About St. Gabriel · Zearing, Iowa
St. Gabriel Catholic Church is a small rural parish in Zearing, Iowa, in the farming country of Story County. It is one of four parishes that together make up the Story Marshall Cluster of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, alongside St. Patrick in Nevada, St. Joseph in State Center, and St. Mary in Colo. The parish was founded in 1906 and its church building was completed and consecrated on June 29, 1908, with the centennial celebrated a century later in 2008. Today it is served on a rotating basis by a single priest shared across the cluster, reflecting a long-standing pattern of one pastor caring for multiple rural Iowa parishes. Weekly Mass is celebrated at St. Gabriel on Sunday mornings (alternating with St. Mary, Colo) and on Friday mornings.
- Established
- 1906
- Patron
- St. Gabriel (Archangel)
- Rector
- Fr. Jim Secora
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Dubuque
Why belong here
St. Gabriel offers a close-knit rural Catholic community rooted in more than a century of faith in Zearing, where parishioners know one another and worship in a historic church consecrated in 1908. The parish belongs to the Story Marshall Cluster, so members share priests, faith formation, and ministries with fellow Catholics across Nevada, State Center and Colo. Weekly Friday morning Mass and the alternating Sunday morning schedule make it easy to keep the Eucharist at the center of the week, and the cluster's shared adult faith-sharing and sacramental life extends what a small parish could offer on its own.
Mass times at St. Gabriel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM at St. Joseph in State Center (cluster-wide reconciliation; see church calendars for Lenten opportunities)
Welcome to the Story Marshall Cluster
The Story Marshall Cluster is a family of four Catholic parishes in rural central Iowa — St. Patrick (Nevada), St. Joseph (State Center), St. Mary (Colo) and St. Gabriel (Zearing) — that share a single priest across Story and Marshall counties. The cluster's website invites visitors with the words, "We're so glad you're here!" and encourages newcomers to view the four churches and join the life of the community. The cluster model reflects a centuries-old pattern in Iowa's farming communities, where one priest has long served multiple mission parishes.
Parish History of St. Gabriel, Zearing
Catholic faith arrived in Zearing in 1901 with a Mass in the home of W.H. Gogerty; local Catholics previously traveled to the Dunn Settlement or to Colo for worship. Under Father Lawrence D. Tobin, the parish was formally founded in 1906, and the church building was completed and consecrated on June 29, 1908. A century later, the parish marked its centennial in 2008 with commemorative booklets, a CD of historical photos, and articles in The Witness, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. A substantial parish archive — including the centennial booklet, a 1899–2004 historical timeline, financial records, a vocations profile, and a parish profile written by Rev. Msgr. Edgar Kurt — is preserved at the Loras College Digital Collections in Dubuque.
- First Mass in Zearing: 1901, in the home of W.H. Gogerty
- Parish founded: 1906
- Church consecrated: June 29, 1908
- Centennial celebrated: 2008
Cluster Parishes
St. Gabriel belongs to a four-parish cluster that shares one priest on a rotating basis — a model adopted in response to the nationwide priest shortage and long familiar in rural Iowa.
- St. Patrick — Nevada, Iowa
- St. Joseph — State Center, Iowa
- St. Mary — Colo, Iowa
- St. Gabriel — Zearing, Iowa
Clergy & Staff
The cluster is currently served by Fr. Jim Secora, a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. Ordained in 1975, Fr. Jim has served as a high-school teacher, instructor in the archdiocese's permanent diaconate formation, chairperson of the archdiocese's worship commission, master of liturgical ceremonies to the late Archbishop Daniel W. Kucera, and as pastor of parishes including St. Catherine in Dubuque, Immaculate Conception in Gilbertville, and St. Patrick in Cedar Falls. He holds a B.A. from Loras College, an M.Div. from St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore, and an M.Ed. from Boston College. The cluster office is at 1110 11th Street, Nevada, IA 50201.
- Fr. Jim Secora — Priest, (515) 382-2974
- Cluster office: 1110 11th Street, Nevada, IA 50201
Faith Formation & Adult Faith Sharing
Adult Faith Sharing is offered across the cluster, and the website links to ongoing opportunities for parishioners at all four churches. The cluster also shares faith formation programming and sacramental preparation across the parishes, pooling resources so each small rural community can offer what a single parish might not sustain alone.
- Adult Faith Sharing Opportunities — cluster-wide
- Cluster-wide faith formation
Outreach & Community
The Story Marshall Cluster supports local outreach through a community food pantry and other acts of mercy that draw on the shared resources of its four parishes. As in the earliest days of the Zearing parish — when traveling priests brought Mass to scattered Catholic families — the cluster today pools effort so that rural Catholics in Story and Marshall counties can continue to receive the sacraments, formation, and pastoral care they need close to home.
- Community food pantry
- Cluster-wide pastoral care across Story and Marshall counties
Diocese & Wider Catholic Life
St. Gabriel Parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Dubuque, a suffragan-see-turned-metropolitan-archdiocese serving northeastern Iowa. The parish is listed in the official Archdiocese of Dubuque parish finder and in GCatholic's directory (Church ID 35861). Neighboring Catholic secondary education is available through Xavier High School in the broader archdiocesan region.
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Dubuque
- GCatholic Church ID: 35861
- Neighboring Catholic school: Xavier High School
Visit, Contact & Stay Connected
Parishioners and visitors can stay in touch through the cluster website, the Story Marshall Catholic Cluster Facebook page, and the cluster office phone line. The website also posts timely announcements — including recent notices such as Archbishop-elect Zinkula's message and the Funeral Mass of Fr. Rick Dagit — alongside the daily readings, video reflections from Word on Fire and Life Teen, and Catholic news from ChurchPOP.
- Cluster website: storymarshallcluster.org
- Facebook: facebook.com/StoryMarshallCatholicCluster
- Phone: (515) 382-2974
- Email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Lawrence D. Tobin1906–1920
Oversaw the building of St. Gabriel's Church in Zearing; also served Sacred Heart, St. Anthony.
- Fr. Rich (Rick) Dagit2004–
Listed in cluster records; a 'Fr. Rick Dagit Funeral Mass' notice is posted on the cluster website.
- Fr. Jim Secorapresent
Retired priest of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, ordained 1975; currently serves as the cluster's priest.