About St. Patrick Catholic Church of Andalusia (located in Taylor Ridge, IL) · Taylor Ridge, Illinois
St. Patrick Catholic Church of Andalusia is a small, historic Roman Catholic parish located in rural Taylor Ridge, Illinois, in the Diocese of Peoria. Established in 1876, the parish was founded to serve the farming Catholic families of the Andalusia and Taylor Ridge communities in Rock Island County. As of March 2025, St. Patrick was merged with neighboring St. Ambrose Church of Milan to form St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish, but the historic Andalusia church building remains an active worship site with Sunday and weekday Masses. The parish is pastored by Fr. Gary Caster, with pastoral ministry supported by a part-time pastoral assistant based out of the Milan office.
- Established
- 1876
- Patron
- St. Patrick
- Rector
- Rev. Gary Caster
- Diocese
- Diocese of Peoria
Why belong here
St. Patrick of Andalusia offers a small, tight-knit Catholic community rooted in rural Rock Island County, with the traditional devotions and personal warmth typical of a country parish. Weekday and Sunday Masses are celebrated right on the church grounds, and the parish is part of the larger St. Teresa of Calcutta family that combines Andalusia with the Milan-area Catholic community for faith formation, sacraments, and pastoral care. Families looking for a peaceful country parish with deep local roots — and connection to the broader Diocese of Peoria — will find a faithful home here.
Mass times at St. Patrick Catholic Church of Andalusia (located in Taylor Ridge, IL)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday 8:00 a.m. – 8:25 a.m.
About St. Patrick of Andalusia
St. Patrick Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the rural Andalusia and Taylor Ridge communities of Rock Island County, Illinois, in the Diocese of Peoria. Founded in 1876 by Catholic farming families in the area, it remains a country parish where parishioners know one another and Sunday Mass is the heart of the week. As of March 2025, the parish is joined with neighboring St. Ambrose Church of Milan to form St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish, but the historic Andalusia church continues to host Sunday and weekday liturgies under the same pastor.
- Parish type: Roman Catholic, Diocese of Peoria
- Established: 1876
- Current pastor: Rev. Gary Caster
- Part of St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish since March 2025
Parish History
The Catholic farming families of the Andalusia area organized St. Patrick parish in 1876, according to diocesan and GCatholic records. For nearly 150 years the parish has offered Mass and the sacraments to the rural communities of Taylor Ridge and Andalusia, just outside the Quad Cities. The modern pastoral era began in 2023 when Fr. Gary Caster was appointed Administrator of both St. Ambrose in Milan and St. Patrick in Andalusia. On March 2025 the two parishes were formally merged by Bishop Daniel Lou to create St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish, uniting the two communities while preserving both historic church buildings.
- 1876: Parish established by local Catholic farming families
- 2023: Fr. Gary Caster appointed Administrator of St. Ambrose and St. Patrick
- March 2025: Merger into St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish under Bishop Daniel Lou
Pastor and Staff
St. Patrick is pastored by Rev. Gary Caster, a priest of the Diocese of Peoria ordained December 19, 1992, at the Church of St. Pius X in Rock Island. Father Gary spent nearly thirty years in Catholic education, including chaplaincy at Peoria Notre Dame and campus ministry at Bradley, Illinois State, Illinois Wesleyan, and Eureka College, before founding the campus ministry program at Eureka College. He served as Catholic chaplain at Williams College in Massachusetts from 2007 to 2019, returned to Illinois in 2019, and was appointed Administrator of the Milan/Andalusia parishes in 2023, becoming Pastor in March 2025. He lives in the rectory on the St. Patrick campus in Taylor Ridge.
- Rev. Gary Caster — Pastor
- Marietta Dziadyk — Pastoral Assistant (office located at St. Ambrose, Milan; Monday–Thursday, 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.)
Sacraments
St. Patrick follows the standard Roman Catholic sacramental program, with baptism preparation offered on the parish grounds. Parents wishing to baptize a child must first register at St. Patrick and complete the 'Belonging: Baptism in the Family of God' preparation program. Other sacraments — Holy Communion, Confirmation, Matrimony, Anointing of the Sick — are coordinated through the parish office.
- Baptism — registration required, followed by quarterly 'Belonging' preparation class in the Parish Center
- Godparent Sponsor Form required for baptism
- Reconciliation — Friday mornings before Mass
- Weddings, funerals, and other rites coordinated through the parish office
Baptism Preparation ('Belonging')
Following the diocesan recommendation, St. Patrick uses the 'Belonging: Baptism in the Family of God' program for baptism preparation. Parents attend one session and watch engaging videos featuring Fr. Mike Schmitz, learning what it means to bring their child into the family of God. The class is offered quarterly in the Parish Center at St. Patrick, with both a Baptismal Registration Form and a Godparent Sponsor Form required to complete the process.
- Quarterly class in the Parish Center at St. Patrick
- Uses Fr. Mike Schmitz video series
- Baptisms may be celebrated during Mass or after the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass
Parish Office and Contact
Day-to-day parish administration for St. Patrick is handled from the St. Ambrose office in Milan. Pastoral Assistant Marietta Dziadyk can be reached there Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Andalusia church address and email remain the primary identifiers for the parish.
- Address: 9619 140th Street West, Taylor Ridge, IL 61284
- Phone: (309) 798-2098
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours (Milan): Monday–Thursday, 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish (Merged Community)
In March 2025 the Diocese of Peoria merged St. Ambrose Church of Milan with St. Patrick of Andalusia to form the new St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish. Modeled on the spirit of Mother Teresa — to be a radiance of Jesus in worship, faith formation, community outreach, and social life — the combined parish brings together two long-serving congregations while continuing to celebrate Mass at both church buildings. St. Patrick in Andalusia remains a vital worship site within the new parish.
- Merged parish name: St. Teresa of Calcutta
- Merger effective March 2025 under Bishop Daniel Lou
- Two worship sites: St. Ambrose (Milan) and St. Patrick (Andalusia/Taylor Ridge)
- Pastor: Rev. Gary Caster
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Gary Caster2023–present
First appointed Administrator of St. Ambrose, Milan and St. Patrick, Andalusia in 2023; became Pastor when the two parishes merged into St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish in March 2025.