About St. Patrick · Parkersburg, Iowa
St. Patrick Church in Parkersburg, Iowa, is a small rural Catholic parish in Butler County that has served Catholic families in the area since 1861. Today it is one of the worship sites of Holy Family Parish, a clustered Roman Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Dubuque that unites the communities of Parkersburg and Reinbeck (and formerly Grundy Center and Dike) under a single pastor. Mass is celebrated in English at St. Patrick on Saturday evenings and Tuesday mornings, and the parish shares faith formation, RCIA, Knights of Columbus, music ministry, parish life, and outreach ministries with the other worship sites of the cluster.
- Established
- 1861
- Patron
- St. Patrick
- Rector
- Rev. Dennis Miller
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Dubuque
Why belong here
St. Patrick in Parkersburg offers a warm, small-town Catholic community rooted in more than 160 years of faith in Butler County, with the convenience of a Saturday Vigil Mass and a Tuesday morning Mass celebrated right in Parkersburg. As a worship site of Holy Family Parish, parishioners can tap into a wide network of ministries — RCIA, Knights of Columbus, Music Ministry, Prayer Chain, Bible Study, MOMS, Holy Family Circle, Interfaith Visitation, and Ecumenical Ministry — while sharing resources across Reinbeck and the surrounding Grundy, Butler, Black Hawk and Tama county area. It's a place where rural families know each other by name and where reaching out to the homebound, the hungry, and those in need is part of parish life.
Mass times at St. Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
St. Patrick Church in Parkersburg
St. Patrick is one of the worship sites of Holy Family Parish in the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The church sits at 304 2nd Street in Parkersburg, Iowa (Butler County), and remains a place of weekly Mass, prayer, and community for Catholic families in this rural northeast-Iowa town.
- 304 2nd Street, Parkersburg, IA 50665
- Archdiocese of Dubuque
- Part of Holy Family Parish
History of St. Patrick Parish
St. Patrick's story begins in 1861, when three founding families began gathering monthly for Mass with Fr. James Shields — first in parishioners' homes, then in a dedicated church built in 1877–1878, and finally in the current church built across 2nd Street in 1992–1996. The parish received its first resident pastor in 1889 and grew until it joined the Holy Family cluster in 2000 and formally became part of Holy Family Parish in 2004.
- 1861 – Three founding families begin gathering monthly for Mass with Fr. James Shields in their homes
- 1877–1878 – First St. Patrick's Church built and dedicated at a cost of $1,300
- 1888 – Parkersburg first appears in the Catholic Church Directory
- 1889 – First resident pastor arrives
- c.1895 – Rectory built; pastor also serves New Hartford
- 1910 – Sunday Mass begins at both Parkersburg and New Hartford each week
- 1992–1996 – Current church built across 2nd Street and dedicated under Fr. Kenneth Stecher
- 2000 – Joins the Holy Family Cluster under Fr. Dennis Quint
- 2004 – Holy Family Parish canonically erected by Archbishop Hanus
- 2009 – St. Patrick joins with newly constructed St. Gabriel parish, Reinbeck
- 2010 – Fr. David G. Kucera becomes second pastor of Holy Family Parish
- 2023 – Fr. Craig Steimel becomes third pastor (through January 2026)
Holy Family Parish Cluster
In 1999, Queen of Heaven, Sacred Heart, and St. Mary in Reinbeck, Grundy Center, and Dike formed the Holy Family Cluster under Father Douglas Loecke. In 2000, St. Patrick in Parkersburg joined the cluster. In May 2004 the four parishes voted to become one parish with four church buildings; Archbishop Hanus installed Father Dennis Quint as the first pastor of the newly formed Holy Family Parish in August 2004. The cluster serves families in Grundy, Butler, Black Hawk, and Tama counties and shares resources for worship, education, service, community, and administration.
- Current worship sites: St. Gabriel (Reinbeck) and St. Patrick (Parkersburg)
- Former worship sites: St. Mary (Dike), Sacred Heart (Grundy Center), Queen of Heaven (Reinbeck)
- Parish office located at St. Gabriel Church in rural Reinbeck
Clergy and Staff
Holy Family Parish is led by a pastor supported by a deacon and lay staff. Father Craig Steimel became the third pastor of Holy Family Parish in 2023, serving through January 2026. Deacon Greg Lievens helps coordinate the parish Prayer Chain ministry.
- Deacon Greg Lievens – Prayer Chain coordinator ([email protected])
Faith Formation & RCIA
Adults seeking to become Catholic or to complete their initiation are welcomed through the parish's RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) process, which meets roughly three times a month until Easter and culminates in the reception of the sacraments at the Easter Vigil. Spouses are welcome to attend alongside candidates for support.
- RCIA process with parishioner facilitators
- Easter Vigil reception of sacraments
- Open to unbaptized, Christians from other denominations, and returning Catholics
Parish Ministries and Groups
Holy Family Parish supports a wide array of ministries that parishioners at St. Patrick can join. They span spiritual formation, fellowship, outreach, and parish operations, and most meet across the cluster's worship sites.
- Knights of Columbus – local council established 2001, ~40 members, meets last Thursday at 7:00 PM at St. Gabriel
- Music Ministry
- Prayer Chain – Deacon Greg Lievens & Judy Martens (641-751-1452)
- Bible Study
- MOMS
- Sponsor Couples (for engaged and married couples)
- Holy Family Circle – meals for homebound; supports Catholic Worker House, Birthright, layettes for Nicaragua, Marshalltown veterans home blankets, and food pantries
- Meals on Wheels
- Interfaith Visitation – Grundy Care Center and Grundy County Hospital long-term care
- Ecumenical Ministry – joint work with churches in Dike, Grundy Center, Parkersburg and Reinbeck
- Parish Life Committee – social activities and fellowship
- Social Concerns Committee – justice, charity, and outreach
- Building & Grounds Committee
- Parish Council
- Finance Council
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist) and walks adults through RCIA. Information about scheduling Baptisms, preparing for Confirmation, and arranging Weddings is handled through the parish office.
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- Eucharist (Mass)
- RCIA for adults
Contact and Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach Holy Family Parish through the central parish office at St. Gabriel Church in rural Reinbeck. The phone number listed for the parish is 319-345-2006.
- Parish office: St. Gabriel Church, 21275 U Avenue, Reinbeck, IA 50669
- Phone: 319-345-2006
- St. Patrick worship site: 304 2nd Street, Parkersburg, IA 50665
- Website: http://holyfamilycatholicparish.dbqarch.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. James Shields1861–c.1873
Celebrated the first Masses of the founding families in parishioners' homes for the first twelve years.
- (Resident pastor arrived 1889)1889
First resident pastor; Parkersburg first listed in the Catholic Church Directory in 1888.
- Father Kenneth Stecherc.1992–c.1996
Began and oversaw construction of the current church at 304 2nd Street, dedicated in 1996.
- Father Dennis Quintthrough 2009
Last individual pastor of St. Patrick before joining St. Gabriel, Reinbeck; installed first pastor of Holy Family Parish in 2004.
- Father David G. Kucera2010–2023
Second pastor of Holy Family Parish.
- Father Craig Steimel2023–January 2026
Third pastor of Holy Family Parish.