About St Ann · Long Grove, Iowa
St. Ann Catholic Church is a rural parish tucked away in Northern Scott County, Iowa, in the small community of Long Grove. The parish describes itself as a Eucharistic Community bound by faith, love, and action, celebrating the sacraments, serving one another in the broader community, and growing in faith across generations. With roots going back to 1843, it is one of the oldest parishes in what became the Diocese of Davenport, drawing families from the rolling farmland of the Wapsie River valley. Weekend Masses are celebrated Saturday evening and twice on Sunday, with daily Mass Tuesday through Friday.
- Established
- 1843
- Patron
- St. Ann (Saint Anne)
- Rector
- Fr. Joe Wolf (Fr. Joseph Wolf)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Davenport
Why belong here
St. Ann's offers the warm welcome of a small rural Catholic community with deep pioneer roots and a wide-open church building that fits its farming congregation. Parishioners are known across generations, and the parish invests heavily in lifelong faith formation — from Baptismal Preparation through Pre-K–6 Faith Formation, Youth Ministry for grades 7–12, Confirmation for high school juniors, and adult opportunities including RCIA, the Christian Experience Weekend retreat, and a New Life Club for widowed parishioners. Active ministries such as the Knights of Columbus, Music Ministry, altar serving, lectors, eucharistic ministers, and parish council commissions for liturgy, stewardship, social action, and family life give newcomers many ways to belong.
Mass times at St Ann
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish History & Heritage
St. Ann Parish is one of the oldest Catholic communities in eastern Iowa, with its roots in 1843 when Mass was first celebrated regularly on Sundays in the Tobin family home among 14 charter Irish Catholic families who settled in northern Scott County. The first church building was constructed in 1853 by those same families on land donated by two of them, and that small frame church later became the vestry of the present church. For 27 years the parish was led entirely by laypeople, with visiting priests supplying Mass from St. Ambrose in Davenport — one of whom, Father Cosgrove, later became Bishop of Davenport. Father Thomas Smith became the first resident pastor in 1870. The parish marked its 175th anniversary in October 2018 with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Thomas Zinkula and then-pastor Msgr. Drake Shafer.
- Founded 1843 by 14 charter families (Tobin, McManus, Noel, Lillis, Kehoe, Cooper, Dempsey, Elder, and others)
- First resident pastor: Father Thomas Smith (1870)
- 175th anniversary celebrated October 7, 2018
- Parish history compiled by parishioner Nancy Youngbauer
Mass & Sacramental Schedule
St. Ann's offers a full weekly schedule of Masses. Daily Mass is celebrated Tuesday through Friday at 8:30 AM. Weekend Masses are Saturday at 4:00 PM and Sunday at 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM. The Sunday 8:00 AM Mass is streamed live in the parish's Facebook Group for those unable to attend in person.
- Weekday Mass: Tuesday–Friday, 8:30 AM
- Saturday Vigil Mass: 4:00 PM
- Sunday Masses: 8:00 AM (livestreamed) and 10:30 AM
- Parish office hours: Monday–Thursday 8 AM–3 PM; Friday 8 AM–12 PM
Sacraments
St. Ann's celebrates all the major sacraments as community events. Baptisms are scheduled through the parish office and are typically celebrated during weekend Masses so that the whole community can welcome the new member. First Reconciliation and First Communion preparation begins in the fall of a child's 2nd grade year and includes Sunday morning classes plus parent/child workshops. The Confirmation program is encouraged for high school juniors and meets Wednesday evenings during the Youth Ministry calendar. Couples wishing to marry at St. Ann's should contact the parish office to begin the marriage preparation process with Fr. Joe Wolf.
- Baptism — scheduled through the parish office, celebrated during weekend Masses
- First Reconciliation & First Communion — 2nd-grade preparation year
- Confirmation — encouraged for High School Juniors, Wednesday nights
- Marriage — begin with a meeting with Fr. Joe Wolf via the parish office
Staff & Clergy
The parish is led by Fr. Joseph Wolf as pastor. Day-to-day operations are supported by Director of Music Ministries Sally Schulz, Bookkeeper Mary Woerdehoff, Office Managers/Secretaries Nancy Shannon and Jane Bergendahl, Maintenance Manager Dwight Gittings, and a pastoral council with commissions spanning Faith Formation, Building & Grounds, Church & Family Life, Liturgy, Social Action, and Stewardship. The Knights of Columbus chapter is led by Ron Sebastian.
- Pastor: Fr. Joseph Wolf ([email protected])
- Director of Music Ministries: Sally Schulz
- Bookkeeper: Mary Woerdehoff
- Office Managers / Secretaries: Nancy Shannon and Jane Bergendahl ([email protected])
- Maintenance Manager: Dwight Gittings
- Knights of Columbus contact: Ron Sebastian
Faith Formation & Religious Education
St. Ann's describes its faith formation as 'womb to tomb,' with programs for every age and stage of Catholic life. Children in Pre-K through Grade 6 meet Sunday mornings from 9:00 AM to 10:15 AM, September through mid-May, using a Gospel-centered curriculum that immerses students in discipleship and moral formation in Jesus. Youth Ministry serves Grades 7–12, and Confirmation preparation is encouraged for High School Juniors. Adults are welcomed through RCIA, the Christian Experience Weekend retreat held each January, a New Life Club for widowed parishioners, and ongoing community enrichment and prayer opportunities.
- Children's Faith Formation: Pre-K through Grade 6, Sundays 9:00–10:15 AM
- Youth Ministry: Grades 7–12
- Confirmation: High School Juniors, Wednesday evenings
- RCIA: Welcoming People into the Church
- Christian Experience Weekend retreat (January, men and women)
- New Life Club for widowed parishioners
- Director of Faith Formation: Sarah White ([email protected])
Music & Liturgical Ministries
Liturgy is supported by a Music Ministry directed by Sally Schulz, along with a team of lectors, eucharistic ministers, and altar servers. The Liturgy Commission guides the prayer life of the parish through sacramental prayer, teaching prayer, daily prayer, and retreats. Children may begin serving on the altar in third grade, trained by older adolescents who assist Fr. Wolf at Mass.
- Music Ministry / Director of Music Ministries: Sally Schulz
- Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers coordinated by Nancy Shannon
- Altar Servers: training begins in 3rd grade (contact Kathy Linderman-Hill)
- Liturgy Commission supports sacramental prayer, teaching prayer, daily prayer, and retreats
Parish Life, Outreach & Community
Parish life at St. Ann's is organized through a Parish Council with commissions for Faith Formation, Building & Grounds, Church & Family Life, Liturgy, Social Action, and Stewardship. Social Action and Church & Family Life commissions foster communication across generations and outreach to the broader community. The Knights of Columbus council (led by Ron Sebastian) and parish finance and stewardship teams round out parish governance, while Stewardship ministry emphasizes the four pillars of Formation, Prayer, and Service.
- Parish Council commissions: Faith Formation, Building & Grounds, Church & Family Life, Liturgy, Social Action, Stewardship
- Knights of Columbus
- Finance Council
- Stewardship ministry (Darla Zrostlik) — Formation, Prayer, and Service
- Church & Family Life / Family Life commission (Jennifer Rochholz)
Olde St. Ann's Church & Pioneer Village
The original 1853 St. Ann's church was relocated to the Dan Nagle Walnut Grove Pioneer Village in Scott County Park and is preserved as 'Olde St. Ann's.' Administered by the Scott County Conservation Board, the picturesque church — nestled in the rolling hills of northern Scott County — seats 275, is heated and air-conditioned, and serves as a popular venue for hundreds of nondenominational weddings each year. It stands as a tangible link to the parish's 19th-century pioneer roots.
- Located at Walnut Grove Pioneer Village, Scott County Park, 18817 290th Street, Long Grove, IA 52756
- Seating for 275; heated and air-conditioned
- Administered by the Scott County Conservation Board; reservations: (563) 328-3283
Msgr. Shafer's Christmas Village
One of the parish's most beloved traditions is Msgr. Drake Shafer's Christmas Village, which he began building in 1976 when he was a young priest teaching at St. Ambrose University. The display now includes more than 200 buildings, a revolving Ferris wheel, figurines, and a painted backdrop depicting the seven rural communities that make up the parish. About 20 staff and volunteers assemble and dismantle the display each Advent in the parish's gathering space, and it stays up until the Baptism of the Lord in mid-January. Both Catholics and Protestants visit St. Ann's to see the village, which Msgr. Shafer has donated to the parish.
- Begun by Msgr. Shafer in 1976
- More than 200 buildings, Ferris wheel, and figurines
- Assembled by ~20 staff and volunteers each Advent
- Displayed until the Baptism of the Lord in mid-January
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Thomas Smith1870–
First resident pastor; arrived after the parsonage and larger church were completed.
- Father Cosgrove
Visiting priest from St. Ambrose before 1870; later became Bishop of the Davenport Diocese.
- Father Martin McNamara
Later pastor noted in local histories.
- Father Harvey Finefeild
Later pastor noted in local histories.
- Father Lynch
Later pastor noted in local histories.
- Father Lawlor
Later pastor noted in local histories.
- Father Ryan
Later pastor noted in local histories.
- Rev. R. M. Maher
Long-serving pastor; by 1969 had served nearly 30 years.
- Msgr. Drake Shafer2009–2018
Assigned pastor in 2009; celebrated the parish's 175th anniversary in 2018. First assignment at St. Ann's was in 1968 as a seminarian teaching high school religious education. Began his famous Christmas Village display tradition in 1976 and donated it to the parish.
- Fr. Joseph Wolf2018–present
Current pastor; leads RCIA, marriage preparation, and sacramental celebrations.