About St. Mary · Bryant, South Dakota
St. Mary is a small Catholic mission parish serving the farming community of Bryant, South Dakota, in the northeast corner of the state. As one of seven parishes in the Ave Maria Pastorate — a family of churches that includes the Watertown parishes of Holy Name of Jesus and Immaculate Conception, Blessed Sacrament in Florence, Holy Rosary in Kranzburg, St. Michael in Clark, and St. Henry in Henry — St. Mary shares pastoral staff and resources with its sister churches under the direction of Fr. Shaun Haggerty. According to the parish directory, St. Mary was founded in 1891 and today is home to 74 registered families (as of June 2024). Because the parish falls under the Diocese of Sioux Falls's 'Set Ablaze' pastoral plan, weekday Masses are now the regular offering at the Bryant church, with Sunday Mass celebrated at nearby St. Michael in Clark.
- Established
- 1891
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Fr. Shaun Haggerty (Pastor of Ave Maria Pastorate)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux Falls
Why belong here
St. Mary is a tight-knit prairie Catholic community where small-town warmth still matters: 74 registered families gather around weekday Mass in their historic Bryant church, supported by an active pastorate staff. Worshippers can take advantage of weekday Masses several times a week, easy confession before each Mass, and the broader life of Ave Maria Pastorate — including a new Ave Maria Catholic School and Faith Formation Center being developed in Watertown, faith formation for K–12 students, RCIA, baptism prep, marriage preparation, and a Pastorate Nurse and Safe Environment Coordinator serving all seven parishes. For Catholic families in the Bryant area looking for daily Mass, real community, and connection to a wider network of parishes, St. Mary is home.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday — 7:30 AM (30 minutes before 8 AM Mass)
- Thursday — 6:30 AM (30 minutes before 7 AM Mass)
- Saturday (2nd & 4th) — 7:30 AM (30 minutes before 8 AM Mass)
St. Mary Parish — A Mission in Bryant, South Dakota
St. Mary Catholic Parish is a small mission church serving the rural community of Bryant, South Dakota, and the surrounding prairie. Located at 209 S Broadway Street in the heart of Bryant, the parish is one of seven churches that together form the Ave Maria Pastorate of the Diocese of Sioux Falls. As of June 2024, the parish was home to 74 registered families, and was being served by Fr. Shaun Haggerty and the wider pastorate clergy team.
History & Founding
St. Mary's roots go back to 1891, when Catholic homesteaders in the Bryant area organized a parish. It is one of the older rural missions in the Diocese of Sioux Falls. For more than 130 years it has ministered to farm families across the prairie. In 2022 the parish became part of Ave Maria Pastorate under Bishop Donald DeGrood's 'Set Ablaze' pastoral plan, sharing clergy and resources with six sister parishes.
- Founded 1891
- 74 registered families (June 2024)
- Joined Ave Maria Pastorate under Bishop DeGrood's 'Set Ablaze' plan (2022)
Ave Maria Pastorate & the Set Ablaze Plan
The 'Set Ablaze' pastoral plan, unveiled by Bishop DeGrood in August 2022, invited parishes across the Diocese of Sioux Falls to come together into pastorates for the next ten years, with the goal of forming 'Lifelong Catholic Missionary Disciples Through God's Love.' Seven parishes — Blessed Sacrament (Florence), Holy Rosary (Kranzburg), St. Henry (Henry), St. Michael (Clark), Holy Name of Jesus (Watertown), Immaculate Conception (Watertown), and St. Mary (Bryant) — joined to form Ave Maria Pastorate. The name was chosen through a parish-wide contest and is Latin for 'Hail Mary.' The Ave Maria Pastorate logo features a stylized 'A' and 'M' in gold and blue, with seven stars representing the geographic locations of the seven parishes.
- Seven parishes in the pastorate
- Named through a parish-wide contest
- Logo features seven stars — one for each parish — in gold and blue
- Mission: 'Lifelong Catholic Missionary Disciples Through God's Love'
Clergy & Staff
The Ave Maria Pastorate is led by Fr. Shaun Haggerty, Pastor, and supported by three Parochial Vicars — Fr. Christopher Hughes, Fr. John Fischer, and Fr. Richard Baumberger. St. Mary shares an administrative assistant, LeAnn Ducker, with the parishes of St. Michael (Clark) and St. Henry (Henry). For anointing of the sick or last rites in an emergency, an on-call priest can be reached at (605) 884-5088.
- Fr. Shaun Haggerty — Pastor
- Fr. Christopher Hughes — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. John Fischer — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Richard Baumberger — Parochial Vicar
- LeAnn Ducker — Administrative Assistant (St. Mary / St. Michael / St. Henry)
- Emergency line: (605) 884-5088
Sacraments
The pastorate coordinates sacramental preparation across its seven parishes. Baptism preparation for St. Mary, St. Henry and St. Michael is offered as a combined class in Clark on an as-needed basis. Marriage Preparation is held on Mondays at 6:30 PM at the Angelus Center at Holy Name of Jesus in Watertown, with a registration deadline of the 2nd Tuesday of each month. The pastorate also runs a Safe Environment program, coordinated by Amy Pekelder, and a Pastorate Nurse ministry led by Bridget Bauman, RN.
- Baptism preparation — combined Clark class
- Marriage Preparation — Mondays 6:30 PM at Angelus Center, Watertown
- Anointing of the Sick / Last Rites — on-call priest, (605) 884-5088
- Safe Environment coordinator: Amy Pekelder
- Pastorate Nurse: Bridget Bauman, RN
Faith Formation & School
Faith formation across the pastorate is overseen by the Office of Discipleship & Evangelization (605-878-2055). Loretta Redder coordinates K–6 Faith Formation for the Watertown parishes, while a separate coordinator handles 7–12 Faith Formation. The pastorate is also developing Ave Maria Catholic School at the former Roosevelt Elementary School in south-central Watertown, with Kara Schleusner as principal.
- Office of Discipleship & Evangelization — (605) 878-2055
- K–6 Faith Formation (Loretta Redder)
- 7–12 Faith Formation
- Ave Maria Catholic School (Watertown) — Principal Kara Schleusner
- Director of Discipleship & Evangelization: Parker Schlenker
Parish Life & Ministries
Although St. Mary itself is a small mission, parishioners have access to the full life of Ave Maria Pastorate, which includes parish music ministry (Alison Thyen), facilities and cemetery administration (Paul Verdouw oversees St. Mary's Cemetery), and a shared team of business, accounting, and office staff led by Business Manager Terri Bjerke and Parish Accountant Cindy LaBerge. The pastorate's bulletin and announcements keep parishioners across all seven churches informed and connected.
- Music Director: Alison Thyen (Watertown parishes)
- St. Mary's Cemetery Administrator: Paul Verdouw
- Business Manager: Terri Bjerke
- Parish Accountant: Cindy LaBerge
- Pastoral planning continues through town-hall meetings and the Set Ablaze Pastoral Planning Committee
Visit & Contact
St. Mary is located at 209 S Broadway Street, Bryant, SD 57221. The mailing address for the Bryant parish (shared with St. Michael, Clark) is PO Box 28, Clark, SD 57225-0028. The parish phone is (605) 532-3855, and the pastorate accounts office can be emailed at [email protected]. The full Ave Maria Pastorate website at avemariapastorate.org is the central hub for Mass times, bulletins, parish news, and contact information for all seven parishes.
- Address: 209 S Broadway St, Bryant, SD 57221
- Mailing: PO Box 28, Clark, SD 57225-0028
- Phone: (605) 532-3855
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: avemariapastorate.org