About St. James · Toronto, Iowa
St. James is a historic Roman Catholic parish in the small town of Toronto in Clinton County, Iowa, founded in 1855 by Father James Scallon during the Irish-Catholic settlement of the area. The present brick church at 670 Mill Street was built in 1883 and the first Mass was celebrated there in December 1885. In 2015, after 160 years as an independent parish, St. James merged with Sacred Heart Parish in Lost Nation to form Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (OLHR) Parish, which now alternates Saturday evening Mass between the former Sacred Heart church in Lost Nation and the former St. James church in Toronto. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Davenport and is one of five parishes in the St. Patrick Cluster of northern Clinton County, served since July 2022 by Father Robert "Bob" Cloos, with Deacons Jeff Schuetzle and Andrew Hardigan assisting.
- Established
- 1855
- Patron
- St. James (the Greater, Apostle)
- Rector
- Rev. Robert "Bob" Cloos
- Diocese
- Diocese of Davenport
Why belong here
St. James is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in Clinton County and remains an active worship community within Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish, where Mass is celebrated on alternating Saturday evenings in the historic 1883 Toronto church. Parishioners share a close-knit rural identity, with an active evangelization team, joint Advent and Lenten retreats that bring all five parishes of the St. Patrick Cluster together, and traditional ministries like eucharistic ministers, lectors, greeters and a parish choir that serve across both worship centers. Members are drawn to the parish's deep Irish Catholic roots, its long-running cemetery tradition, and the warm leadership of Father Bob Cloos and Deacons Jeff Schuetzle and Andrew Hardigan.
Mass times at St. James
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM (every other Saturday — alternating with Sacred Heart Church in Lost Nation); call 563-321-0124
History of St. James Parish, Toronto
St. James Parish in Toronto, Iowa, was founded in 1855 by Father James W. Scallon, who at the time also had pastoral charge of DeWitt, Center Grove, Deep Creek and Big Rock across Clinton County. Scallon became the parish's founding pastor and later rose to become Vicar General of the Diocese of Davenport. Among the first members were James B. Wolfe and his father, who joined the parish in 1870. For nearly thirty years the small Catholic community worshipped in an earlier structure, until the present church was erected in 1883. The first Mass in the new building was celebrated in December 1885, and St. James has been the spiritual home of Irish Catholic families in and around Toronto ever since. The adjoining St. James Cemetery holds generations of those families.
- Founded 1855 by Father James W. Scallon
- Present brick church built 1883
- First Mass in new church: December 1885
- Founding parishioner: James B. Wolfe (1844–1916), president of the Lost Nation Savings Bank
Parish Life and Mission
For more than 160 years St. James Parish was an independent Catholic community serving Toronto and the surrounding rural townships of northern Clinton County. The parish is now one of two worship centers of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (OLHR) Parish — the other being the former Sacred Heart Church in Lost Nation — with Saturday evening Mass alternating between them. Liturgical ministries — eucharistic ministers, lectors, greeters and musicians — serve at both locations, and the first Mass of each month is followed by a parish reception. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Davenport.
- Merged in 2015 with Sacred Heart Parish, Lost Nation, to form Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish
- Worship centers alternate hosting Saturday evening Mass
- Two worship sites: 670 Mill St., Toronto (former St. James) and 903 Main St., Lost Nation (former Sacred Heart)
Clustered Parishes (St. Patrick Cluster)
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (Lost Nation / Toronto) is part of a five-parish cluster in northern Clinton County that shares a single pastor. The cluster was formed nearly a decade before Father Bob Cloos arrived, in response to declining rural populations and fewer priests. Each parish keeps its own identity, finance council and parish council, but they share a common pastor, joint cluster meetings twice a year, a shared evangelization committee, and joint Advent and Lenten retreats for adults and children.
- Our Lady of the Holy Rosary — Lost Nation / Toronto
- Assumption & St. Patrick — Charlotte
- St. Patrick — Delmar
- Immaculate Conception — Petersville
- Ss. Mary & Joseph — Sugar Creek
Leadership and Clergy
Since July 2022 the pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary and the four other parishes of the St. Patrick Cluster has been Father Robert "Bob" Cloos, age 66 in 2024. He is assisted by Deacons Jeff Schuetzle and Andrew Hardigan. Father Cloos is widely described by parishioners as approachable and prayerful, opening and closing cluster retreats, blessing Advent wreaths, and celebrating funerals, weddings and weekly Masses across the cluster. Before Father Cloos, the pastor was Father Francis Odoom, a priest of the Archdiocese of Cape Coast, Ghana, who led the 2015 merger of St. James and Sacred Heart parishes and earned a Doctorate in Business Administration at St. Ambrose University in May 2022.
- Rev. Robert "Bob" Cloos — Pastor since July 2022
- Deacon Jeff Schuetzle
- Deacon Andrew Hardigan
- Rev. Francis Odoom — Pastor 2015 to June 30, 2022 (now Archdiocese of Cape Coast, Ghana)
Ministries and Faith Formation
The cluster's joint Evangelization Committee coordinates parish life across the five communities, with a particular focus on engaging children and young families in the faith. Advent and Lenten retreats for adults and children are a centerpiece, along with regular parish fellowship events such as the potluck dinner that marked OLHR's 10th anniversary in September 2025. Liturgical ministries — eucharistic ministers, lectors, greeters, musicians, altar servers — are shared across both worship centers of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.
- St. Patrick Cluster Evangelization Committee
- Advent retreat (cluster-wide)
- Lenten retreat (cluster-wide)
- Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Greeters, Musicians, Altar Servers
- Monthly fellowship reception after the first Saturday Mass
St. James Cemetery, Toronto
The historic St. James Cemetery on the edge of Toronto is the resting place of many of the founding Irish Catholic families of Clinton County. Among the many family names recorded in the cemetery are Wolfe, O'Boyle, McAndrews, Conners, Conway, Curran, Goodall, Gorman, Quirk, Welch, Hart, Scanlan, Murray, Keane, Cavey, Mulvihill, Carmody, Ryan, Mulvihill, Cosgrove, Conners, and many others. Notable burials include James B. Wolfe (1844–1916), founding parishioner and president of the Lost Nation Savings Bank. Recent burials (e.g., John Edward Hart, d. Jan. 1, 2026) continue to be recorded at St. James Cemetery.
- Located on the edge of Toronto, Iowa
- Active Catholic parish cemetery
- Burials of Wolfe, O'Boyle, McAndrews, Conners, Conway, Curran, Goodall, Gorman, Quirk, Welch, Hart, Scanlan, Murray, Keane, Cavey, Mulvihill, Carmody, Ryan families
Sacraments
Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, First Communion, Confirmation and RCIA are coordinated through the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish office for both worship centers. Couples and families should contact the parish office to begin preparation.
- Baptism
- Marriage preparation
- Anointing of the Sick
- First Communion & Confirmation
- RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)
Visit and Contact
The former St. James Church is at 670 Mill Street, Toronto, Iowa 52777. The parish office is reached at (563) 674-4240 or (563) 374-1761, and by email at [email protected]. Mass is celebrated Saturday at 5:00 PM, alternating weekly with Sacred Heart Church at 903 Main Street, Lost Nation, Iowa. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Davenport (https://www.davenportdiocese.org/).
- Address: 670 Mill Street, Toronto, IA 52777
- Phone: (563) 674-4240 / (563) 374-1761
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocese: Davenport
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James W. Scallon1855–
Founding pastor of St. James Parish in Toronto; also had charge of DeWitt, Center Grove, Deep Creek and Big Rock in Clinton County; later became Vicar General of the Diocese of Davenport.
- Rev. Francis Odoom2015–June 30, 2022
Priest of the Archdiocese of Cape Coast, Ghana; arrived in Iowa in 2015 to pursue graduate studies at St. Ambrose University; facilitated the merger of St. James Parish in Toronto with Sacred Heart Parish in Lost Nation to form Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish in 2015; completed DBA at St. Ambrose in May 2022; assignment ended June 30, 2022, when he returned to Ghana.
- Rev. Robert "Bob" CloosJuly 2022–present
Current pastor; also pastors the four other parishes of the St. Patrick Cluster — Assumption & St. Patrick-Charlotte, St. Patrick-Delmar, Immaculate Conception-Petersville, and Ss. Mary & Joseph-Sugar Creek.