About St. Mary · Waucoma, Iowa
St. Mary Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish of about 130 families in the town of Waucoma, in Fayette County, northeast Iowa, part of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dubuque. It was founded in 1900 by Irish-heritage settlers who had previously worshipped at the rural St. Rose mission, and the present church was built in 1917 after the original structure was destroyed by a tornado. Today St. Mary is one of six parishes in the Christ Our Hope Cluster, sharing a pastor, Fr. Nick Radloff, and collaborating with Assumption–Little Turkey, Holy Trinity–Protivin, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel–Lawler, St. John Nepomucene–Fort Atkinson, and St. Luke–St. Lucas.
- Established
- 1900
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Rev. Nick Radloff
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dubuque
Why belong here
St. Mary offers the feel of a small, family-sized Catholic parish where nearly every ministry is run by fellow parishioners. You will be welcomed into a community with deep Irish roots that has been marked by the May Crowning of Mary for nearly two decades under the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, that keeps its own choir, altar servers, lectors, and Eucharistic ministers active, and that collaborates with five neighboring parishes in the Christ Our Hope Cluster to share resources and a full weekend Mass schedule. It is a place where volunteers are at the heart of worship, faith formation, cemetery care, and funeral hospitality, and where families of about 130 households support one another across generations.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
History of St. Mary Parish
The roots of St. Mary Parish reach back to 1852 and the Irish-settler mission of St. Rose. Bishop Matthias Loras's recruiting campaign brought Catholic families from Ohio to Fayette County in covered wagons, and the stone St. Rose church built in the countryside in 1857 became the first Catholic church in the county. A series of rebuilding efforts followed — a larger frame church in 1877, a hasty replacement after lightning in 1881, and the decision in the late 1890s to relocate Catholic life into the growing town of Waucoma itself. After parishioner J. J. Kieron secured approval from Archbishop Hennessy, the new parish was founded in 1900 under Rev. Martin Hogan, expanded with a school in 1915, and rebuilt the present church in 1917 under Rev. James Sheehy after a tornado destroyed the first building the same year.
- 1852 — Bishop Loras recruits Ohio settlers to northeast Iowa
- 1857 — Stone St. Rose church built in the Fayette County countryside
- 1877 — Larger frame St. Rose replaces the stone church
- 1881 — Lightning strikes; a second frame church is quickly built
- 1897 — That church declared unsafe; parish begins planning in Waucoma
- 1898 — Rev. Martin Hogan sent by Archbishop Hennessy to build the new parish
- 1900 — First church and rectory completed; parish formally founded
- 1915 — School added; tornado destroys the new church
- 1917 — Present church completed under Rev. James Sheehy
Heritage and Identity
St. Mary is proud of its Irish heritage and its small-town character. The parish is home to about 130 families and traces its identity back to the Ohio-Irish settlers who answered Bishop Loras's appeal. That sense of tradition is reinforced by long-running organizations such as the Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court Queenship of Mary #1806, which has overseen the parish's May Crowning for nearly twenty years.
- Irish heritage
- About 130 families
- Catholic Daughters of the Americas — Court Queenship of Mary #1806
Christ Our Hope Cluster
St. Mary is one of six parishes that together form the Christ Our Hope Cluster in the Archdiocese of Dubuque. According to the cluster's mission statement, the parishes 'offer meaningful, fulfilling, and varied avenues of worship, Catholic education, social service, and community life for all ages within our six parishes to support the active practice of Catholic Faith in all that we do.' While each parish keeps its own history and traditions, they share staff and resources for their mutual benefit.
- Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary — Little Turkey
- Holy Trinity — Protivin
- Our Lady of Mt. Carmel — Lawler
- St. John Nepomucene — Fort Atkinson
- St. Luke — St. Lucas
- St. Mary — Waucoma
Parish Staff and Pastor
Rev. Nick Radloff serves as pastor for the entire Christ Our Hope Cluster and can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone through the cluster office at (563) 569-8259. The cluster mailing address is PO Box 205, Protivin, IA 52163.
- Pastor: Rev. Nick Radloff
- Email: [email protected]
- Cluster office: (563) 569-8259
- Mailing address: PO Box 205, Protivin, IA 52163
Mass and Worship Schedule
Weekend Masses in the cluster rotate among the six parishes. According to the cluster's published weekend Mass schedule, St. Mary in Waucoma typically celebrates Sunday Mass at 8:30 AM on its assigned weekends, with the second-Sunday-of-the-month weekend (for example, April 12) regularly falling to Waucoma. Visitors are encouraged to check the cluster schedule for the current week's assignment.
- Sunday Mass at St. Mary: 8:30 AM (on Waucoma's assigned weekends)
- Other weekend Masses in the cluster: Saturday 4:00 PM Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Lawler); Saturday 6:00 PM St. John Nepomucene (Ft. Atkinson); Sunday 8:30 AM Holy Trinity (Protivin); Sunday 10:30 AM St. Luke (St. Lucas)
Parish Organizations and Ministries
St. Mary Parish enjoys leadership and service from a broad circle of lay-led groups. Together these ministries handle governance, liturgy, music, hospitality, faith formation, and cemetery care.
- Parish Council
- Altar & Rosary Society
- Sacristans
- Mass Servers
- Ushers
- Lectors
- Liturgy Committee
- Eucharistic Ministers
- Choir
- Finance Council
- Cemetery Directors
- Circles for funerals and functions
- Supplemental religious instruction for students
Catholic Daughters of the Americas — Court Queenship of Mary #1806
Court Queenship of Mary #1806 is the local chapter of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas affiliated with St. Mary Parish. For nearly twenty years the court has maintained the tradition of the May Crowning, a Marian devotion that is also the parish's patronal celebration.
- May Crowning — maintained for nearly 20 years
- Patronal Celebration: first Sunday in May
Patronal Celebration — Crowning of Mary
St. Mary's patronal celebration takes place on the first Sunday in May, when the parish gathers for the Crowning of Mary, a Marian devotion led by the Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court Queenship of Mary #1806.
- Patronal Celebration: Crowning of Mary
- Date: first Sunday in May
Parish Records and Archives
The history of St. Mary Parish is documented in a substantial archival collection held at the Center for Dubuque History at Loras College. The collection, sourced from the Archdiocese of Dubuque, contains more than 100 items spanning 1852 to 1987, including pastor cards, property lists, annual parish histories, bulletins, photographs, and interviews conducted by Jeanne Bruess, Jane McEnaney, and Jill Myers. A parish profile by Rev. Msgr. Edgar Kurt, 'Parish Profile #51: Saint Mary Parish, Waucoma,' was published in The Witness on 29 November 1987.
- Archive: Center for Dubuque History, Loras College
- Coverage: 1852 onward (167+ years of parish history)
- Includes: pastor cards, property lists for Fr. Phelan and Fr. Sheehy, annual histories by Rev. Drummy, 1987 interviews
- Parish profile: Rev. Msgr. Edgar Kurt, The Witness, 29 November 1987
Contact and Visit
St. Mary Parish is located at 218 3rd Street NW in Waucoma, Iowa 52171. Parishioners and visitors may reach the parish through the Christ Our Hope Cluster office at (563) 569-8259 or by emailing Fr. Nick Radloff at [email protected]. The cluster's mailing address is PO Box 205, Protivin, IA 52163.
- Address: 218 3rd St NW, Waucoma, IA 52171
- Phone: (563) 569-8259
- Email: [email protected]
- Mailing address: PO Box 205, Protivin, IA 52163
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Martin Hoganc. 1898–c. 1915
Sent by Archbishop Hennessy to care for St. Rose and build the new Waucoma parish; first church and rectory completed 1900, school 1915; church destroyed by tornado in 1915.
- Rev. James Sheehyc. 1915–c. 1938
Oversaw construction of the present church in 1917 after the tornado, with repairs to school and rectory.
- Rev. Drummy1937–1976
Long-serving pastor; wrote parish histories for 1937–1961 and submitted annual histories through 1975–1976.