Creek – principal worship site
- Annual Corpus Christi outdoor procession (four chapel stops)
- Memorial to Daryl Burken (d. 1969)
- New St. Joseph statue dedicated October 31, 2021
The Five-Parish Cluster
Ss. Mary & Joseph is one of five parishes in a northern Clinton County cluster that shares priests and ministries. The other parishes in the cluster are Assumption & St. Patrick in Charlotte, Immaculate Conception in Petersville, St. Patrick in Delmar, and Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Lost Nation-Toronto. The cluster's pastors — most recently Father Francis Odoom (2021–2022) and now Father Robert Cloos (2022–present) — are responsible for the spiritual care of all five communities. The cluster operates a joint evangelization team and collaborates on retreats, school of religion programs, and events designed to keep young people active in the Church. Father Cloos was profiled by The Catholic Messenger in August 2024 for his collaborative approach to serving multiple rural parishes.
- Assumption & St. Patrick Parish – Charlotte
- Immaculate Conception Parish – Petersville
- St. Patrick Parish – Delmar
- Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish – Lost Nation-Toronto
- Joint evangelization team across the cluster
- Joint retreats and youth ministry events
Clergy and Leadership
The parish is pastored by Father Robert Cloos as part of the five-parish northern Clinton County cluster. Father Cloos took over leadership of the cluster in mid-2022, succeeding Father Francis Odoom, who was assigned to Ss. Mary & Joseph in 2021 along with the other four cluster parishes before returning to his home Archdiocese of Cape Coast, Ghana in June 2022. Thomas J. Hennen serves as the registered legal agent for SS. Mary & Joseph of Sugar Creek, Iowa, on file with the Iowa Secretary of State.
- Father Robert Cloos – current cluster pastor (since 2022)
- Father Francis Odoom – pastor 2021–2022; ordained 2005; completed DBA at St. Ambrose University; returned to Ghana June 30, 2022
- Thomas J. Hennen – registered agent
Mass and Liturgy
Ss. Mary & Joseph offers weekend and weekday Mass in the Roman Rite. Public directories list Sunday Mass at 10:00 AM at the parish and note that 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays of the month are celebrated at 11:00 AM in Latin. The parish is part of a cluster, so specific weekly Mass assignments rotate among the cluster's worship sites.
- Sunday 10:00 AM (English) – per Catholic Church Directory listing
- 1st, 3rd, 5th Sundays 11:00 AM (Latin) – per masstime.us
- Cluster rotates daily and weekend Mass across the five worship sites
Sacraments, Devotions, and Education
The parish celebrates the sacraments of the Roman Rite, including weddings, funerals, baptisms, and First Communion, in keeping with diocesan norms. Its devotional life is anchored by the annual Corpus Christi procession and the feast of St. Joseph (March 19). The former 1902 St. Joseph Catholic School building, converted in 1983 into a retreat center, continues to serve as a spiritual resource for the parish and the wider cluster.
- Feast of St. Joseph celebrated annually on March 19
- Annual Corpus Christi outdoor procession with four chapel stops
- Retreat center ministry in the former 1902 school building
- Cluster-wide religious education / school of religion
Contact and Practical Information
Parishioners and visitors can reach Ss. Mary & Joseph at its Preston mailing address and by phone. The parish's official cluster contact number is (563) 677-2758. Public directory listings also show a parish contact email. The parish is registered with the State of Iowa as a Revised Domestic Non-Profit (corporation #168123).
- Address: 3218 110th St., Preston, IA 52069 (PO Box 428, Preston, IA 52069-0428)
- Phone: (563) 677-2758
- Email: [email protected] (per public Catholic directory listings)
- Parish website (via Parishes Online, cluster listing): http://parishesonline.com/organization/st-patrick-52037
- Diocese: Diocese of Davenport
Pastors & rectors through the years
- First full-time resident pastor of St. Joseph, Sugar Creek (pre-1888 parishes were cared for by visiting priests)assigned by 1888
A new rectory was built for him; the rectory was later destroyed by fire and rebuilt in brick veneer.
- Father Francis Odoom2021–2022
Pastor of Ss. Mary & Joseph Parish in Sugar Creek along with four other cluster parishes (Our Lady of the Holy Rosary-Lost Nation, Assumption & St. Patrick-Charlotte, Immaculate Conception-Petersville, St. Patrick-Delmar). Ordained in 2005 in the Archdiocese of Cape Coast, Ghana. Dedicated a new St. Joseph statue at the church entrance on October 31, 2021. Returned to Ghana in June 2022 after completing a Doctorate in Business Administration at St. Ambrose University in Davenport.
- Father Robert Cloos2022–present (as of 2024)
Pastor of the five-parish Clinton County cluster. Praised in a 2024 Catholic Messenger feature for collaborative ministry, joint evangelization retreats, and for keeping children active in the Church.