About St. John / Holy Family Cluster · Clarion, Iowa
St. John Parish is part of the Holy Family Cluster of the Roman Catholic Church, located in Clarion, Iowa, in Wright County. Originally served by visiting priests from Webster City and Belmond, the parish traces its origins to 1875 and is now clustered with St. Francis Xavier Parish in Belmond and Sacred Heart Parish in Eagle Grove under a single pastor. The parish serves a diverse, bilingual community, offering Mass in both English and Spanish, and carrying out mission, education, and outreach work that includes a sister-parish relationship with Anse Rouge, Haiti. The Holy Family Cluster is administered by the Archdiocese of Dubuque.
- Established
- 1875
- Patron
- St. John the Evangelist
- Rector
- Fr. Jerry W. Blake
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Dubuque
Why belong here
St. John offers a bilingual Catholic home in rural north-central Iowa, with a Sunday Mass in English at 9 a.m. and a Saturday evening Mass in Spanish at 8 p.m. — a rare treasure in a small Iowa town. The parish belongs to the Holy Family Cluster (St. John Clarion, St. Francis Xavier Belmond, and Sacred Heart Eagle Grove), so ministries are shared across the three parishes and supported by a full staff and Deacons Michael Whitters and Pedro García. The community pairs classic devotions — daily Mass, the Rosary, Confession on Sunday mornings, and a sister-parish relationship with Anse Rouge, Haiti — with modern parish life including faith formation, sacramental preparation, and ecumenical outreach. It is a good fit for English- and Spanish-speaking Catholic families looking for a warm, mission-minded parish in the heart of Wright County.
Mass times at St. John / Holy Family Cluster
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sundays 8:00–8:30 AM at St. John, Clarion
- Before or after most daily Masses (priest is available)
St. John Parish at a Glance
St. John Parish is the Catholic parish of Clarion, Iowa, and the lead parish of the Holy Family Cluster. Its mission statement, adopted by the Pastoral Council on April 13, 2011, calls it to be 'the hands and feet of Jesus by teaching and living the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church.' The parish serves a diverse, bilingual community in Wright County, with Mass celebrated in both English and Spanish each week.
- Address: 608 2nd Ave NE, Clarion, IA 50525
- Phone: 515-532-3586
- Cluster: Holy Family Cluster (Clarion, Belmond, Eagle Grove)
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Dubuque
- Patron: St. John the Evangelist
Parish History
Irish Catholics settled near Clarion in the 19th century and were cared for by visiting pastors from Fort Dodge, Webster City, and Belmond until 1875. The first church of St. John the Evangelist was dedicated in 1883, rebuilt after a tornado in 1894, and replaced again — by the present Romanesque brick church — after the 1914 Christmas fire. The parish ran a high school (closed 1920) and a grade school served by the Cedar Rapids Sisters of Mercy (closed 1969). In 1998, St. John was clustered with St. Francis Xavier of Belmond and Sacred Heart of Eagle Grove; Archbishop Jerome Hanus, OSB, officially approved the cluster on October 26, 2000.
- 1875 — First Mass in Clarion Catholic homes
- 1883 — First church dedicated (St. John the Evangelist)
- 1894 — Tornado destroyed church; rebuilt 1895
- 1914 — Christmas fire destroyed church
- 1917 — Present Romanesque brick church dedicated
- 1998 — Cluster recommended by Archdiocese of Dubuque
- 2000 — Cluster officially approved by Archbishop Hanus
The Holy Family Cluster
In 1998, the Archdiocese of Dubuque recommended clustering St. John Clarion, St. Francis Xavier Belmond, and Sacred Heart Eagle Grove into a single pastoral unit in which one priest would serve all three parishes. Officially constituted on October 26, 2000, the cluster was further consolidated under Fr. Nils de Jesús Hernández from 2008 onward, with shared offices, staff, and committees. The cluster is currently led by Fr. Jerry W. Blake, who is assisted by Deacons Michael Whitters and Pedro García plus a full lay staff and many volunteers.
- St. John — Clarion
- St. Francis Xavier — Belmond
- Sacred Heart — Eagle Grove
- Shared pastor: Fr. Jerry W. Blake
- Shared deacons: Michael Whitters and Pedro García
Clergy & Staff
Fr. Jerry W. Blake has served as pastor of the Holy Family Cluster since 2014. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Jerome Hanus, OSB, at the Cathedral of St. Raphael in Dubuque on June 3, 2000, and previously served as associate pastor at St. Francis Xavier Basilica in Dyersville and in the Hancock/Winnebago Counties Cluster, Key West, and Traer. He is assisted by Deacons Michael Whitters (ordained 1994) and Pedro García. Cluster staff has included Pastoral Outreach Coordinator Jane Kem and Liturgy and Spiritual Formation Coordinator Jo Ann Kramer (both hired in 2004), and Sister Mary K. Doughan, RSM (the first Pastoral Associate for St. John).
- Fr. Jerry W. Blake — Pastor (since 2014)
- Deacon Michael Whitters (ordained 1994)
- Deacon Pedro García
- Sister Mary K. Doughan, RSM — first Pastoral Associate
- Sr. Carol Besch, OSF — Hispanic Ministry
Faith Formation & Sacramental Preparation
Faith formation is coordinated across the cluster and is offered to parishioners of all ages. Sacramental preparation is available for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick. The parish has historically run Catholic schools (high school closed 1920, grade school closed 1969), and today sacramental catechesis is handled through cluster-level faith formation programs.
- Baptism preparation
- First Communion & Confirmation
- Marriage preparation
- Anointing of the Sick
- Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA)
Hispanic Ministry
The Holy Family Cluster has a long-standing Hispanic ministry rooted in the Webster City Deanery. In August 1997, Sr. Carol Besch, OSF, was hired by the Catholic Charities Office of the Archdiocese of Dubuque to minister to Hispanics in the deanery, and Saturday evening Mass in Spanish has been a regular part of parish life since the pastorate of Fr. Nils de Jesús Hernández (2008–2014). Today, a Saturday 8:00 PM Mass in Spanish is celebrated at St. John, Clarion.
- Saturday 8:00 PM — Mass in Spanish
- Sr. Carol Besch, OSF — Hispanic Ministry coordinator (since 1997)
- Deanery-wide outreach from Webster City
Sister Parish: Anse Rouge, Haiti
In 2003, the Holy Family Cluster twinned with a sister parish in Anse Rouge, Haiti. The relationship is a cornerstone of the parish's mission of serving the poor and the needs of the wider Catholic family. The parish's mission statement explicitly names its sister parish as one of the parish's ministries of love and service.
- Sister parish established 2003
- Anse Rouge, Haiti
- Mission focus: serving the poor and the needs of the sister parish
Parish Organizations & Groups
A number of parish groups support worship, fellowship, and outreach at St. John. The parish has a long tradition of women's societies and devotional circles, as well as a Pastoral Council and Cluster Council that guide parish life. St. John's Catholic Cemetery remains in active use for parishioners.
- St. Cecilia's Circle — Catholic Daughters of America
- St. John's Sewing Circle
- Altar Society
- Pastoral Council
- Cluster Council
- St. John's Catholic Cemetery
Renovations & Building History
St. John has rebuilt its church three times. The 1883 wood-frame church was destroyed by a tornado in 1894 and replaced by a brick-veneered church dedicated January 1, 1895. That second church burned down on Christmas morning 1914, and the present Romanesque brick church was completed and dedicated in 1917. In the 1960s and 1970s, the front entrance was enclosed and a rectory was attached to the church. The church hall and kitchen were remodeled and completed in 2004, and the interior of the sanctuary was repaired and restored in the fall of 2005 with attention to its earlier appearance.
- 1883 — First church built
- 1894 — Tornado; rebuilt 1895
- 1914 — Fire on Christmas morning
- 1917 — Present Romanesque brick church
- 1965–1974 — Front entrance enclosed, rectory attached
- 2004 — Hall and kitchen remodeled
- 2005 — Sanctuary interior restored
Visiting Clarion
Clarion is the county seat of Wright County in north-central Iowa. St. John Catholic Church is located at 608 2nd Avenue NE in Clarion; the parish cemetery is also in Clarion. The church is part of the Holy Family Cluster, which also serves the nearby towns of Belmond and Eagle Grove.
- County seat of Wright County, Iowa
- Part of the larger Wright County Catholic community
- Active parish cemetery in Clarion
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Eugene O'Keefe1875–
First resident pastor of Webster City; celebrated Mass in Clarion Catholic homes and on top of John Overbaugh's furniture store.
- Fr. John Hanley1876–
Belmond pastor who assumed care of the Clarion Catholics and supervised building of the first church.
- Fr. John Toohill1880s
Succeeded Fr. Hanley; dedicated the first church of St. John the Evangelist on January 3, 1883.
- Fr. John Egan1888–1900
Came to Belmond in 1888 and cared for St. John until 1900.
- Fr. Martin B. Murray1900–1913
First resident pastor of St. John; also took charge of St. Joseph Parish in Woolstock Township.
- Fr. Richard P. Murphy1913–1918
Succeeded Murray; the 1883 church burned Christmas 1914 and the present Romanesque brick church was completed and dedicated in 1917.
- Fr. William J. Torpey1918–1931
Saw to the interior decorating of the new church.
- Fr. John M. O'Donnell1931–1947
Succeeded Torpey; health failed in 1943.
- Fr. John Thornton1943–
Came as assistant when O'Donnell's health failed.
- Fr. Leo Hogan1943–1947
Stayed as assistant until Fr. O'Donnell's death in 1947.
- Fr. Carl E. Curt1947–1952
Pastor.
- Fr. James E. Slowey1952–1965
Pastor.
- Fr. Albert Hoffman1965–1974
Enclosed the front entrance of the church and attached a rectory to the church.
- Fr. Dennis Colter1974 (interim)
Served as interim pastor.
- Fr. William Menster1974–1978
Pastor.
- Fr. Cecil McSweeney1978–1988
Pastor.
- Fr. David Pepper1988–1989
Pastor.
- Fr. Wayne Droessler1993–1999
Pastor during transition to cluster model.
- Fr. David Beckman1999–2005
First pastor of the newly-formed Holy Family Cluster; served from July 1999.
- Fr. Christopher Podhajsky2005–2008
Second cluster pastor; came in July 2005.
- Fr. Paul E. Lippstock2008 (interim)
Three-month interim pastor.
- Fr. Nils de Jesús Hernández2008–2014
Consolidated programs, committees, and offices under one cluster.
- Fr. Jerry W. Blake2014–present
Current pastor; Ordained June 3, 2000 in Dubuque; previously served at St. Francis Xavier Basilica in Dyersville, Hancock/Winnebago Counties Cluster, Key West, and Traer.