About St. Joseph · Wessington Springs, South Dakota
St. Joseph Catholic Church is a small Roman-Latin rite parish serving the Catholic community of Wessington Springs, South Dakota, in Jerauld County. Founded in the early 1900s by Polish and German-Russian Catholic homesteaders who had settled the Dakota Territory, the parish is part of the Diocese of Sioux Falls and today belongs to the four-parish Christ the Light of Nations Pastorate along with Holy Trinity in Huron, St. Thomas Aquinas in De Smet, and St. Wilfrid in Woonsocket. The parish celebrates weekly Sunday Mass, offers the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and has remained resilient through a series of natural disasters, including tornadoes in 1920 (or 1924) and 2003, and a damaging fire that struck the church building in late 2024/early 2025.
- Established
- 1906
- Patron
- St. Joseph (Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, foster father of Jesus)
- Rector
- Rev. Larry Regynski (Pastor of the Christ the Light of Nations Pastorate, based at Holy Trinity, Huron)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux Falls
Why belong here
St. Joseph is the heart of the Catholic faith for the small farming community of Wessington Springs and surrounding Jerauld County, rooted in a heritage of Polish and German-Russian homesteaders whose descendants still form the core of the parish. Worshippers gather for weekly Sunday Mass, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and a closely-knit rural parish life in which generations of the same families have been baptized, married, and buried. The parish's endurance through the 1920s tornado, the 2003 tornado, and a major fire speaks to a congregation that is small in number but strong in faith and tightly bonded by shared history.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM (one schedule source lists 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM)
- Wednesday: 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Parish Identity & Diocese
St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wessington Springs is a Roman-Latin rite parish belonging to the Diocese of Sioux Falls. The parish is registered under the name 'St. Joseph' and is located in Jerauld County in central South Dakota, an area historically settled by Polish and German-Russian Catholic homesteaders.
- Diocese of Sioux Falls
- Roman-Latin (Roman) Rite
- Parish address: 507 Barrett Ave N, Wessington Springs, SD 57382
- Listed in the diocesan directory under the Wessington Springs tag
Christ the Light of Nations Pastorate
Since July 5, 2023, St. Joseph has been part of the Christ the Light of Nations Pastorate, a four-parish cluster in the Diocese of Sioux Falls. The other parishes in the pastorate are Holy Trinity in Huron, St. Thomas Aquinas in De Smet, and St. Wilfrid in Woonsocket. Pastoral leadership for the entire pastorate rests with Fr. Larry Regynski as Pastor (based in Huron) and Fr. David Garza as Parochial Vicar (based in Woonsocket).
- Pastor: Rev. Larry Regynski (Holy Trinity, Huron)
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. David Garza (St. Wilfrid, Woonsocket)
- Companion parishes: Holy Trinity – Huron; St. Thomas Aquinas – De Smet; St. Wilfrid – Woonsocket
- Pastorate assignment established July 5, 2023 by the Diocese of Sioux Falls
History & Heritage
The roots of the Catholic community in Wessington Springs go back to Polish and German-Russian homesteaders who settled the Dakota Territory in the 1880s. For years they practiced their faith in private homes, with a visiting priest coming about once a month. The parish itself was formally established in 1906 (per the diocesan and GCatholic listings); the first sanctuary was built in 1905. The parish published a 75th Anniversary history book in 1980 documenting the community's story.
- Polish and German-Russian Catholic homesteaders began settling the area in the 1880s
- Parish formally established: 1906
- First sanctuary built: 1905
- 75th Anniversary Book published: 1980
Building Disasters & Rebuilding
St. Joseph's current sanctuary was dedicated in 1950 after the original 1905 church was destroyed by a tornado (reported as 1920 or 1924 in local histories). The building was struck again by a tornado in 2003 and reinforced with north and south additions; a 2014 tornado missed the structure. Most recently, the church was severely damaged by a fire reported by the Mitchell Republic, with damage concentrated on the front, west side of the building and smoke/water damage to much of the interior. The State Fire Marshal's Office investigated the cause.
- 1924 (or 1920): first tornado destroys the 1905 sanctuary
- 1950: current church dedicated (Nov. 1950)
- 2003: tornado damages the building; services move to a Main Street storefront
- 2003: north and south additions built to stabilize the structure
- 2014: tornado strikes Wessington Springs but spares St. Joseph
- Late 2024 / early 2025: severe fire damages the church; Mass relocated to St. Wilfrid, Woonsocket
Community & Generations
Generations of the same families have marked their sacraments at St. Joseph's. Parishioner Cindy Hine has shared that her parents were the second couple married in the 1950-dedicated church, in November 1950. After the recent fire, parishioners filled social media with memories of weddings, baptisms, and funerals spanning generations, and clergy encouraged the community to 'rebuild brick by brick, with prayer, love and unity.'
- Multi-generational membership rooted in original Polish and German-Russian homesteaders
- Parish-led social media reflections after the recent fire
- Clergy message: 'With the Lord's help, we will rebuild'
Contact & Location
The parish office uses the Wessington Springs mailing address with a Siou Falls Catholic email domain; its website redirects or links from stjosephsd.org.
- Mailing address: PO Box 348, Wessington Springs, SD 57382
- Phone: (605) 539-9569
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.stjosephsd.org/
- Alternate phone listed in some directories: (605) 796-4666