About St. Mary · Dell Rapids, South Dakota
St. Mary Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Dell Rapids, South Dakota, belonging to the Diocese of Sioux Falls. The parish traces its roots back to 1885 and today serves its community alongside St. Mary School, a longstanding Pre-K through 12th-grade Catholic school founded in 1910 that is one of only a handful of remaining Catholic PK-12 schools in the state. St. Mary is the anchor church of the Queen of Peace Pastorate, which also gathers the parishes of St. Joseph the Workman (Colton), St. Peter's (Colman), and Sts. Simon and Jude (Flandreau) under shared pastoral leadership. Weekend and daily Masses are celebrated in English, with the sacrament of reconciliation offered before Saturday Mass and Eucharistic Adoration hosted on first Wednesdays of the month.
- Established
- 1885
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Rev. Shane D. Stevens
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux Falls
Why belong here
St. Mary offers the full rhythm of Catholic sacramental life in a close-knit small-town setting: weekend Masses on Saturday evening and twice on Sunday, a robust daily Mass schedule including a school-day Wednesday Mass, regular Saturday and by-appointment confessions, and first-Wednesday Eucharistic Adoration. The parish is the anchor of the Queen of Peace Pastorate and home to St. Mary School, one of only a handful of PK-12 Catholic schools remaining in South Dakota — a legacy still kept alive through a recent multi-million-dollar building campaign. Faith formation is offered through the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, with parish and sacramental preparation staff dedicated to the Dell Rapids community.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 – 4:30 PM
- Friday after Mass
- Tuesday 7:00 – 8:00 PM
- Wednesday 5:30 – 6:30 PM (1st Wednesday)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM (1st Wednesday of the month)
- Tuesday 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Parish Identity & Leadership
St. Mary Parish, founded in 1885, is part of the Diocese of Sioux Falls and serves as the anchor church of the Queen of Peace Pastorate. The pastor is Rev. Shane D. Stevens, who also serves as superintendent of St. Mary School. Parochial vicars Rev. William Hamak and Rev. Brian Eckrich assist him in shepherding the pastorate's four parishes (St. Mary's Dell Rapids, St. Joseph the Workman Colton, St. Peter's Colman, and Sts. Simon and Jude Flandreau). The parish office shares staffing with the wider pastorate: a secretary to the pastor (Kristine Fiegen), a business secretary (Marilyn Schwebach), a chief operating officer (Jeff Trumbauer), a business manager (Diane Welbig), a director of communications (Lili Schulte), a director of catechesis and evangelization (Dylan Reinhardt), and an outreach coordinator (Stephanie Wolles).
- Pastor: Fr. Shane D. Stevens
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. William Hamak (also St. Mary's Catholic Schools Chaplain)
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. Brian Eckrich
- Director of Catechesis & Evangelization: Dylan Reinhardt
- Director of Communications: Lili Schulte
- Outreach Coordinator: Stephanie Wolles
- Secretary to the Pastor: Kristine Fiegen
- Business Secretary: Marilyn Schwebach
- COO: Jeff Trumbauer
- Business Manager: Diane Welbig
History
The parish was established in 1885 and grew steadily in the early twentieth century. Under Father Charles Boley (pastor from 1906), the congregation built St. Mary Academy in 1910 — a K-12 parochial school staffed by Presentation Sisters from Aberdeen — and dedicated it on September 18, 1910, with Bishop Thomas O'Gorman presiding. The first high school class graduated in 1915. The current St. Mary Church was built in 1951 and the present high school wing in 1957–1959. The original 1910 school building was replaced by a Presentation Sisters' convent in 1964 after structural concerns. A new school building project, completed under Fr. Shane Stevens's leadership, raised nearly $12.5 million through parish-wide door-to-door efforts to keep the PK-12 Catholic education tradition intact.
- 1885 — Parish founded
- 1906 — Father Charles Boley becomes pastor
- 1910 — St. Mary Academy constructed and dedicated (Sept. 18)
- 1915 — First high school graduating class (6 students)
- 1918 — School closes temporarily during influenza epidemic
- 1925 — Parents dedicate Guardian Angel statue on school lawn
- 1951 — Current St. Mary Church built
- 1957–1959 — Current high school building added
- 1964 — Original school building replaced by a convent for the Presentation Sisters
- c. 2019–2022 — Major new school building completed via $12.5M capital campaign
St. Mary School (Pre-K–12)
St. Mary School is a Catholic Pre-K through 12th-grade school operated in close partnership with the parish and one of only a handful of full PK-12 Catholic schools remaining in South Dakota. Originally founded in 1910 as St. Mary Academy and staffed by six Presentation Sisters from Aberdeen, it has grown to serve approximately 270 students. Father Shane Stevens serves as both pastor and superintendent. The most recent building project replaced the aging facility and was made possible by an extensive door-to-door, parish-led capital campaign. Through the years the sisters not only taught but ran a boarding program, led the choir, trained altar boys, visited the sick, and formed students in Christian life.
- Founded 1910 as St. Mary Academy
- First staff: Presentation Sisters from Aberdeen (Sisters Benedict, Hyacinth, Regis, Agnes, Thaddeus, Stanislaus)
- Current enrollment: ~270 students (PK-12)
- Pastor/Superintendent: Fr. Shane D. Stevens
- Originally built with locally-quarried Dell Rapids quartzite
- New school building completed via ~$12.5M capital campaign
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The Queen of Peace Pastorate directs faith formation across the four parishes through Director of Catechesis and Evangelization Dylan Reinhardt. Jodi Trumbauer coordinates faith formation specifically for St. Mary's Dell Rapids. The parish is a session site for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS), the montessori-style Catholic children's program for ages 3–12 that uses hands-on materials to draw children into Scripture and liturgy. Adult initiation (OCIA) is available for those exploring becoming Catholic, and preparation is offered for the sacraments of Baptism, First Reconciliation, First Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage.
- Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (Levels 1, 2, 3) — hosted at St. Mary's Dell Rapids
- St. Mary's Faith Formation coordinator: Jodi Trumbauer
- Director of Catechesis & Evangelization: Dylan Reinhardt ([email protected])
- OCIA — Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (becoming Catholic)
- First Reconciliation and First Communion preparation
- Marriage preparation (6-month notice required)
Sacraments
The parish celebrates all seven sacraments, with the following preparation requirements noted in parish bulletins: Baptism is scheduled by appointment; Marriage requires setting a date at least six months in advance to allow time for classes and formation; Anointing of the Sick is available by appointment. Confession is heard on a published weekly schedule and by appointment, and Eucharistic Adoration is offered the first Wednesday of each month.
- Baptism — by appointment
- Marriage — 6-month advance notice; required classes & formation
- Anointing of the Sick — by appointment
- Reconciliation — Saturdays, Fridays, Tuesdays, 1st Wednesdays, or by appointment
- Eucharistic Adoration — 1st Wednesdays, 9 AM – 7 PM
- OCIA — by contacting the parish office
Queen of Peace Pastorate
St. Mary's Dell Rapids is the anchor church of the Queen of Peace Pastorate, a multi-parish collaboration within the Diocese of Sioux Falls. The pastorate unifies Catholic life across Dell Rapids, Colton (St. Joseph the Workman), Colman (St. Peter's), and Flandreau (Sts. Simon and Jude), sharing clergy, staff, faith-formation resources, and communications. The pastorate's website (queenofpeacesd.org) lists weekly Mass schedules, contact information, and bulletins for all four parishes, and Fr. William Hamak additionally serves as chaplain of St. Mary's Catholic Schools.
- St. Mary's — Dell Rapids (anchor church)
- St. Joseph the Workman — Colton
- St. Peter's — Colman
- Sts. Simon and Jude — Flandreau
- Pastoral leadership: Fr. Shane D. Stevens (Pastor); Fr. William Hamak & Fr. Brian Eckrich (Parochial Vicars)
Visiting & Contact
St. Mary Parish is located at 606 E. 8th Street in Dell Rapids, South Dakota 57022. The parish office can be reached by phone at (605) 428-3990 and by fax at (605) 428-5304, with email routed to [email protected] (the parish site redirects to the pastorate website at queenofpeacesd.org). Daily Mass times, confession hours, adoration, and bulletins are kept current on the pastorate website, and changes to the weekday Mass schedule appear in the back of each week's bulletin.
- Address: 606 E. 8th Street, Dell Rapids, SD 57022
- Phone: (605) 428-3990
- Fax: (605) 428-5304
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.queenofpeacesd.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Charles Boleyfrom 1906
Became pastor in 1906; led the founding and construction of St. Mary Academy (1910), the parish's K-12 parochial school.