About St. Mary of Mercy (Fatima Family Shrine) · Alexandria, South Dakota
St. Mary of Mercy is a Roman Catholic parish in the small town of Alexandria, South Dakota, founded in 1880 and now part of the Diocese of Sioux Falls. It is most widely known as the home of the Fatima Family Shrine (also called "Mid-America's Fatima Family Shrine"), an outdoor Marian complex of four granite chapels with Carrara marble statues imported from Portugal that was erected in 1987 and dedicated by the Bishop of Leiria-Fátima during the Marian Year proclaimed by Pope St. John Paul II. The parish shares its block with a Discalced Carmelite monastery (founded 1997), and its grounds include a Penitential Path with Stations of the Cross, a 12-foot Jubilee Cross, a Pope and Martyrs' Shrine and a Pro-Life Shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Today the parish operates as part of the St. Mary Magdalene Pastorate alongside several neighboring rural parishes.
- Established
- 1880
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary (Our Lady of Mercy; Our Lady of Fátima)
- Rector
- Reverend Melvin Kuhn
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux Falls
Why belong here
St. Mary of Mercy offers a uniquely prayerful environment centered on the Message of Fátima and the Holy Eucharist, anchored by an outdoor Marian shrine that draws Marian devotion, family consecration and pro-life prayer together in one place. Parishioners worship in a small-town South Dakota community that is also home to a cloistered Discalced Carmelite monastery (whose sisters pray daily for the diocese), and the parish participates in the wider St. Mary Magdalene Pastorate network that brings daily Mass, regular confession and sacramental ministry to several rural parishes. It is a quiet, devotional home for those drawn to the Rosary, the Holy Family, the saints of the 20th century and Eucharistic adoration.
Mass times at St. Mary of Mercy (Fatima Family Shrine)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:15–4:50 PM at parishes of the St. Mary Magdalene Pastorate with Saturday evening Mass
- Sunday 7:50–8:20 AM before the 8:30 AM Mass
- After the 8:30 AM Mass at Alexandria (Emery and Alexandria share this practice)
- Before and after Mass at other pastorate Masses; Holy Days as announced
Adoration times
- First Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM at the Carmelite Monastery
- Daily: The light is kept on in each pastorate church so the Lord can be visited at any time ("The Light Is On")
Fatima Family Shrine
The Fatima Family Shrine is the Marian sanctuary that has made St. Mary of Mercy known far beyond South Dakota. Erected on the parish grounds in 1987 by Father Robert J. Fox and dedicated by the Bishop of Leiria-Fátima, the complex is built of South Dakota granite with Carrara marble statues from Portugal. It is devoted to the message of Our Lady of Fátima — prayer of the Rosary, consecration, and peace — and explicitly honors the Holy Family and the Holy Eucharist as the center of family life.
- Four granite chapels with Carrara marble statues: Our Lady of Fátima, the Child Jesus as the Bread of Life, St. Joseph with the Christ Child, and the Angel of Portugal
- Stained-glass backdrops containing 15 golden stars (Mysteries of the Rosary) and a circular "sun" representing the Miracle of the Sun (Oct. 13, 1917)
- Soil and rock from the Cova da Iria sealed within the base of the statue of Mary
- Holy Family Chapel — a smaller chapel of the same granite and stained glass, with blue predominant in honor of Mary, Mother of the Church, and three white rings symbolizing the adoration of the nine choirs of angels
- Outdoor altar in front of the main shrine, emphasizing that devotion here is Eucharistic and Christ-centered
The Four Chapels and Their Statues
Each of the four granite chapels contains a hand-carved Carrara marble statue imported from Portugal. The statue of Mary is modeled on the miraculous statue of Fátima that marks the spot of the apparition over the holm-oak tree; the statue of Jesus depicts Him as the Bread of Life, catching His Blood from His Sacred Heart in a Chalice to represent the Eucharistic Sacrifice of the Mass. The statue of St. Joseph with the Christ Child, alongside the Blessed Mother, makes up the Holy Family. The fourth statue is the Angel as he appeared to the three children in 1917 — without wings — adoring the Holy Eucharist atop a pillar.
- Our Lady of Fátima — modeled on the original pillar statue at the Cova
- Child Jesus as the Bread of Life — Sacred Heart catching Blood in a Chalice
- St. Joseph with the Christ Child — completing the Holy Family
- Angel of Portugal — adoring the Holy Eucharist
Penitential Path
A granite walk known as the Penitential Path runs through the shrine grounds, recalling the devotion at Fátima itself where pilgrims are often seen going on their knees from the Cova to the Chapel. The Path begins at a 12-foot granite Cross erected by Father Fox in the Jubilee Year 2000 and blessed by Bishop Robert J. Carlson of Sioux Falls, and continues past the Pope and Martyrs' Shrine, the Pro-Life Shrine and the Stations of the Cross, ending at the Angel of the Family.
- 12-foot Jubilee Cross — erected June 2000, blessed by Bishop Robert Carlson
- Pope and Martyrs' Shrine — marble sculpture of Pope St. John Paul II surrounded by four 20th-century martyrs
- Pro-Life Shrine — five-foot bronze Our Lady of Guadalupe from Mexico, blessed 1989 by Cardinal Édouard Gagnon
- Stations of the Cross — laid out along the granite path
- Angel of the Family — consecrated by Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz
Pope and Martyrs' Shrine
Topped by a marble sculpture of Pope St. John Paul II — who survived two assassination attempts and saw himself as the "Holy Father" the Fátima children saw — this shrine honors the martyrs of the 20th century, a century in which Our Lady at Fátima had warned of coming persecutions of the Church. The Pope is surrounded by busts of four saints and blesseds who gave their lives for Christian virtues:
- St. Maximilian Kolbe (1894–1941) — Polish Franciscan who volunteered to starve to death in place of a fellow prisoner at Auschwitz
- Blessed Miguel Pro (1891–1927) — Mexican Jesuit executed by firing squad for evangelizing under anti-clerical persecution
- St. Gianna Beretta Molla (1922–1962) — Italian physician and mother who died after choosing to save her unborn daughter
- St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross / Edith Stein (1891–1942) — Jewish philosopher, Discalced Carmelite, killed at Auschwitz
Pro-Life Shrine (Our Lady of Guadalupe)
The Pro-Life Shrine features a five-foot bronze statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, patterned on the miraculous image enshrined in the Basilica of Mexico City. The inscription reads: "Patroness of the unborn, Protectress of Children, Mother of the Americas — Pray for us." The statue was dedicated and blessed in 1989 by Cardinal Édouard Gagnon of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for the Family.
- Five-foot bronze from Mexico, modeled on the Tilma image
- Blessed 1989 by Cardinal Édouard Gagnon
- Links the Fátima message of family and life to the Guadalupe message of human dignity
Parish Life & Sacraments
St. Mary of Mercy is a small-town parish serving the Alexandria community as part of the multi-parish St. Mary Magdalene Pastorate of the Diocese of Sioux Falls. Daily Mass is offered in Alexandria Monday through Friday, with the weekend Mass rotation shared among the seven parishes of the pastorate. Sacraments (Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick and OCIA) are arranged by contacting the parish priest, and the sacrament of Reconciliation is offered at scheduled times and after Masses.
- Daily Mass Monday–Friday at 8:30 AM; Tuesdays also at 5:30 PM
- Weekend Mass: Saturday 5:00 PM (even months) and Sunday 8:30 AM (odd months) — alternating with sister parishes
- Confession: Saturday 4:15–4:50 PM, Sunday 7:50–8:20 AM, and after the 8:30 AM Mass
- Baptism, Marriage, Care of the Sick, OCIA — contact the parish priest
- Holy Days — Mass times announced
Discalced Carmelite Monastery of Our Mother of Mercy and St. Joseph
Across the street from St. Mary of Mercy stands the Monastery of Our Mother of Mercy and St. Joseph, a cloistered community of Discalced Carmelite Nuns. The community is a foundation from the Carmelite Monastery of the Little Flower of Jesus in Buffalo, NY, itself founded by Mother Elias of the Sacred Heart in 1920–1925 in fulfillment of a promise to St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Bishop Robert J. Carlson of Sioux Falls conducted the enclosure ceremonies on August 15, 1997, the same year St. Thérèse was declared a Doctor of the Church. The nuns live a contemplative life of prayer in the heart of the diocese, and today they are raising funds to build a major new Chapel of the Holy Face of Jesus adjacent to their existing cloister.
- Year founded in Alexandria: 1997
- Mother Mary Baptist of the Virgin of Carmel, O.C.D., Prioress
- 12 Solemn Professed members
- Daily 7:30 AM Extraordinary Form Mass (Fr. Lance Oser); Saturday 8:00 AM; Sunday 7:00 AM
- Rosary and Benediction Sundays at 3:15 PM
- First Friday Adoration 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Chapel of the Holy Face of Jesus expansion project — budget approximately $16 million
- Confraternity of the Holy Face of Jesus in union with the Archconfraternity of Tours, France
History of the Shrine
The Fatima Family Shrine is the legacy of one priest's mission to bring the message of Fátima to the American heartland. Father Robert J. Fox arrived at St. Mary of Mercy in 1985 and, responding to Pope John Paul II's proclamation of a Marian Year for 1987, conceived of building an outdoor Marian sanctuary on the parish grounds. The Shrine was dedicated by the Bishop of Leiria-Fátima himself on September 27, 1987, and over the following years expanded to include the Holy Family Chapel, the Pope and Martyrs' Shrine, the Pro-Life Shrine, the Stations of the Cross, the Penitential Path and the 12-foot Jubilee Cross of 2000. Father Fox hosted annual Marian Congresses that drew Catholic speakers and prelates from around the world until his death in 2009; the parishes of the Fatima Family Apostolate he founded continue his work today.
- 1880 — St. Mary of Mercy parish founded
- 1985 — Fr. Robert J. Fox arrives at the parish
- 1987 — Fatima Family Shrine erected and dedicated by Bishop Alberto do Amaral (Leiria-Fátima)
- 1989 — Pro-Life Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe blessed by Cardinal Édouard Gagnon
- 1997 — Discalced Carmelite Monastery founded across the street (Aug. 15)
- 2000 — 12-foot Jubilee Cross blessed by Bishop Robert Carlson during the Fatima Family Congress
- 2009 — Death of Fr. Robert J. Fox (Nov. 26)
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently served by a pastor and parochial vicar assigned by the Diocese of Sioux Falls. The Carmelite Monastery is served by its own chaplain (Fr. Lance Oser), who celebrates the daily Extraordinary Form Mass in the monastery chapel that is open to the public. Discipleship and evangelization for the wider pastorate is coordinated by Maggan Krempges ([email protected], 605-425-2600).
- Reverend Melvin Kuhn — Pastor
- Reverend Steven Jones — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Lance Oser — celebrant of the Extraordinary Form Mass at the Carmelite Monastery
- Maggan Krempges — Discipleship & Evangelization (pastorate-wide)
- Mother Mary Baptist of the Virgin of Carmel, O.C.D. — Prioress of the Carmelite Monastery
St. Mary Magdalene Pastorate
St. Mary of Mercy is one of seven parishes in the St. Mary Magdalene Pastorate, a multi-parish cluster in the Diocese of Sioux Falls that shares clergy and rotates Mass coverage. The pastorate publishes a combined bulletin and a unified Mass schedule (mmscatholic.org and salemcatholic.org).
- St. Mary of Mercy, Alexandria
- St. Mary Help of Christians, Salem
- St. Stephen, Bridgewater
- St. Patrick, Montrose
- St. Ann, Humboldt
- St. Martin of Tours, Emery
- Church of the Epiphany, Epiphany
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Robert J. Fox1985–2009
Diocesan priest, EWTN personality, director of the World Apostolate of Fatima, founder of the Fatima Family Apostolate and the Fatima Family Shrine; arrived at St. Mary of Mercy in 1985 and erected the Shrine in 1987. Died November 26, 2009.
- Fr. Dana Christensenapprox. 2017
Mentioned as current pastor in National Catholic Register coverage around the 2017 centenary of the Fátima apparitions; had plans to revive the Marian candlelight processions.
- Fr. Melvin Kuhnpresent
Listed as Pastor of St. Mary of Mercy by the Diocese of Sioux Falls.