About St Patrick · Marengo, Iowa
St. Patrick Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Marengo, Iowa, part of the Diocese of Davenport and home to a faith community that worships at 957 Western Avenue. In pastoral practice it shares one pastor and one parish life with St. Bridget Parish in nearby Victor, Iowa, so the two churches function as a single faith family across two small Iowa County towns. The parish offers weekend Mass on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, plus weekday Masses, religious education for youth, a year-round bulletin, online giving, and a steady rhythm of ministries at Mass such as lectors, greeters, ushers, altar servers, and Eucharistic ministers.
- Patron
- St. Patrick (5th-century Romano-British bishop and missionary; primary patron saint of Ireland)
- Rector
- Rev. Scott Lemaster
- Diocese
- Diocese of Davenport
Why belong here
St. Patrick & St. Bridget is a small-town Catholic community where one pastor shepherds both parishes, making it easy to know your neighbors and be known by them. The parish offers weekend and weekday Masses, the Sacrament of Reconciliation before every Mass, on-site religious education for the youth of both churches, and clear ways to serve at the altar as a lector, greeter, usher, altar server, Eucharistic minister, money counter, or musician. A parish bulletin, online giving, and an active building-and-facilities effort (recent floor refinishing, AC replacement, steeple care) show a community that takes care of its worship space and its people.
Mass times at St Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:00 am – 7:50 am (before 8:00 am Mass)
- Wednesday 7:30 am – 8:20 am (before 8:30 am Mass)
- Friday 7:30 am – 8:20 am (before 8:30 am Mass)
- In general: heard one hour before every Mass at the place where Mass is held (check bulletin for locations)
Adoration times
- First Friday of the month at St. Bridget, Victor — 5:00 pm Mass followed by Adoration
About St. Patrick & St. Bridget
The combined parish of St. Patrick & St. Bridget is one Catholic faith community living in two buildings and two small Iowa County towns. The parish's own statement of identity reads: 'We believe that Jesus Christ came to reveal the fullness of God's love for us, and we continue to celebrate that love through praise, sacraments, service, and community.' St. Patrick's is in Marengo, and St. Bridget's is in Victor — about six miles west — but they share a pastor, parish staff, and bulletin.
- St. Patrick's, Marengo — 957 Western Ave., P.O. Box 183, Marengo, IA 52301
- St. Bridget's, Victor — 104 3rd St., Victor, IA 52347
- Part of the Diocese of Davenport (Roman-Latin rite)
Staff & Contacts
The parish is served by one pastor for both worship sites. The contact page lists him along with parish secretaries and directors of religious education for each location.
- Pastor: Rev. Scott Lemaster — (319) 647-2220
- Marengo Parish Secretary: Julie Howe — (319) 361-7393
- Victor Parish Secretary: Linda Gensley — (319) 647-2294
- Director of St. Patrick Religious Education: Angie Carney — (319) 560-8476
- Director of St. Bridget Religious Education: Evan VanOtegham — (319) 721-6000
Get Involved — Ministries at Mass
The parish invites parishioners to serve at the altar and around the liturgy. The 'Get Involved' page states plainly: 'We are always in need of people to serve at Mass, whether it is children to serve as altar servers, or adults to serve as Lectors, Greeters, Ushers, Eucharistic Ministers, Money Counters, or as Musicians.' Helping at Mass is presented as the most basic and most important way to take part in parish life, alongside joining a youth group or teaching religious education.
- Altar Servers
- Lectors
- Greeters
- Ushers
- Eucharistic Ministers
- Money Counters
- Musicians
- Homebound Ministry (contact Victor parish secretary Linda Gensley, 319-647-2294)
Faith Formation — Religious Education & Youth
Religious education is run separately for each church but under the same parish umbrella. The 'Get Involved' page makes a direct appeal: 'Passing on the faith to the youth is one of the most important things we can do in our faith journey. The youth need you! If you love teaching and passing on your faith to others, please consider being a teacher for Religious Ed.' Two separate youth groups — St. Patrick Youth and St. Bridget Youth — round out faith formation for the parish's young people.
- St. Patrick Religious Education (Director: Angie Carney, 319-560-8476)
- St. Bridget Religious Education (Director: Evan VanOtegham, 319-721-6000)
- St. Patrick Youth Group
- St. Bridget Youth Group
Bulletins, News & Building Updates
The Bulletins/News page is where the parish posts weekly bulletins (available as downloads) and shares progress on maintenance projects. Recent updates have included refinishing the floors in St. Patrick's parish hall, bathrooms, and kitchen, replacing the church's air-conditioning units, and giving attention to the church steeple. At St. Bridget's in Victor, an extra row of copper snow guards was added to the roof to handle heavy snow, with a donor contribution of $5,000 helping close out the project. Donations to the Building Fund (marked 'BUILDING FUND' on an envelope) are encouraged to replenish reserves.
- Weekly bulletins available for download
- St. Patrick Marengo — floor refinishing, AC replacement, steeple work
- St. Bridget Victor — copper snow-guard project completed (~$24,396, fully funded)
- Building Fund envelopes welcomed
Online Giving & Annual Diocesan Appeal
The parish's website links directly to online giving, supporting regular electronic offerings. It also links to the Annual Diocesan Appeal, the Diocese of Davenport's annual shared fundraising effort across its parishes, as well as to Catholic Conference of Bishops resources and the Catholic Messenger newspaper.
- Online Giving through the parish website
- Annual Diocesan Appeal (Diocese of Davenport)
- Catholic Messenger subscription link
- Links to Catholic Conference of Bishops and other diocesan resources
Visiting & Practical Info
Visitors and returning Catholics are welcomed warmly. The home page invites people to 'join us for Mass' — Saturday at 4:00 pm at St. Patrick's, Sunday at 8:00 am at St. Patrick's and 10:00 am at St. Bridget's — and to explore a 'wide range of ministry opportunities. Whether you'd like to learn more, pray more, or serve more, we have a ministry for you.' For confession, the rule of thumb is 'one hour before every Mass at the place where Mass is held.' The combined office and rectory line for Marengo is (319) 642-5438 (office) and (319) 647-2220 (rectory).
- Mass times for visitors: Sat Vigil 4 pm (St. Patrick) · Sun 8 am (St. Patrick) · Sun 10 am (St. Bridget)
- Confession: one hour before every Mass at the Mass location
- Office line: (319) 642-5438 — Rectory: (319) 647-2220
- Website: www.stpatrick-stbridget.org