About St Mary · Williamsburg, Iowa
St. Mary Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish located at 102 E. Penn Street in Williamsburg, Iowa, a community in Iowa County in east-central Iowa. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport and is clustered with two nearby parishes — St. Peter in Cosgrove and St. Mary in Oxford — sharing a pastor, bulletin, and Faith Formation program. The parish was founded in 1887, and the present church building was completed in 1920. Mass is offered in English, with a Sunday liturgy at 10:00 a.m. and weekday Masses on Tuesday and Friday mornings. The parish can be reached at (319) 668-1397 and through the cluster's email at [email protected].
- Established
- 1887
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary
- Diocese
- Diocese of Davenport
Why belong here
St. Mary offers a faithful, traditional Sunday and weekly Mass schedule rooted in a small, tight-knit Iowa County community. As part of the St. Peter Cosgrove / St. Mary Oxford / St. Mary Williamsburg cluster, the parish shares religious education (CCD), a weekly bulletin, and ministries across all three worship sites — making it a place where rural Catholic families can worship, raise their children in the faith, and serve together.
Mass times at St Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity & Worship Schedule
St. Mary is a small English-language Roman Catholic parish in Williamsburg, Iowa, that gathers for Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m. and for weekday Mass on Tuesdays and Fridays at 9:00 a.m. The parish is listed under Church ID 60437 in the Diocese of Davenport and is a member of the larger diocesan family of more than 90 parishes in southeastern Iowa. Because weekend Mass assignments rotate within the cluster, the published Williamsburg schedule is a stable Sunday-only liturgy.
- Sunday Mass: 10:00 a.m.
- Tuesday Mass: 9:00 a.m.
- Friday Mass: 9:00 a.m.
- Liturgy celebrated in English; Roman Rite
Three-Parish Cluster (Cosgrove–Oxford–Williamsburg)
St. Mary Williamsburg is joined with two neighboring parishes — St. Peter in Cosgrove and St. Mary in Oxford — in a formal pastoral cluster that shares staff, Faith Formation, and a single weekly bulletin. The cluster's combined website at stpetercosgrove.weebly.com lists Mass times for all three sites. Weekend Mass times at Cosgrove and Oxford rotate every six months so that worship is shared across the cluster, while Williamsburg keeps a consistent Sunday-morning schedule.
- St. Peter Cosgrove — Sundays at 8:30 a.m. (Oct–Mar) / Saturdays at 5:00 p.m. (Apr–Sep); Wednesday 5:00 p.m.
- St. Mary Oxford — Saturdays at 5:00 p.m. (Oct–Mar) / Sundays at 8:30 a.m. (Apr–Sep); Thursday 9:00 a.m.
- St. Mary Williamsburg — Sundays at 10:00 a.m.; Tuesday and Friday 9:00 a.m.
History of St. Mary Parish
The parish was canonically founded in 1887 to serve the Catholic families of Williamsburg and the surrounding Iowa County farmland. As the congregation grew, a new, more permanent church was constructed and dedicated in 1920 on East Penn Street, where the parish continues to worship. The 1915 History of Iowa County documents that Rev. John A. Glenn was assigned as pastor on May 14, 1911, and notes the strong standing of the parish under his care.
- 1887 — parish founded
- 1920 — present church building completed on East Penn Street
- 1911 — Rev. John A. Glenn appointed pastor
- 1902 — Father Glenn ordained by Cardinal Gibbons in Baltimore
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious Education for the cluster, including St. Mary Williamsburg, is organized by the parish and directed by Jennifer Ness (reachable at 515-460-7055 or through the cluster email). CCD/Religious Education classes for children run each year from September through Palm Sunday, and registration materials are sent out to previously registered families and new families in the late summer. The shared program allows catechesis to be coordinated across the Cosgrove–Oxford–Williamsburg cluster.
- Director of Religious Education: Jennifer Ness
- Phone: 515-460-7055
- Email: [email protected]
- Session schedule: September through Palm Sunday
Contact & Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can contact St. Mary at the parish phone and email, and updates on liturgy and parish life are shared through the cluster's weekly bulletin and its public Facebook page. The church is located in the small town of Williamsburg, in Iowa County, and is open for the listed Sunday and weekday Masses.
- Address: 102 E. Penn Street, Williamsburg, IA 52361
- Phone: (319) 668-1397
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: facebook.com/saintmarywburgia/
- Cluster website: stpetercosgrove.weebly.com
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John A. Glenn1911–1914+
Appointed pastor of St. Mary's, Williamsburg on May 14, 1911; previously served at St. Mary's, Mechanicsville. Ordained by Cardinal Gibbons on June 21, 1902. Recorded as pastor in the 1915 History of Iowa County.