About St. Mary · Sioux Falls, South Dakota
The Church of St. Mary is a Roman Catholic parish in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, part of the Diocese of Sioux Falls. Founded in the late 1940s, it sits on a campus on South 5th Avenue that includes a parish school, gymnasium, and rectory. Since 2023, St. Mary has been one of three parishes in the Divine Mercy Pastorate, alongside Christ the King (Sioux Falls) and St. John Paul II (Harrisburg). The parish celebrates daily and weekend Mass in English and offers Eucharistic Adoration, weekly confession, faith formation, and ongoing campus renewal under a long-standing architectural relationship with TSP.
- Established
- Late 1940s
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (parish is named after Mary, the Mother of God)
- Rector
- Rev. Paul Rutten (Pastor of the Divine Mercy Pastorate)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux Falls (Roman Rite, Latin Church)
Why belong here
St. Mary offers the full rhythm of Catholic life in a single, walkable mid-century campus — daily and weekend Mass, weekday Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and frequent Confession. As a founding member of the Divine Mercy Pastorate alongside Christ the King and St. John Paul II, the parish combines a rooted neighborhood identity (a 1958 church and a parish school dating to 1950) with shared pastoral resources across the Sioux Falls area. Long-standing families, an active faith-formation program, and welcoming staff make it a place to pray, serve, and grow in faith together.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday: 12:00 PM (Noon)
- Wednesday: 5:00 PM
- Saturday: 2:30 PM
- Saturday: 2:45 PM – 3:15 PM
Adoration times
- Wednesday following the morning Mass until 3:00 PM
Parish History & Campus Heritage
Founded in the late 1940s, St. Mary grew rapidly in the post-war years as Sioux Families expanded south of downtown. Land was acquired at 29th Street and Fifth Avenue South, where a former air-base chapel was relocated to serve as the first church. Through a decades-long relationship with the architecture and engineering firm TSP, the parish built a tightly planned campus in the 1950s: school (1950), gymnasium (1951), rectory (1954), and the present church (1958). The architect of record, Bill Bentzinger, continued working on St. Mary's design from a drafting board set up over his hospital bed during back-surgery recovery. TSP returned for a campus facilities assessment in 2019, a school master plan in 2020, and the current rectory/office redesign, scheduled to complete in 2025.
- Parish founded in the late 1940s on 29th St. & 5th Ave. S.
- First worship space: former air-base chapel relocated to the site
- School built 1950; gymnasium 1951; rectory 1954; church 1958
- TSP has been the parish architect since the 1950s
- 2019 facilities assessment, 2020 school master plan, current rectory/office project
Divine Mercy Pastorate
In 2023, the Diocese of Sioux Falls grouped St. Mary with Christ the King (Sioux Falls) and St. John Paul II (Harrisburg) into the Divine Mercy Pastorate as part of the diocese's 'Set Ablaze' pastoral plan. The pastorate shares clergy and staff while each parish keeps its own identity. Fr. Paul Rutten serves as pastor of the pastorate, with Rev. Jacob Doty and Rev. Mark Lichter as parochial vicars and Deacon Glenn Ridder assigned to St. John Paul II and St. Mary. A 'Key Voices' team of lay representatives from each parish — including Beth Noonan, Brooke White, Ellen Stoll, Thad Rogers, and Rochelle Sweetman from St. Mary — guides the pastorate's listening and discernment process.
- Formed in 2023 under the Diocese of Sioux Falls' 'Set Ablaze' plan
- Member parishes: St. Mary, Christ the King, St. John Paul II
- Pastor: Rev. Paul Rutten; Parochial Vicars: Rev. Jacob Doty, Rev. Mark Lichter
- Deacon Glenn Ridder serves St. John Paul II and St. Mary
- Pastorate-wide Key Voices discernment team includes five St. Mary parishioners
St. Mary Parish School
St. Mary Parish School has been part of the parish campus since 1950, when it was built alongside the original church complex. Generations of central-Sioux Falls Catholic families have attended the school, and it remains a defining ministry of the parish. Funds raised through the earlier 'Grateful Eucharistic Parish Campaign' were intentionally set aside to address maintenance needs at St. Mary School as part of the pastorate's broader vision.
- Parish school established in 1950 as part of original campus build-out
- Gymnasium added in 1951
- 2020 school master plan completed with TSP
- Earmarked renovation funds held within the pastorate's stewardship campaign
Campus & Facilities
St. Mary's mid-century campus at 2109 S. 5th Avenue is anchored by the 1958 church and the 1950 parish school, with a 1951 gymnasium and 1954 rectory filling out the block. A new rectory and office addition is being designed to provide a separate home for four or more priests — including a fully accessible main-level suite and a dedicated chapel — while expanding and clearly delineating parish office space. The new addition is connected directly to the church, fully handicapped-accessible, and separated securely from liturgical space; it also incorporates a new accessible confessional and a courtyard created by joining the existing church canopy with a new one in front of the office.
- 1958 church, 1950 school, 1951 gymnasium, 1954 rectory
- New accessible confessional integrated into rectory/office addition
- Connecting courtyard between existing and new canopies
- Main-level accessible priest suite with private chapel
- Project completion scheduled for fall 2025
Faith Formation & Stewardship
Faith formation at St. Mary spans parish-school religious education, sacramental preparation, and shared pastorate-wide programming. Stewardship has been a recurring theme of parish life, most visibly through the 'Grateful Eucharistic Parish Campaign,' which underwrote current needs while protecting parish operations at St. Mary and Christ the King and setting aside additional funds specifically for St. Mary School.
- Faith formation through parish-school and sacramental prep
- Shared pastorate-wide programming
- 'Grateful Eucharistic Parish Campaign' funded campus needs and reserved school-maintenance funds
Visit & Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach the St. Mary parish office at 2109 S. 5th Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD 57105, by phone at (605) 332-6391, or by email at [email protected]. The official parish website at stmarysf.org and the shared pastorate site at divinemercysf.org carry current Mass, confession, and event schedules along with the latest pastorate news.
- Address: 2109 S. 5th Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD 57105
- Phone: (605) 332-6391
- Email: [email protected]
- Websites: stmarysf.org and divinemercysf.org