About St. Bernard · Alta Vista, Iowa
St. Bernard Parish is a small Roman Catholic community in the town of Alta Vista, in Chickasaw County, northeastern Iowa. It is one of five parishes that make up the Holy Rosary Cluster, a grouping formed in July 2005 that also includes Our Lady of Lourdes (Lourdes), Immaculate Conception (Elma), Immaculate Conception (Riceville), and St. Peter (New Haven). The parish is part of the Archdiocese of Dubuque and shares its clergy and staff with the rest of the cluster. Mass is celebrated on Saturday evening at 6:00 PM, and the parish is best known for its long Catholic heritage in the area and its community organizations such as the Rosary Society and Knights of Columbus Marion Council #4144.
- Established
- 1897
- Patron
- Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
- Rector
- Rev. Telesphore Dusabe
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Dubuque
Why belong here
St. Bernard's is a welcoming small-town parish where families still know one another and where Catholic identity has been nurtured for more than 125 years. The parish shares its pastor and faith-formation team with four neighboring parishes in the Holy Rosary Cluster, so members have access to RCIA, combined religious education (grades 1–12, Wednesday evenings at Lourdes), youth ministry, and shared liturgy preparation across the cluster. Active lay organizations — the Rosary Society, Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women, Knights of Columbus Marion Council #4144, St. John's Court of the Catholic Order of Foresters No. 878, and Tri-County Citizens for Life — give parishioners many ways to live their faith in fellowship and service. The annual ecumenical Thanksgiving service and St. Patrick's Pork Chop supper are longtime traditions that draw the wider community together.
Mass times at St. Bernard
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM (per Discover Mass listing; please confirm with parish office)
About St. Bernard Parish
St. Bernard is a Roman Catholic parish in the small town of Alta Vista, Chickasaw County, Iowa, in the Archdiocese of Dubuque. Since 2005 it has been a member of the Holy Rosary Cluster, sharing clergy and staff with Our Lady of Lourdes (Lourdes), Immaculate Conception (Elma), Immaculate Conception (Riceville), and St. Peter (New Haven). Saturday evening Mass at 6:00 PM is the regular weekly celebration for the Alta Vista community.
- Type: Roman Catholic parish
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Dubuque
- Cluster: Holy Rosary Cluster (formed July 2005)
- Weekly Mass: Saturday 6:00 PM
Parish History
Before 1897, Alta Vista's Catholics traveled to Elma or North Washington for worship. After they petitioned Archbishop John Hennessy, Father Francis J. Gunn (pastor of Elma) supervised construction of a new church; the cornerstone was laid in spring 1897 and the building was finished by autumn. The parish was named for Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in honor of founding layman Bernard Meirick.
- 1897 – Church built; cornerstone laid spring 1897, completed autumn 1897
- 1903 – First parish school opens with 13 pupils taught by Miss Mayme Butler of Dyersville
- 1906 – Dubuque Franciscan Sisters join the faculty
- 1908 – School-convent completed; named Saint William's Catholic School for benefactor William Gardner
- 1916 – Father Joseph J. Zeyen expands school into secondary grades
- 1921 – First high school graduating class of three
- 1947 – School accredited by Iowa Committee on Secondary Schools
- 1966 – High school closes as enrollment drops to 33
- 2002 – Joins six-parish Good Shepherd Cluster
- 2005 – Becomes a founding parish of the Holy Rosary Cluster
Clergy, Staff & Parish Leadership
St. Bernard's shares its pastor and staff with the other four Holy Rosary Cluster parishes. The current pastor, Father Telesphore Dusabe, also serves as RCIA Coordinator. Parish lay leadership includes a Parish Council, Finance Council, and committee chairs for Faith Formation, Parish Life, Stewardship, Liturgy, and Social Justice.
- Pastor / RCIA Coordinator: Rev. Telesphore Dusabe
- Director of Religious Education (DRE): Chad Buckley
- Music Director: Irene Huegel
- Business Manager: Nancy Theis
- Secretary: Renee Burke
- Parish Council Chair: Chris Praska
- Vice Chair: Pat Halvorson
- Faith Formation: John Kramer
- Parish Life: Steve Recker and Rick Heying
- Liturgy Committee: Janell Swehla
- Stewardship: Dale Kolbet
- Finance Council: Rick Holthaus
- Rosary Society: Lynn Ries
Mass, Sacraments & Devotions
Weekly Mass is celebrated on Saturday evening at 6:00 PM in English. Sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, First Eucharist) and marriage are coordinated through the parish office; preparation forms for Baptism and an 8-page Wedding Guidelines document are available from the cluster website. Confession is listed by outside sources as available Saturday 5:00–5:45 PM; parishioners are encouraged to confirm current times with the parish office.
- Saturday Mass – 6:00 PM (English)
- Confessions – Saturday 5:00–5:45 PM (verify with parish office)
- Baptism preparation form available on cluster website
- Wedding Guidelines (8-page document) available from the cluster
- First Communion and Reconciliation in 2nd grade
- Confirmation: two-year program beginning in 9th or 10th grade
- RCIA coordinated by the pastor
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Youth religious education at St. Bernard's is delivered through the combined Alta Vista–Lourdes–Elma Faith Formation Program, hosted at Our Lady of Lourdes School. Classes begin the first Wednesday after Labor Day and run through March, meeting Wednesday evenings from 6:30 PM to 7:45 PM for students in grades 1 through 12. The program includes preparation for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation.
- DRE (cluster-wide for Alta Vista/Lourdes/Elma): Chad Buckley – 515-290-5867, [email protected]
- Grades served: 1–12
- Schedule: Wednesday evenings, 6:30–7:45 PM
- Location: Our Lady of Lourdes School
- Sacramental milestones: First Reconciliation and First Communion in 2nd grade; Confirmation in a two-year program starting in 9th or 10th grade
- Graduating seniors recognized at the Senior Mass
Parish Organizations & Community Life
St. Bernard's has long been sustained by an active network of parish societies and community organizations. The Rosary Society, Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women, Knights of Columbus Marion Council #4144, St. John's Court of the Catholic Order of Foresters No. 878, and Tri-County Citizens for Life all have members drawn from the parish. Two beloved annual events continue to draw the wider community: an ecumenical Thanksgiving service and the St. Patrick's Pork Chop supper.
- Rosary Society – contact Lynn Ries
- Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women
- Knights of Columbus Marion Council #4144
- St. John's Court of the Catholic Order of Foresters No. 878
- Tri-County Citizens for Life
- Annual ecumenical Thanksgiving service
- Annual St. Patrick's Pork Chop supper
The Holy Rosary Cluster
Since July 2005, St. Bernard's has shared pastoral and administrative resources with four neighboring parishes through the Holy Rosary Cluster, which serves Catholics across Chickasaw, Howard, and Mitchell counties in northeast Iowa. While each parish keeps its own identity, traditions, and council, they pool clergy, staff, faith formation, and finances for the sake of stronger ministry to the wider rural area.
- Saint Bernard – Alta Vista
- Our Lady of Lourdes – Lourdes
- Immaculate Conception – Elma
- Immaculate Conception – Riceville
- Saint Peter – New Haven
- Cluster Pastor: Rev. Telesphore Dusabe
- Cluster Office/Business Manager: Nancy Theis
- Cluster Secretary: Renee Burke
- Cluster phone: (641) 393-2520
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Francis J. Gunn1897 (as pastor of Elma supervising Alta Vista)
Oversaw construction of the church in Alta Vista while pastor of Elma
- Father Joseph J. Zeyenfrom 1916
Expanded the parish school into secondary grades; first graduating class of three in 1921