About St. Agatha · Howard, South Dakota
St. Agatha is a Roman Catholic parish in Howard, South Dakota, the county seat of Miner County. Founded in 1882 and part of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, the parish is clustered with St. Thomas Aquinas in Madison and St. William of Vercelli in Ramona to form the Holy Family Pastorate. Today the faith community worships at 202 West Washington Avenue under the pastoral care of Father Anthony Urban, with Deacon Phillip Carlson assisting. The parish offers Sunday and weekday Mass along with regular Sunday confessions, continuing a Catholic presence in Howard that stretches back more than 140 years.
- Established
- 1882
- Patron
- St. Agatha of Sicily
- Rector
- Rev. Anthony Urban
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux Falls
Why belong here
St. Agatha offers a small-town, family-sized Catholic community where the faithful can know one another and be known. Sunday Mass at 8:30 a.m. and a weekly Friday Mass give parishioners regular access to the Eucharist, with confessions heard each Sunday morning before Mass. As part of the three-parish Holy Family Pastorate (with Madison and Ramona), St. Agatha shares pastoral and sacramental resources across the region, while Deacon Phillip Carlson — ordained in May 2024 — strengthens ministry to the homebound and to liturgical life.
Mass times at St. Agatha
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:45 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.
St. Agatha Parish — Overview
St. Agatha Parish serves the small prairie community of Howard, the county seat of Miner County, South Dakota. Listed in diocesan and reference directories under the Diocese of Sioux Falls, the parish traces its origins to 1882, just a year after Howard itself was founded along the Southern Minnesota Railway. The mailing address is PO Box 100, Howard, SD 57349-0100, and the worship site sits at 202 West Washington Avenue.
- Parish name: St. Agatha
- City: Howard, Miner County, South Dakota
- Diocese: Sioux Falls
- Founded: 1882
- Worship site: 202 W. Washington Ave., Howard, SD 57349
History of the Parish
St. Agatha is one of the founding religious institutions of Howard. The original wooden church stood on the corner of North Section Line and Park Street, and the parish operated St. Agatha School for much of the 20th century. After the school closed, the building was renovated into the present church in the mid-1970s, and the old wooden church was torn down — though its bell was preserved and set up in the north parking lot as a historical marker. GCatholic catalogs the parish's founding year as 1882, making it one of the earliest Catholic communities in this part of the Diocese of Sioux Falls.
- 1882 — Parish founded in Howard, per GCatholic.
- Original wooden church located at N. Section Line and Park Street.
- 1955 — New gymnasium and school building constructed.
- 1956 — St. Agatha School won the South Dakota Catholic state basketball tournament.
- 1962 — Catholic grade school closed; students transferred to Howard High School.
- 1966 — Catholic high school closed.
- Mid-1970s — Old school building renovated into current church; original wooden church demolished.
- Original church bell preserved and displayed in the north parking lot.
St. Agatha School
For most of the 20th century, St. Agatha Parish ran a Catholic school that served both grade-school and high-school students. The school was a fixture of parish and community life, and in 1956 its basketball team captured the South Dakota Catholic state championship. The grade school closed in 1962, with students moving to Howard High School, and the Catholic high school closed its doors in 1966, ending the parish's century of formal Catholic education.
- Operated a Catholic grade school and high school during the 20th century.
- 1955 gymnasium and school building replaced the older facility.
- Grade school closed 1962; high school closed 1966.
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
St. Agatha is currently served by Father Anthony Urban as pastor, supported by Deacon Phillip Carlson. Deacon Carlson is originally from Rosholt, South Dakota, has lived in Brookings since 1995, has three brothers, and was ordained a permanent deacon on May 30, 2024. He is assigned to the Holy Family Pastorate, which includes St. Agatha along with parishes in Madison and Ramona.
- Pastor: Rev. Anthony Urban
- Deacon: Phillip Carlson (ordained May 30, 2024)
- Parish office phone: (605) 772-4543
- Parish email: [email protected]
Holy Family Pastorate
St. Agatha is part of the Holy Family Pastorate of the Diocese of Sioux Falls. The pastorate links three Catholic parishes in northeast South Dakota — St. Agatha in Howard, St. Thomas Aquinas in Madison, and St. William of Vercelli in Ramona — sharing clergy, sacramental scheduling, and pastoral resources across the region.
- St. Agatha (Howard)
- St. Thomas Aquinas (Madison)
- St. William of Vercelli (Ramona)
Contact, Address, and Parish Office
The parish office can be reached by phone, fax, or email. The mailing address is a PO Box, while the church itself is on West Washington Avenue in downtown Howard, the county seat of Miner County.
- Church address: 202 W. Washington Ave., Howard, SD 57349
- Mailing address: PO Box 100, Howard, SD 57349-0100
- Phone: (605) 772-4543
- Fax: (605) 772-5179
- Email: [email protected]
Diocese of Sioux Falls
St. Agatha is one of the parishes of the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls, which serves the eastern half of South Dakota. The diocesan chancery is at 523 N. Duluth Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57104, and can be reached at (605) 334-9861. The parish is listed on the diocesan directory at sfcatholic.org alongside the rest of the dioceses's parishes and pastorates.
- Diocese of Sioux Falls
- Chancery Office: 523 N. Duluth Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57104
- Diocesan phone: (605) 334-9861