St. Nicholas

St. Nicholas Catholic Parish — Tea, South Dakota

St. Nicholas is a growing Catholic parish in Tea, a community on the edge of Sioux Falls in southeast South Dakota. The parish is part of the St. Francis of Assisi Pastorate, a grouping of four churches within the Diocese of Sioux Falls led by a single pastor. Mass is offered at St. Nicholas on Saturday evenings, Sunday mornings, and twice during the week; confession is offered before each weekend Mass. The parish describes itself as a place 'seeking to be fully alive missionary disciples of Jesus Christ' and warmly welcomes newcomers to register, attend Mass, or stop by the office Monday through Thursday.

History of St. Nicholas Parish

Records from the Diocese of Sioux Falls and from independent Catholic directories place St. Nicholas's founding in 1905, with the local parish chronicling that the original community was organized in 1904 and the historic church was built in 1906. Over the next century the parish grew and adapted its buildings: in 1955 an addition more than doubled the original structure, adding a new sanctuary, choir room, entry, and bell tower; in 1972 a parish hall and expanded nave seating were added. By the early 2000s the parish had outgrown the historic structure and a new church was built in 2002 at 140 W. Brian Street — the previous church building is now the city museum. The most recent chapter in parish history came in 2023, when Bishop Donald DeGrood grouped St. Nicholas into the new St. Francis of Assisi Pastorate and named Fr. Andrew Dickinson as its first pastor.

• 1904: Parish organized
• 1905: Founded (per Diocese of Sioux Falls / GCatholic)
• 1906: First church built
• 1955: Addition doubled the footprint (new sanctuary, choir room, entry, bell tower)
• 1972: Parish hall and added nave seating
• 2002: New church built at 140 W. Brian Street; old building becomes the Tea museum
• 2023: Joined the St. Francis of Assisi Pastorate under Fr. Andrew Dickinson

St. Francis of Assisi Pastorate

Since 2023, St. Nicholas has been worship site within the St. Francis of Assisi Pastorate, a four-parish grouping in the Diocese of Sioux Falls that places four communities under one pastor and shared staff. The other parishes in the pastorate are St. Katharine Drexel in Sioux Falls, St. Magdalen in Lennox, and St. Christina in Parker. The pastorate model is meant to share resources — clergy, faith formation staff, communications, youth ministry, and adult formation — so that each individual parish still keeps its local schedule of Masses, sacraments, and community life. Pastorate-level initiatives such as the Lenten Mission, Walking With Purpose women's Bible study, and OCIA are coordinated centrally while meeting in different host parishes (OCIA, for example, meets on Tuesday evenings at St. Nicholas).

• St. Katharine Drexel — Sioux Falls
• St. Nicholas — Tea
• St. Magdalen — Lennox
• St. Christina — Parker

Pastor & Clergy

St. Nicholas is pastored by Father Andrew Dickinson, who also serves as the pastor of the other three churches in the St. Francis of Assisi Pastorate. Fr. Andrew was ordained in 2006 by Bishop Samuel Aquila and has served the Diocese of Sioux Falls in Mitchell, Aberdeen, and Brookings (as the director of the Pius XII Newman Center at South Dakota State University), before his 2023 assignment to the pastorate. His ministry passions include divine worship, evangelization and discipleship, Sacred Scripture, mission trips, and retreat work. The parish office and pastoral staff supporting the pastorate also serve St. Nicholas directly.

• Fr. Andrew Dickinson — Pastor (2023–present)
• Ordained 2006 by Bishop Samuel Aquila at the Cathedral of St. Joseph
• Previously: Holy Family (Mitchell), St. Mary (Aberdeen), Pius XII Newman Center at SDSU (Brookings) 2009–2020, Sacred Heart (Aberdeen)

Faith Formation — Fully Alive!

St. Nicholas runs an annual parish faith formation program called 'Fully Alive!' for students in grades 1–10. The program's design rotates through four pillars — Catechesis, Prayer, Service, and Community (youth ministry) — across Wednesday evenings during the school year. On Catechesis nights, students meet in religious-education classrooms while parents gather separately for a parallel adult lesson on the same topic so that the family conversation continues at home. On the other weeks, students stay together for combined prayer, service, and youth ministry activities, with parents invited to volunteer. The coordinator for St. Nicholas's program can be reached through the parish office.

• Program name: Fully Alive!
• Grades served: 1–10
• Four pillars: Catechesis, Prayer, Service, Community/Youth Ministry
• Wednesday evenings, school-year calendar
• Parent parallel-class model — families learn the same topic together
• Coordinator: Kari Karsky — [email protected]

Adult Faith Formation & Becoming Catholic (OCIA)

Adults pursuing deeper formation have several pastorate-wide options. Each fall, Walking With Purpose — a women's Scripture-based Bible study — gathers women from across the four parishes for weekly fellowship and small-group discussion. The annual Pastorate Lenten Mission brings in guest speakers (past missions have included Fr. Scott Traynor, Chris & Hannah Motz, and Sister Denisse, PES). Adults interested in becoming Catholic or completing their sacraments join the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), led personally by Fr. Andrew Dickinson — the cohort begins each September and meets weekly on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM at St. Nicholas, concluding with the Easter Vigil.

• Walking With Purpose — weekly women's Bible study each fall
• Chosen & Called — annual pastorate Lenten Mission (three nights)
• OCIA — weekly Tuesdays 7:30 PM at St. Nicholas, Sept–Easter Vigil
• OCIA led by Fr. Andrew Dickinson

Sacraments

The parish office is the contact point for all sacramental needs. Baptism preparation, marriage planning, and home visits for Communion of the Sick are coordinated through the office staff. Reconciliation is offered weekly as listed above and by appointment, and OCIA serves those preparing for Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil each year.

• Baptism — by arrangement through the parish office
• Marriage — pre-marriage preparation required; contact the parish office
• Anointing of the Sick and Communion to the homebound — contact the parish office
• Reconciliation — Saturday 4:00 PM, Sunday 8:00 AM, or by appointment
• OCIA — preparation for Easter Vigil reception of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist

Office, Bulletin, and Parish Communication

Parish business is run from the office at 140 W. Brian Street, Monday–Thursday 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM (closed Friday–Sunday). Bulletin announcements need to be submitted by Tuesday at noon the week before they should appear; Mass intentions are scheduled at least twelve weeks ahead. The parish hall can be rented or used by groups provided arrangements are made at least four weeks in advance through the parish office. St. Nicholas can be reached by phone at 605-498-5792 or email at [email protected] (also reachable through the pastorate as [email protected]).

• Office hours: Monday–Thursday, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM
• Bulletin deadline: Tuesday noon (unless noted otherwise)
• Mass intentions: scheduled ≥12 weeks in advance
• Hall rental/use: ≥4 weeks advance notice

Plan a Visit — Address & Directions

St. Nicholas is located in the heart of Tea at 140 W. Brian Street (PO Box 116, Tea, SD 57064). The website and the pastorate page provide a map and driving directions. Visitors are warmly invited to introduce themselves to Father Andrew after Mass or stop by the parish office during weekday office hours to register as parishioners — both Adult and Youth Stewardship forms are available on the website.

• 140 W. Brian Street, Tea, SD 57064
• PO Box 116, Tea, SD 57064
• Phone: (605) 498-5792
• Email: [email protected]