St. Mary

About St. Mary's Catholic Church — Mapleton

St. Mary's is a small Roman-Latin Catholic parish serving Mapleton and surrounding Monona County in western Iowa. It belongs to the Diocese of Sioux City and today is clustered with two neighboring parishes — St. Mary's of Danbury and Sacred Heart of Ida Grove — under the pastoral title 'St. Therese of Lisieux Parishes.' Sunday Mass is celebrated at 8:30 a.m., with weekday Masses on Tuesday evening, Wednesday morning, and Friday morning.

History of St. Mary's Mapleton

The Catholic community of Mapleton organized the construction of its present church in 1908–1909. An architectural drawing from 1908 (preserved in the Uhl Family Collection) shows the original design, and a photograph taken in May 1909 captures the building under construction. St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church was formally incorporated under Iowa law on May 22, 1912, with its registered office at 703 Heisler Street — its address to this day. Throughout the 20th century the parish served farm families across the county. A parish cemetery remains associated with St. Mary's Mapleton, and the centenary of the church was commemorated in the book '100 Years of St. Mary's Catholic Church building history,' co-authored by Wilma (Wessling) Clausen, granddaughter of John Wessling, one of the founding builders.

• 1908 — architectural drawing prepared
• May 1909 — construction in progress (Uhl Family photograph)
• May 22, 1912 — incorporated as St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Iowa (Corp. #081246)
• Parish cemetery associated with the church
• Centenary commemorated in '100 Years of St. Mary's Catholic Church' history book

Architecture & Building Features

The 1908–1909 church is a Gothic Revival–influenced country church, locally noted as the best example of Gothic Revival church architecture in Mapleton. Its stained-glass windows are older than the building itself — donated from St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Sioux City, which had offered them to the Mapleton parish as early as April 17, 1893. The building is open daily (the north door from approximately 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. when no daily Mass is being celebrated) so anyone can step in to pray. A mechanical lift is available for accessibility.

• 1908 architectural drawing (Gothic Revival influence)
• Stained-glass windows donated from St. Thomas Episcopal, Sioux City (per April 17, 1893 church minutes)
• North-door open daily ~8 a.m.–5 p.m. for private prayer
• Accessibility lift — advance request recommended

St. Therese of Lisieux Parish Cluster

St. Mary's Mapleton is one of three parishes clustered for ministry under the title 'St. Therese of Lisieux Parishes.' Together with St. Mary's of Danbury and Sacred Heart of Ida Grove, the cluster shares one pastor (Fr. William McCarthy), a cluster-wide faith-formation program led by Deacon Michael Stover, and Danbury Catholic School as its parish school.

• St. Mary's Catholic Church — Mapleton (703 Heisler St.)
• St. Mary's Catholic Church — Danbury (604 Peach St., Danbury, IA 51019)
• Sacred Heart Catholic Church — Ida Grove (800 N. Main St., Ida Grove, IA 51445)
• Danbury Catholic School (cluster school, Principal Molly Petersen)
• Cluster Office — Phone 712.883.2244 / Fax 712.883.2024 / [email protected]

Clergy & Staff

Parish leadership includes pastor Fr. William (Bill) McCarthy, retired pastor Fr. Richard Ball (whose name appears on the Iowa corporation registration), and Deacon Michael Stover, who serves as the cluster's Director of Religious Education. Msgr. Seifried visits the cluster for Reconciliation Tuesdays. Charlene Boyer is the Parish Coordinator for Mapleton, handling Mass intentions and day-to-day parish contact.

• Pastor — Fr. William (Bill) McCarthy (cell 515-570-8704; [email protected])
• Retired Pastor — Fr. Richard Ball
• Deacon / DRE — Rev. Mr. Michael Stover
• Visiting Confessor — Msgr. Seifried (Reconciliation Tuesdays)
• Parish Coordinator (Mapleton) — Charlene Boyer (712-882-1780; [email protected])

Sacraments

The parish celebrates all seven sacraments with personal preparation from Fr. McCarthy. Baptisms are scheduled after a preparation meeting; Anointing of the Sick is given on request, especially before surgery or hospitalization; weddings require at least nine months of preparation per diocesan policy. First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation preparation are coordinated through the cluster's faith-formation program led by Deacon Michael Stover.

• Baptism — call Fr. Bill for preparation and date
• Anointing of the Sick — contact Fr. McCarthy for hospital / surgery visits
• Marriage — minimum 9 months advance notice (Diocese of Sioux City policy)
• First Reconciliation & First Eucharist — cluster faith formation
• Confirmation — diocesan preparation

Parish Ministries & Outreach

St. Mary's supports a food-pantry ministry that fills baskets at the church entrances with non-perishable groceries and paper products for the Mapleton Food Pantry. The Knights of Columbus hosts donut-and-coffee Sundays after Mass. The weekly bulletin lists liturgical ministers — lectors, Eucharistic ministers, altar servers, ushers, gift-bearers, and a rosary leader — for each upcoming Mass, reflecting a parish that draws its ministers directly from its active families.

• Mapleton Food Pantry ministry (donation baskets at church entrances)
• Knights of Columbus — donut Sunday after Mass
• Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Altar Servers, Ushers, Gift-bearers
• Rosary Leader
• Parish Coordinator / Council (Charlene Boyer)