About St. Francis of Assisi · Fayette, Iowa
St. Francis of Assisi Parish is a small Catholic parish in Fayette, Iowa, located at 205 Lovers Lane. Founded in 1879 as a mission church of Clermont and fostered through decades of shared pastoral leadership with neighboring parishes, it now belongs to the St. Joseph the Worker Cluster along with St. Peter (Clermont), Immaculate Conception (Sumner), and Holy Name (West Union). The parish is part of the Archdiocese of Dubuque and has served Catholic families in rural northeast Iowa for more than 145 years — with a notable history of ordinations from its own community, including a future bishop and the long-serving Father Dale Rausch.
- Established
- 1879
- Patron
- St. Francis of Assisi
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Dubuque
Why belong here
St. Francis of Assisi offers a welcoming small-town Catholic community in rural Fayette County, where generations of families have worshipped since 1879. As part of the four-parish St. Joseph the Worker Cluster, it offers regular weekly Mass, Saturday confession, and active cluster-wide Faith Formation, Liturgy, and Social Justice commissions that parishioners can join. The parish has a long history of producing priests — including Father Dale Rausch (ordained 1968) and a future Bishop of Davenport — and a deep regional identity shared with Holy Name (West Union), St. Peter (Clermont), and Immaculate Conception (Sumner).
Mass times at St. Francis of Assisi
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:30 PM (at St. Francis of Assisi, Fayette)
Parish History
St. Francis of Assisi Parish began as a mission of Clermont in the 1870s, when pioneer Fayette County Catholics were first visited by Father Eugene Sullivan, pastor of Clermont from 1876 to 1879. During those years the parish cemetery two miles northwest of Fayette was established in 1876 when Mr. Boughy donated the land. In 1879 a pastor was appointed to West Union and the first church was built in Fayette; the Fayette mission continued under West Union pastors until 1946, when Fayette and Hawkeye received their own resident pastor.
- 1876 — Parish cemetery established on land donated by Mr. Boughy
- 1879 — First church built in Fayette; first resident pastor appointed 1946
- 1967 — New church and rectory on Highway 150 completed
- 1968 — Father Dale Rausch, a member of the parish, ordained a priest
- 1979 — Centennial celebrated; pictorial history and directory published
- 2010 — Clustered with Immaculate Conception (Sumner), Holy Name (West Union), and St. Peter's (Clermont) to form the St. Joseph the Worker Cluster
St. Joseph the Worker Cluster
St. Francis of Assisi is one of four parishes that make up the St. Joseph the Worker Cluster in northeast Iowa: St. Peter's (Clermont), Immaculate Conception (Sumner), St. Francis of Assisi (Fayette), and Holy Name (West Union). The cluster operates under a shared pastor and sacramental priest model and organizes joint Faith Formation, Liturgy, Social Justice, and Mission activity. The cluster mailing address is 128 N. Walnut St., West Union, Iowa 52175.
- St. Peter, Clermont (weekend Mass Saturday 4:00 PM)
- Immaculate Conception, Sumner (weekend Mass Sunday 8:00 AM; Friday 9:00 AM daily Mass)
- St. Francis of Assisi, Fayette (weekend Mass Saturday 6:00 PM; Wednesday 9:00 AM daily Mass)
- Holy Name, West Union (weekend Mass Sunday 10:00 AM; Tuesday 9:00 AM daily Mass)
Clergy & Staff
St. Francis of Assisi is served by the priests of the St. Joseph the Worker Cluster. Following the 2010 completion of the cluster, Father James Brokman served as pastor and Father Dale Rausch as sacramental priest of the cluster. The parish shares cluster leadership for catechesis, liturgy, and social-justice ministry with the sister parishes of Clermont, Sumner, and West Union.
- Father James Brokman — Pastor, St. Joseph the Worker Cluster
- Father Dale Rausch — Sacramental Priest / former pastor; native son of St. Francis of Assisi parish
Pastorate within the Archdiocese of Dubuque
St. Francis of Assisi Parish is in the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dubuque. Under the Archdiocese's recent Journey in Faith pastoral planning initiative, the parish has been grouped into the Oelwein Area Pastorate with several neighboring parishes (Holy Name–West Union, St. Joseph–Elkader, St. Mary–Guttenberg, St. Mark–Edgewood, Sacred Heart–Oelwein, plus St. Patrick Colesburg, St. Peter Clermont, Immaculate Conception Sumner, Sacred Heart Volga, St. Joseph Garnavillo, and St. Mary Strawberry Point) under the leadership of Rev. Henry Huber as pastor and parochial vicars Rev. Gabriel Anderson and Rev. Isaac Boadu. Under this arrangement, weekend Mass is now no longer celebrated at Fayette, with weekend Masses concentrated at West Union, Edgewood, Elkader, Guttenberg, and Oelwein.
- Archdiocese of Dubuque — Journey in Faith pastorate plan
- Oelwein Area Pastorate — Rev. Henry Huber, pastor; Revs. Gabriel Anderson and Isaac Boadu, parochial vicars
Cluster Ministries & Activities
Cluster-wide commissions carry out much of the shared apostolate among the four parishes. The Faith Formation Commission, Liturgy Committee, Social Justice Committee, and Cluster Mission give parishioners ways to participate in evangelization, liturgical preparation, outreach, and formation across the cluster. A Cluster Pictorial Directory is also maintained.
- Cluster Faith Formation Commission
- Cluster Liturgy Committee
- Cluster Social Justice Committee
- Cluster Mission
- Cluster Pictorial Directory
Archdiocesan Links & Resources
The official cluster website points parishioners to wider Archdiocese of Dubuque resources, including broadcasts and the archdiocesan newsletter 'Together.' Weekly bulletins are published online at the cluster website.
- Archdiocese of Dubuque Broadcasts
- Together — Newsletter of the Archdiocese
- Weekly parish bulletin (online)
Visiting & Contact
St. Francis of Assisi is located at 205 Lovers Lane, Fayette, Iowa 52142. The parish phone (shared across the St. Joseph the Worker Cluster) is (563) 578-5366. For the most current Mass and confession schedule, parish bulletins and announcements are posted at the cluster's official website.
- Address: 205 Lovers Lane, Fayette, IA 52142
- Phone: (563) 578-5366
- Website: stjosephtheworkercluster.com
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Eugene Sullivan1876–1879
Pastor of Clermont; first priest to visit pioneer Fayette County Catholics (the parish began as a mission of Clermont).
- Father William P. Mullen1946–1954
First resident pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish.
- Father John Roskopf1954–1957
Came to the parish in 1954.
- Father Lowell J. Shekelton1957–
Third pastor; served during parish growth and building of the new church and rectory.
- Father Eugene C. Kutschcirca late 1960s
Served the parish two years.
- Father Richard Kuhn1971–
Invited Father Maurice J. Tracy to assist in the rectory.
- Father William E. Franklin1976–1980
Oversaw erection of the bell tower; later Auxiliary Bishop (1987) and Bishop of Davenport (1994).
- Father Norman White1980–
Eighth pastor of the parish.
- Father Philip Recker1984–1990
Came to Fayette and Hawkeye parishes in November 1984.
- Father John Paisley1990–1992
Succeeded Father Recker in July 1990.
- Father Thomas Schwinn1992–1995
Pastor of West Union who took on St. Francis of Assisi as the parishes were once again linked.
- Father Dale Rausch1995–2003 and 2008–2010+
Native son of St. Francis parish, ordained 1968; returned in 1995 to pastor Fayette and West Union; sacramental priest when St. Joseph the Worker Cluster was completed in 2010.
- Father John Purtell2003–2008
Pastor during interim clustering period for Immaculate Conception, St. Francis Xavier, and St. Francis of Assisi; retired July 2008.
- Father James Brokman2008–2010+
Became pastor of St. Francis of Assisi and Immaculate Conception parishes in July 2008; pastor of the St. Joseph the Worker Cluster from 2010.