About St. Joseph · Wall Lake, Iowa
St. Joseph Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish serving Wall Lake, Iowa, and the surrounding Sac County countryside as part of the Diocese of Sioux City. The parish is clustered with St. Mary Church in Sac City and St. Martin Church in Odebolt, sharing one pastor and serving the sacramental life of three small farming communities in northwest Iowa. Weekend Mass is offered Saturday evening and Sunday morning, and the parish is known for a close-knit, personal community in which visitors and shut-ins alike are ministered to by name. Confessions are heard prior to every Mass, and the parish hall and grounds are used regularly for parish and community gatherings.
- Established
- 1915
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Fr. Joe Dillinger
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux City
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers a genuine small-town Catholic home where the priest and deacon know parishioners by name and the whole family is cared for — from hall reservations to hospital visits, a prayer chain, and shut-in communion ministry. As part of the Sac City–Wall Lake–Odebolt cluster, the parish combines the intimacy of a rural congregation with the convenience of multiple weekend Masses across three linked churches. With confession offered before every Mass and an active Director of Religious Education, it is a welcoming place for both longtime farm families and visitors passing through Sac County.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Prior to all Masses
About St. Joseph Catholic Church
St. Joseph Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Wall Lake, Iowa, belonging to the Diocese of Sioux City under Bishop Most Reverend R. Walker Nickless. The parish is led by Pastor Fr. Joe Dillinger, supported by Deacon Butch Stone and Director of Religious Education Jan Clinesmith. Weekend Masses are celebrated Saturday evening at 5:30 PM and Sunday morning at 8:30 AM, with confessions heard prior to every Mass. The parish emphasizes a close, rural community life in which shut-ins, the hospitalized, and those in need of prayer are regularly visited.
- Patron: St. Joseph
- Legal founding: March 26, 1915 (Iowa Corporation #081022)
- Parish address: 102 W 5th St., Wall Lake, IA 51466
- Diocese: Sioux City
Parish Cluster
St. Joseph is part of a three-parish cluster in western Sac County, sharing one pastor with the neighboring parishes in Sac City and Odebolt. Together the cluster offers weekend Masses on both Saturday evening and Sunday morning across the three locations, making sacramental life accessible to all the small communities of the area.
- St. Joseph, Wall Lake — Saturday 5:30 PM, Sunday 8:30 AM
- St. Martin, Odebolt — Saturday 4:00 PM
- St. Mary, Sac City — Sunday 10:30 AM
- Pastor: Fr. Joe Dillinger (Sac City Rectory, 712-662-7240)
Clergy and Staff
The parish is shepherded by Fr. Joe Dillinger, whose rectory is in neighboring Sac City and who can be reached at (712) 662-7240. Deacon Butch Stone assists with parish ministry and can be reached on his cell at (712) 830-3886. Jan Clinesmith serves as the Director of Religious Education (DRE), overseeing faith formation for the parish's children and families.
- Pastor: Fr. Joe Dillinger
- Deacon: Butch Stone — (712) 830-3886
- Director of Religious Education: Jan Clinesmith
- Diocesan Bishop: Most Reverend R. Walker Nickless
Parish Ministries and Outreach
The parish runs a number of practical ministries that reflect its small-town, family-focused character. A prayer chain (coordinated by Jan at 712-657-2458) lifts up the intentions of parishioners; shut-ins are visited and brought Holy Communion (712-664-2929); and the pastor or his delegates make hospital visits (712-662-7240). The parish hall is available for community and family events through coordinator Paul at (712) 665-2596.
- Prayer Chain — Jan (712) 657-2458
- Shut-In Communion — (712) 664-2929
- Hospital Visits — (712) 662-7240
- Hall Reservations — Paul (712) 665-2596
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Faith formation for children and families is coordinated through the parish's Director of Religious Education, Jan Clinesmith. As part of a three-parish cluster, the Religious Education program draws on the resources and volunteer catechists of the Wall Lake, Sac City, and Odebolt communities to prepare students for the sacraments and to support ongoing Catholic formation.
- Director of Religious Education: Jan Clinesmith
- Cluster-wide religious education with St. Mary (Sac City) and St. Martin (Odebolt)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James Slattery
Identified in late-19th-century diocesan records as 'of Wall Lake', among pioneer priests serving northwestern Iowa.