About St. Mary · Hanover, Iowa
St. Mary of Hanover is a small, rural Catholic mission parish in Allamakee County in northeastern Iowa, situated along State Highway 76 between Waukon and Dorchester. Founded in 1875 and building its present limestone church in 1898, the parish is today served as a mission from St. Patrick Church in Waukon within the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The parish has produced an unusually large number of religious vocations — including three Hanover-born priests and a permanent deacon who still serves — and is celebrated locally for its tight-knit, family-style community life.
- Established
- 1875 (parish established); present church built 1898
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (St. Mary)
- Rector
- Fr. Joseph Sevcik
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Dubuque
Why belong here
St. Mary's of Hanover offers what many larger parishes cannot: a tight, multigenerational Catholic community that still knows its people by name. The parish is small enough that, in the words of its pastor, 'small, rural parishes serve as truly a family to their people,' yet it belongs to the active St. Patrick Waukon cluster with daily and weekend Masses, regular Reconciliation, monthly Adoration, faith formation, youth ministry, online giving, and a livestreamed liturgy. Worshipping in the 1898 native-limestone church — listed among Iowa's notable rural Catholic landmarks — and sharing in the heritage of three Hanover-ordained priests and a still-serving native deacon makes St. Mary's a meaningful spiritual home for any Catholic family in the Waukon/Dorchester/Hanover corridor.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM at St. Patrick, Waukon (or by appointment with Father Moser)
- Sunday 7:15 AM – 7:45 AM at St. Patrick, Waukon
Adoration times
- Thursday 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM at St. Patrick, Waukon (First Thursday of the month)
Parish History
St. Mary's of Hanover traces its beginnings to 1875, when Father William Jacoby of Lansing celebrated the first Mass in the area in a small structure about two miles north of the present church. Father Edmond Heelen came from Dorchester and directed the building of a small frame church beside that first meeting place, serving the mission until he left Dorchester in 1878. By the late 1880s Father Francis McCullough — an Irish-born priest assigned to Dorchester — established St. Mary's as a formal outmission and, in 1898, oversaw the construction of the present native-limestone church still in use today. Father McCullough also began building a rectory so the mission could have a resident pastor, paving the way for the long era of resident priests that followed. The parish's first resident pastor, Father Thomas Campbell, celebrated Mass only one Sunday before his death on March 7, 1915; Father Patrick Reynolds then arrived in August 1915 and served until his death on January 11, 1947 — he is buried in the parish cemetery. Twelve days after Father Reynolds's death, fire destroyed the rectory and all the parish records; a new steeple was erected on the church and a new rectory was completed in 1948.
Founding Families and Heritage
The earliest Catholic families of Hanover were overwhelmingly Irish, with surnames such as Bresnahan, Byrnes, Collins, Cunningham, Delaney, Fitzgerald, Gallagher, Kennedy, O'Brien, O'Malley, Purcell, Russell and Stack, joined by one Greek family of the name Zoll. As Rev. Msgr. Edgar Kurt wrote in his 1988 parish profile published in The Witness: 'The parish was mostly Irish … and one family of Greek ancestry by the name of Zoll.' Over 125 years the parish has produced an extraordinary 14 religious sisters (families including McCormick, Collins, Gavin, Liddiard, Blake, O'Malley, Delaney, McCarthy and Gallagher) and three ordained priests (Msgr. Michael Martin, Father Maurice Gallagher, and Father Jerry Blake), plus a permanent deacon in Jeff Molitor — a remarkable record for a small rural parish.
The Church Building and Cemetery
The present church of St. Mary's was built in 1898 of native limestone blocks quarried nearby, supervised by Father Francis McCullough. The original steeple was replaced with a new one in 1948 after the 1947 rectory fire, and the building today includes a handicapped-accessible ramp. In 1957 an outdoor altar in honor of Our Blessed Lady was erected in the churchyard in memory of Father John McCullough (1873–1952) and Rt. Rev. Msgr. Patrick McCullough (1872–1943), both of whom are buried in the parish cemetery; the altar was dedicated by Msgr. Michael Martin, a son of the parish, and later Archbishop James J. Byrne dedicated the redwood shelter that still protects the statue. The church and adjoining cemetery remain the heart of the parish and the site of major anniversaries and funeral gatherings.
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
Today St. Mary's is served as a mission of St. Patrick Parish in Waukon. The pastor is Father John Moser — a former associate pastor of St. Patrick Waukon from 1989 to 1991 who returned as pastor in July 2020 and now also shepherds St. Mary's Hanover and St. Mary's Dorchester. Assisting is Deacon Jeff Molitor, a native son of the parish who was ordained a permanent deacon on October 20, 2007 and is assigned to St. Patrick, St. Mary's Hanover, and St. Mary's Dorchester. Father Jerry Blake — another Hanover native, ordained June 3, 2000 — continues to participate in parish life whenever he can, famously celebrating the parish's 125th Jubilee Mass on June 11, 2023.
Lent and Holy Week
During Lent the cluster schedules extra devotions. The 2025 Flocknote calendar lists Stations of the Cross on alternating Fridays at 6:00 PM at St. Mary's — including March 14, March 28 and April 11 at St. Mary's Hanover (and March 7, March 21 and April 4 at St. Mary's Dorchester). On Fridays at St. Patrick the Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed at 3:00 PM, and on Mondays a Mass at 5:00 PM is followed by Stations and a soup-and-sandwich supper in the parish hall.
Sacraments and Pastoral Care
Anointing of the Sick, Communion to the Homebound, and visits to the sick and shut-ins are arranged through Father John Moser at the parish office. Reconciliation is offered as listed above or by appointment. The cluster also maintains a Funeral Dinner Rotation at St. Patrick, with parish groups taking turns providing meals after funeral Masses — including those celebrated at St. Mary's Hanover. Marriage preparation and the Sacraments of Christian Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, First Communion, and RCIA) are coordinated through the St. Patrick Waukon parish office.
Faith Formation, Youth, and Parish Life
Faith Formation for children is directed by Mike Erickson and youth ministry is led by Mandy O'Neill, both serving the cluster from St. Patrick Waukon. Each summer the parish hosts the Totus Tuus youth program (most recently July 21–26, 2024). The cluster also runs an online Liturgical Minister sign-up, weekly bulletin announcements (deadline Mondays 4:00 PM), online giving through the parish website, and a Flocknote email/text signup so parishioners can stay current on events, weather cancellations, and schedules. St. Mary's Hanover bulletins are typically combined with those of St. Patrick Waukon and St. Mary's Dorchester under the title 'St. Patrick / St. Mary, Dorchester / St. Mary, Hanover.'
- Faith Formation Director: Mike Erickson ([email protected])
- Youth Ministry: Mandy O'Neill ([email protected])
- Totus Tuus summer program (July 21–26, 2024)
- Liturgical Minister sign-up via parish website
- Online Giving through stpatrickwaukon.com
- Flocknote parish notifications
Office and Contact
The parish office is staffed by Secretaries Shelly Lydon and Mary Jo Kelly and Business Manager Sandi Drew, all reachable through the St. Patrick Waukon parish office. The mailing address for the cluster is 109 Second St. SW, Waukon, IA 52172; the rectory and office phone is (563) 568-3671, and Father John Moser's cell is (563) 217-0529. Email contacts are listed in the bulletin and on the website.
- Parish Office: 109 Second St. SW, Waukon, IA 52172
- Phone: (563) 568-3671
- Father John Moser cell: (563) 217-0529
- Email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father William Jacoby1875 (first Mass in the area, while pastor of Lansing)
Began saying Mass in a small schoolhouse ~2 miles north of the present church.
- Father Edmond Heelenuntil 1878
Came from Dorchester; directed building of the original frame church beside the schoolhouse.
- Father Francis McCulloughabout 1888 – 1920
Born Ireland 1854, ordained 1886; assigned to Dorchester ~1888; established Hanover as an outmission; oversaw construction of present limestone church (1898); built the rectory; buried in the cemetery at St. Mary's (died 1920).
- Father Thomas Campbelluntil March 7, 1915
First resident pastor; celebrated Mass only one Sunday before falling ill and dying.
- Father Patrick ReynoldsAugust 1915 – January 11, 1947
Long-serving resident pastor; buried in the parish cemetery; twelve days after his death the rectory and all parish records were destroyed by fire.
- Father Joseph Schneider2002 – present (per 2008 history page)
Per St. Patrick history page, given pastoral responsibility for St. Mary's Hanover and St. Mary's Dorchester in 2002.
- Father John Moserreturned July 2020 – present
First served St. Patrick Waukon as associate pastor 1989–1991; returned as pastor in July 2020; serves Hanover and Dorchester as a mission cluster as well.