About St. John the Evangelist · New Underwood, South Dakota
St. John the Evangelist is a small Catholic parish in New Underwood, South Dakota, a rural community in Pennington County east of Rapid City. It is part of the Diocese of Rapid City and is administered in connection with St. Therese the Little Flower in Rapid City, where shared clergy reside. The parish offers a Sunday Mass and a half-hour of confessions before Mass in its country setting.
- Patron
- St. John the Evangelist
- Rector
- Fr. Kerry Prendiville
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rapid City
Why belong here
St. John the Evangelist offers the faithful of New Underwood and the surrounding prairie a faithful, traditional Catholic community with weekly Sunday Mass and the sacrament of Confession available before Mass. As a small country parish within the Diocese of Rapid City, it is a place where Catholic life on the western South Dakota plains is celebrated close to home. The parish is shepherded by experienced diocesan priests with deep roots in western South Dakota ministry.
Mass times at St. John the Evangelist
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM
About St. John the Evangelist, New Underwood
St. John the Evangelist is a small Catholic parish located in the rural community of New Underwood, South Dakota, in Pennington County east of Rapid City. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Rapid City and is administered in connection with the larger St. Therese the Little Flower parish in Rapid City. Visitors and parishioners gather on Sunday morning for Mass and the sacrament of Reconciliation. The parish's mailing contact runs through the St. Therese parish office.
- Patron: St. John the Evangelist
- Feast day: December 27
- Diocese: Rapid City
- Location: New Underwood, Pennington County, SD
Clergy
The parish is currently served by Fr. Kerry Prendiville as pastor, with Fr. Francis Nsubuga assisting as parochial vicar. Both priests share ministry with St. Therese the Little Flower in Rapid City, the cluster's hub. According to the Diocese of Rapid City's published 2026 Clergy Assignments, Fr. Jonathan Dillon is being assigned as the next pastor of St. John the Evangelist while remaining pastor of St. Patrick in Wall and St. Margaret in Lakeside.
- Fr. Kerry Prendiville — Pastor (also pastor of St. Therese the Little Flower, Rapid City)
- Fr. Francis Nsubuga — Parochial Vicar (also assigned to St. Therese the Little Flower)
- Fr. Jonathan Dillon — Pastor-designate per 2026 diocesan assignments
- Fr. Mark McCormick — Assigned in 2026 as pastor of St. Therese the Little Flower (successor to Prendiville)
Contact & Visit
The parish shares its administrative contact information with St. Therese the Little Flower in Rapid City. The official diocesan listing provides the parish address on S A Avenue in New Underwood, with a contact phone routed through the cluster office and email through the diocesan domain.
- Address: 106 S A Ave., New Underwood, SD 57761
- Mailing: 207 S. Monroe St., New Underwood, SD 57761-0305
- Phone: (605) 342-1556
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocesan website: https://www.rapidcitydiocese.org/location/new-underwood-st-john-evangelist/
Diocese of Rapid City
St. John the Evangelist is a parish of the Diocese of Rapid City, which covers the western portion of South Dakota. The diocese is led by Bishop Robert Gruss. The Rapid City diocese has historically relied on close-knit parish clusters and, in recent years, on international diocesan priests — including two priests from the Diocese of Kiyinda-Mityana in Uganda — to staff its parishes. St. John the Evangelist is one of those small rural parishes served through such cooperation.
- Diocese: Diocese of Rapid City
- Bishop: Most Rev. Robert Gruss
- Regional deanery: Rapid City
- Rite: Roman-Latin
Recent Diocesan News
In the Diocese of Rapid City's published 2026 Clergy Assignments, Fr. Kerry Prendiville was released as pastor of St. Therese the Little Flower and St. John the Evangelist in New Underwood and assigned as pastor of St. Patrick in Lead and St. Ambrose in Deadwood. Fr. Jonathan Dillon was assigned as the new pastor of St. John the Evangelist, while remaining pastor of St. Patrick in Wall and St. Margaret in Lakeside, and will reside in Wall.
- Effective 2026: new pastor assigned to New Underwood
- Cluster model with St. Therese (Rapid City) continues
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Kerry Prendiville
Assigned as pastor of St. John the Evangelist and St. Therese the Little Flower, Rapid City; ordained June 7, 1984. Released in 2026 reassignments.
- Fr. Jonathan Dillon
Announced in the 2026 Clergy Assignments to become Pastor of St. John the Evangelist in New Underwood, while remaining pastor of St. Patrick in Wall and St. Margaret in Lakeside; will reside in Wall.
- Fr. Mark McCormick
To be assigned as Pastor of St. Therese the Little Flower in Rapid City (replacing Prendiville in the cluster), per 2026 assignments.