About St. Joseph the Workman · Colton, South Dakota
St. Joseph the Workman is a Roman Catholic parish in the rural Huntimer community near Colton, South Dakota, situated in Taopi Township of Minnehaha County. It is one of four parishes of the Queen of Peace Pastorate in the Diocese of Sioux Falls, alongside St. Mary's in Dell Rapids, St. Peter's in Colman, and Sts. Simon and Jude in Flandreau. The parish was organized in 1888 among German and Irish Catholic pioneers and is the spiritual home of roughly 150 registered farm and small-town families in the Colton area. The parish's patron — St. Joseph the Worker — reflects the deep agricultural and laboring heritage of its founding congregation, and the church itself stands as the only remaining landmark of the once-active railroad hamlet of Huntimer.
- Established
- 1888
- Patron
- St. Joseph the Worker
- Rector
- Rev. Shane D. Stevens
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux Falls
Why belong here
St. Joseph the Workman offers a faithful Catholic home in a tight-knit rural community where generations of farm families have worshipped since 1888. As one of four parishes in the Queen of Peace Pastorate, it gives parishioners access to a Saturday evening Vigil Mass, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, Saturday confessions, faith formation for children, and shared pastorate-wide ministries including catechesis, evangelization, and outreach — all supported by a team of three priests and dedicated lay staff. Visitors and parishioners alike are welcomed into the spiritual legacy of the Huntimer settlement, where St. Joseph the Worker is honored as patron of laborers and families alike.
Mass times at St. Joseph the Workman
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM at St. Joseph the Workman, Colton
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM at St. Mary's, Dell Rapids
- Wednesday 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM at Sts. Simon and Jude, Flandreau
- Wednesday 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM at St. Mary's, Dell Rapids
- Sunday 8:00 AM at St. Peter's, Colman
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday (2nd Wednesday of the month) following the 8:30 AM Mass, concluding at 7:00 PM (per third-party aggregator)
Parish Identity & Patron
St. Joseph the Workman is one of four parishes of the Queen of Peace Pastorate in the Diocese of Sioux Falls. Its patron, St. Joseph the Worker (feast day May 1), was chosen to honor the patron saint of laborers — a fitting patron for a congregation of Dakota Territory homesteaders and their farming descendants. The parish name was adopted in 1965 when the current church was built, replacing the earlier name 'St. Joseph Church.'
- Patron: St. Joseph the Worker
- Feast day: May 1
- Diocese of Sioux Falls
- Part of the Queen of Peace Pastorate (St. Mary's – Dell Rapids; St. Peter's – Colman; Sts. Simon and Jude – Flandreau; St. Joseph the Workman – Huntimer)
History of St. Joseph the Workman
The parish was organized in the fall of 1888 under Father Flynn of Madison — the first priest ordained in Dakota Territory — by a small group of Catholic homesteaders who had settled the Taopi Township area beginning in 1878. Its first church was built in 1889 on land donated by Dan Cotter; a second, larger church followed in 1909 as the community grew around the railroad hamlet of Charles City (renamed Huntimer that same year). The third and present church was dedicated on August 1, 1965, the work of Father Thomas Ryan and the parish of about 80 families; H. V. 'Dick' Huntimer built the bell tower and installed the original 1909 bell there. The parish celebrated its centennial in 1989 and continued to grow to roughly 150 registered families by 2005.
- 1878: Charles B. Huntimer family settles Taopi Township
- 1886: Bishop asked to send a priest to celebrate Mass
- 1888: St. Joseph's Parish organized by Father Flynn
- 1889: First church built ($1,500, on land from Dan Cotter)
- 1907: Parish rectory built; Charles City founded
- 1909: Second church built (43 families); Father Trainer becomes first resident pastor; town renamed Huntimer
- 1949: Monument built at the cemetery marking the original church site
- 1963: Father Thomas Ryan assigned; plans for a third church begin
- 1965 (Aug. 1): First Mass in the current church; parish renamed St. Joseph the Workman
- 1989: Centennial celebrated with about 100 families
- 2005: Roughly 150 registered families
Founding Families & Pioneers
The first eleven families of St. Joseph's Parish in 1889 were the foundation of the Huntimer Catholic community. Most were related by blood or by the shared experience of homesteading Dakota Territory together, and many of the Huntimer descendants still belong to the parish today.
- Charles B. and Ellen Sweeney Huntimer (settlers, 1878)
- Dan Cotter (donated land for the 1889 church)
- Gus Huntimer, Val Huntimer, Joseph Huntimer, F.J. Huntimer
- Pete Bowen, Karl Eulberg, Pat Glennon, Mrs. Henry Bell, John Conway
The Village of Huntimer
Founded in 1907 by Charles B. Huntimer along the South Dakota Central Railroad and originally called Charles City, the village was renamed Huntimer in 1909. It had a general store, two elevators, stockyards, and the Milwaukee Railroad tracks paralleled the SDC. The village was never incorporated and never had a post office of its own; mail came through Colton. Today only St. Joseph the Workman Catholic Church and its cemetery remain of the once-active settlement, recognized by a 2010 Minnehaha County Historical Society marker.
- Founded 1907 by Charles B. Huntimer as Charles City
- Renamed Huntimer in 1909
- Never incorporated; no post office
- Historical marker erected 2010 by Minnehaha County Historical Society, Huntimer descendants, and Loren and Mavis Amundson
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation for the children of St. Joseph the Workman is coordinated at the parish level and supported pastorate-wide by a Director of Catechesis & Evangelization. Parishioners can register their children for sacraments preparation — including First Reconciliation, First Communion retreats, and Confirmation — through the pastorate's religious education staff.
- Director of Catechesis & Evangelization: Dylan Reinhardt (Evangelizationqueenofpeacesd.org)
- St. Joseph the Workman Faith Formation Coordinator: Ana Berkmeier (sjwdrequeenofpeacesd.org)
- St. Mary's Faith Formation: Jodi Trumbauer
- St. Peter's Faith Formation: Erin Entringer
- Sts. Simon and Jude Faith Formation: Brenna LeBrun and Marietta Gassman
Parish Life & Fundraisers
St. Joseph the Workman maintains a strong tradition of parish fellowship, including an annual Soup and Pie Supper held at Taopi Community Hall in Colton. The supper, traditionally served from 3:30 to 6:30 PM, features a bake sale and country store and has become a beloved community gathering for the parish and surrounding area.
- Annual Soup and Pie Supper at Taopi Community Hall, 102 E 3rd St, Colton
- Bake sale and country store
- Catholic Daughters of America (CDA) meetings
Queen of Peace Pastorate Staff
The four parishes share a common pastorate staff to support ministry, communications, business operations, evangelization, outreach, and facilities.
- Fr. Shane D. Stevens — Pastor
- Fr. William Hamak — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Brian Eckrich — Parochial Vicar & St. Mary's Catholic Schools Chaplain
- Jeff Trumbauer — Chief Operating Officer
- Diane Welbig — Business Manager
- Lili Schulte — Director of Communications
- Dylan Reinhardt — Director of Catechesis & Evangelization
- Stephanie Wolles — Outreach Coordinator
- Kristine Fiegen — Secretary to the Pastor
- Marilyn Schwebach — Business Secretary
- Sara Schuring — St. Mary's Custodial
St. Joseph's Cemetery, Huntimer
Adjacent to the church stands the parish cemetery, whose earliest recorded burial — Clara Bell in April 1891 — predates many of the church buildings still standing. In 1949 the parish erected a monument at the site of the original 1889 church. The cemetery, along with the church, is one of the only remaining landmarks of the vanished village of Huntimer and continues to serve the surrounding Catholic community.
- First burial: Clara Bell, April 1891 (age 16)
- 1949 monument at the site of the original 1889 church
- Adjacent to current 1965 church
- Recognized in the 2010 Huntimer Historical Marker
Visit, Contact & Practical Information
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office through the Queen of Peace Pastorate. The parish phone, mailing address, and key staff email contacts are listed below.
- Address: 46402 245th Street, Colton, SD 57018
- Parish phone: (605) 594-3750
- Pastorate office phone: (605) 428-3990
- Pastor email: pastorqueenofpeacesd.org
- Office email: officequeenofpeacesd.org
- Parish website: http://www.stjosephhuntimer.org/
- Pastorate website: https://queenofpeacesd.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Flynn of Madison, S.D.1888 (organizing priest; first priest ordained in Dakota Territory)
Organized St. Joseph's Parish in the fall of 1888.
- Father Trainercirca 1909 onward
First resident pastor; served when the second church was built.
- Father Thomas Ryanassigned 1963
Directed planning and construction of the third (current) church, dedicated in 1965.
- Father Larry Ruckerfrom 1965
From Sioux Falls, S.D.; pastor at the dedication of the new St. Joseph the Workman Church.
- Rev. Anthony Urban
Listed as pastor on third-party parish directories.
- Rev. Scott Miller
Pastor of Queen of Peace Pastorate in recent years; wrote a farewell letter to parishioners.