About St. Henry Parish · Henry, South Dakota
St. Henry Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish located at 605 4th Street in the town of Henry, Codington County, South Dakota. Founded in 1882, it is one of seven parishes that together form the Ave Maria Pastorate within the Diocese of Sioux Falls, joining Blessed Sacrament of Florence, Holy Rosary of Kranzburg, St. Michael of Clark, St. Mary of Bryant, and the two Watertown parishes Holy Name of Jesus and Immaculate Conception. As of June 2024 the parish is home to about 54 registered families. Today St. Henry is served by the pastorate's pastor, Fr. Shaun T. Haggerty, along with parochial vicars Fr. John Fischer and Fr. Christopher Hughes, who together provide weekly Mass and the sacraments across the seven communities.
- Established
- 1882
- Patron
- Saint Henry II (Holy Roman Emperor, 1014–1024; canonized 1146 by Pope Eugene III)
- Rector
- Reverend Shaun T. Haggerty
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux Falls
Why belong here
St. Henry is a long-standing rural Catholic community (since 1882) where small-parish fellowship meets the wider resources of a seven-parish Ave Maria Pastorate. Worshippers can attend Friday morning Mass right in Henry at 8:30 a.m. and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation 30 minutes before Mass, while drawing on the larger pastorate's clergy, faith formation, and the developing Ave Maria Catholic School and Faith Formation Center being built to serve all seven parishes. It's a faithful, family-oriented setting for Catholics in the Henry, Codington County area.
Mass times at St. Henry Parish
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 30 minutes before Mass at St. Henry (e.g., Friday ~8:00–8:30 AM before the 8:30 AM Mass)
About St. Henry Parish
St. Henry Parish is a small Catholic community serving the town of Henry in Codington County, South Dakota. Founded in 1882 and now part of the Ave Maria Pastorate within the Diocese of Sioux Falls, it continues a Catholic tradition more than 140 years old on the eastern South Dakota prairie. As of June 2024, about 54 registered families make up the parish. The parish shares its pastoral staff, faith formation, and sacramental life with six neighboring parishes through the Ave Maria Pastorate.
- Founded: 1882
- Location: 605 4th St., Henry, SD 57243
- Diocese of Sioux Falls
- Member of Ave Maria Pastorate
- Approximately 54 registered families (June 2024)
History of the Parish
St. Henry was established in 1882 to serve the Catholic farming families settling the area around Henry along Highway 212, west of Watertown. The accompanying Saint Henry Cemetery, just behind the church on the north edge of Section 8, was surveyed in 2006 by the Watertown Regional Genealogical Society and preserves records of those early Catholic families. In the 2020s the parish entered a new chapter when, in August 2022, Bishop Donald DeGrood launched the diocese-wide 'Set Ablaze' pastoral planning initiative. St. Henry was grouped with six other parishes into the Ave Maria Pastorate, and the Ave Maria Pastoral Plan was submitted to the bishop on May 1, 2024 and accepted.
- Founded 1882 in Codington County, South Dakota
- Saint Henry Cemetery located behind the church, surveyed 2006
- Joined Ave Maria Pastorate under Bishop DeGrood's Set Ablaze plan (launched August 2022)
- Ave Maria Pastoral Plan submitted May 1, 2024 and accepted by the bishop
Our Patron — Saint Henry II
The parish is named after Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor, who reigned from 1014 to 1024. He was canonized by Pope Eugene III in 1146 and is venerated as a model of Christian kingship and justice. His liturgical memorial is celebrated on July 13. He is invoked as patron of kings, Benedictine oblates, the handicapped, and those rejected by religious orders, and is traditionally sought in prayer for those experiencing sterility.
- Saint Henry II (973–1024)
- Holy Roman Emperor 1014–1024
- Canonized 1146 by Pope Eugene III
- Feast Day: July 13
- Patron of kings, Benedictine oblates, the handicapped, and the childless
Pastoral Leadership
St. Henry is shepherded by the pastoral team of the Ave Maria Pastorate. The pastor of the pastorate, Fr. Shaun T. Haggerty, leads overall pastoral care, supported by two parochial vicars, Fr. John Fischer and Fr. Christopher Hughes, who assist with Mass and sacramental ministry across the seven parishes.
- Pastor: Rev. Shaun T. Haggerty
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. John Fischer
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Christopher Hughes
The Ave Maria Pastorate
St. Henry is one of seven parishes that together form the Ave Maria Pastorate in the Diocese of Sioux Falls. The pastorate was created under Bishop DeGrood's 'Set Ablaze' pastoral planning process and brings together Blessed Sacrament (Florence), Holy Rosary (Kranzburg), Saint Henry (Henry), Saint Michael (Clark), Saint Mary (Bryant), Holy Name of Jesus (Watertown), and Immaculate Conception (Watertown). The Ave Maria logo features seven stars marking each parish geographically, gold and blue colors honoring Mary as Queen of Heaven, and waves that represent the waters of the region and Mary's presence with the people through every season.
- Blessed Sacrament — Florence
- Holy Rosary — Kranzburg
- Saint Henry — Henry
- Saint Michael — Clark
- Saint Mary — Bryant
- Holy Name of Jesus — Watertown
- Immaculate Conception — Watertown
Ave Maria Catholic School & Faith Formation Center
The pastorate is working to establish a shared Ave Maria Catholic School and Faith Formation Center to serve all seven parishes. The project is highlighted on the Ave Maria Pastorate website as a way to strengthen Catholic identity, family faith formation, and discipleship across the region — particularly important given the small size of parishes like St. Henry.
- Shared Catholic school planned for the Ave Maria Pastorate
- Faith Formation Center to serve all seven parishes
- Focus on forming lifelong Catholic missionary disciples
Set Ablaze Pastoral Plan
The 'Set Ablaze' plan is a ten-year diocesan strategy launched by Bishop DeGrood in August 2022 to address decades of numerical decline and to renew parish life. After consulting firm 'Partner's Edge' recommended cutting the Ave Maria Pastorate's weekend Masses from eleven to seven, the pastorate appealed for nine and was granted eight. With that limit, Fr. Haggerty and the planning committee decided — following town-hall meetings and consultation — to discontinue Sunday Mass at St. Mary's in Bryant and St. Henry in Henry, and to remove one Saturday night Mass in Watertown. The Ave Maria Pastoral Plan was submitted May 1, 2024 and accepted by Bishop DeGrood.
- Launched August 2022 by Bishop Donald DeGrood
- Partner's Edge recommended 7 weekend Masses; pastorate appealed for 9 and was granted 8
- Sunday Mass discontinued at St. Henry and St. Mary (Bryant) under current plan
- Plan covers Worship, Discipleship & Evangelization, Community, Service, and School
Saint Henry Cemetery
The Saint Henry Cemetery sits immediately behind the Catholic Church on Highway 212 in Henry, on the north edge of Section 8, and serves as the resting place for generations of the parish's founding Catholic families. The cemetery was documented as part of the Watertown Regional Genealogical Society's Codington County Cemetery Census Project in 2006, producing a comprehensive record of burials. Cemetery contact: Ron Stern, 503 3rd St., Henry, SD 57243 — tel. 605-532-5629.
- Location: behind the church, N edge of Section 8, on Hwy 212
- Documented in the 2006 Codington County Cemetery Census Project
- Cemetery contact: Ron Stern, 605-532-5629
Visit & Contact Information
Visitors and parishioners are warmly welcomed at St. Henry Catholic Church in Henry, South Dakota. The parish office phone number and email are shared across the Ave Maria Pastorate, and mail is handled through the central Clark, SD post office box for the small parishes of the pastorate.
- Physical address: 605 4th St., Henry, SD 57243
- Mailing address: PO Box 28, Clark, SD 57225-0028
- Phone: 605-532-3855
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.avemariapastorate.org
- Parish is part of the Diocese of Sioux Falls