About St. Mary · Dow City, Iowa
St. Mary's Catholic Church is a small Catholic oratory in the rural farming community of Dow City, Iowa, in Crawford County. It belongs to the Diocese of Sioux City and is served today in a cluster with St. Rose of Lima in Denison (the parish that publishes the shared website, denisoncatholic.com). Founded in 1947 by farming families who had previously traveled to Denison, Dunlap or Buck Grove for Mass, the parish grew quickly, built its basement-church the same year, completed its superstructure in 1953, and was formally dedicated by Bishop Joseph M. Mueller on May 9, 1954. After the final regular weekend Mass on June 17, 2017, St. Mary's now operates as an oratory (a non-parochial worship site) where weekday and Sunday Masses continue to be celebrated for the surrounding rural community.
- Established
- 1947
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary (named "St. Mary's" by Father J.J. Hyland)
- Rector
- Rev. Shane Deman
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux City
Why belong here
St. Mary's is a tight, multigenerational rural Catholic community rooted in the farming families who built the church themselves in 1947 and who have maintained its sacramental life ever since. Even after transitioning to oratory status within the Crawford County cluster, the church still keeps a daily-Mass rhythm — noon Mass Monday through Thursday, a Saturday vigil, and two Sunday Masses — so that families scattered across this western-Iowa farming country can gather around the Eucharist close to home. For visitors, it is a chance to worship in a small, historic parish whose basement walls and nave were literally poured by the founders' hands.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
History of St. Mary's Catholic Church, Dow City
Until 1947, the Catholics of Dow City had to travel to parishes in Denison, Dunlap, or Buck Grove for Mass. Father J.J. Hyland, then pastor of Sacred Heart in Manilla and of the Buck Grove mission, agreed with local families that the community could support its own parish. After a census confirmed enough Catholic households, Mrs. Frieda Muff and her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Putnam, donated a lot on the south side of Highway 30 as a building site.
- March 17, 1947 — first Mass celebrated in Dow City Town Hall by Father Hyland; Putnam family improvised altar and confessional.
- August 15, 1947 — first Mass in the newly-built basement church, named 'St. Mary's' by Father Hyland.
- June 7, 1947 — first recorded baptism: Lawrence Merritt, son of Alfred and Dorothy Merritt.
- June 8, 1947 — first First Communion class: Pearl June Putnam, Richard Siemer, Richard Ahart, and a Crandall boy.
- August 6, 1947 — first funeral Mass, for Albert Glawinski.
- April 28, 1949 — St. Mary's became an independent parish; Fr. J.C. Doherty named first resident pastor; St. Joseph's Buck Grove transferred as mission.
- July 10, 1949 — parish incorporated; Bishop Heelan, Monsignor Davern, Father Hyland, Ray Putnam, and J. Leo Ahart named officers.
- October 12, 1949 — Bishop Joseph M. Mueller celebrated first Confirmation in Dow City (class of 62).
- March 17, 1953 — superstructure completed (nave over the original basement).
- May 9, 1954 — Bishop Mueller formally blessed and dedicated St. Mary's Church (≈250 people present).
- 1979 — first parish council organized under Fr. John Thomas.
- 1988 — parish joined other Sioux City-area parishes in the RENEW process.
- June 17, 2017 — final regular weekend Mass; parish transitions to oratory within Crawford County cluster.
- March 16, 2021 — Fr. Randy Schon celebrates 74th anniversary Mass.
Building the Church
The 1947 basement church was poured by a homemade reinforced-concrete wall machine invented by parishioner J. Leo Ahart, who supervised construction. The plan called for a 35-by-70-foot basement, with an addition at the front for an entrance and a base for the future superstructure. Volunteer labor from parish men — sandwiched around farm work — did the bulk of the work; three men were hired full time; and parish women fed the crews lunch each day. The superstructure was completed in 1953, and Bishop Mueller formally dedicated the finished church in 1954.
- J. Leo Ahart's homemade reinforced-concrete wall-erecting machine.
- Plans: 35 × 70 ft basement with west-end addition (kitchen, utility room, sanctuary, sacristy, choir spaces).
- 1952 building committee: Matt Gehl, Ray Putnam, Sam Brasel, Q.E. Goeser, LaVerne Leinen, J. Leo Ahart, Joe Muff, Robert Sullivan, Gilbert Zeiman, John Conway.
- Denison Council of the Knights of Columbus — substantial donation during basement construction.
- Bishop Joseph M. Mueller — $5,000 donation to superstructure fund.
- Catholic Church Extension Society of America (Chicago) — $5,000 allotment secured by Bishop Mueller.
- George Keairnes residence — purchased as the parish rectory (1949).
Mass and Sacramental Schedule
St. Mary's offers one of the most generous daily-Mass schedules in the area for a church of its size: a Saturday vigil, two Sunday Masses, and weekday Masses Monday through Thursday at 12:10 PM. There is no Friday Mass at the oratory. As an oratory within the Crawford County cluster served from St. Rose of Lima in Denison, the church continues to publish its schedule on the shared denisoncatholic.com site.
- Saturday Vigil: 5:00 PM
- Sunday: 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM
- Monday: 12:10 PM
- Tuesday: 12:10 PM
- Wednesday: 12:10 PM
- Thursday: 12:10 PM
- No Friday Mass
Religious Education and Parish Life
Religious instruction at St. Mary's was originally taught by the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother in Manilla. After the Sisters of Humility from St. Patrick's School in Dunlap took over, weekly religion classes and a vacation summer school continued for years. With the eventual closing of the Dunlap school, religious instruction was taken over by lay volunteers from the parish.
- Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother — taught first religious instructions in Manilla-area homes (Sam Brasel, Jenny Huntingon).
- Sisters of Humility from St. Patrick's School, Dunlap — taught weekly religion classes and vacation summer school.
- Lay volunteers — took over religious instruction after the Dunlap school closed.
- First parish council — 1979, under Fr. John Thomas.
- RENEW process — parish participated in 1988 alongside other Sioux City-area parishes.
Parish Cluster and Wider Community
St. Mary's is part of the Crawford County Catholic cluster anchored by St. Rose of Lima in Denison. The shared website (denisoncatholic.com) lists mission towns including Charter Oak, Vail, Dow City, Manilla, Manning, and Denison. The cluster also publishes weekly bulletins and runs ministries such as the Marian Pilgrimage and a Knights of Columbus council that recently marked its 25th anniversary.
- St. Rose of Lima, Denison (cluster center; 916 2nd Ave S, Denison, IA 51442 — (712) 263-2152).
- Shared website: denisoncatholic.com.
- Knights of Columbus — 25th anniversary celebrated at cluster level.
- Marian Pilgrimage — 'To Jesus through Mary' (cluster event).
- St. Rose Cemetery — cluster-managed, with a published list of abandoned graves.
Notable Memorials and Improvements
Beyond the original construction, parishioners have continued to improve and memorialize the church building over the decades.
- Electric carillon — gift of the Muff families in memory of Mrs. Frieda Muff.
- Basement kitchen enlarged and one restroom relocated (recent improvements).
- Original basement construction supervised by J. Leo Ahart using his homemade concrete-wall machine.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. J.J. Hyland1947–April 1949
Founded the parish from Sacred Heart, Manilla; celebrated first Mass in Dow City Town Hall on March 17, 1947; chose the name 'St. Mary's'; assisted by Fr. George O'Brine and later Fr. Cletus Keleher.
- Fr. J.C. DohertyApril 28, 1949 –
First resident pastor when St. Mary's became an independent parish on April 28, 1949; oversaw construction of the superstructure and its completion on March 17, 1953.
- Fr. Gerald Zensen
- Fr. John Terpstra
- Fr. George Schumacher
- Fr. Francis Nemmers
- Fr. Peter Fransco
- Fr. J.J. Hylind
- Fr. Cleo Seuntjens
- Fr. O.W. Koester
- Fr. William Devine
- Fr. John Thomas
Organized the first parish council in 1979.
- Fr. Robert Leiting
- Fr. John Vakulskas
- Fr. John Cain
Listed as the 'present pastor' in the parish's 74th-anniversary history article.
- Fr. Randy Schon
Celebrated the 74th anniversary of the first Mass on March 16, 2021.