About St. Paul the Apostle · Tarkio, Missouri
St. Paul the Apostle is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the rural community of Tarkio in far northwest Missouri, in Atchison County. It belongs to the Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph and is pastored by Father Dominic Duc Nguyen, who also oversees the former Mission of St. Benedict in Burlington Junction (officially amalgamated into St. Paul the Apostle in April 2024). The parish gathers roughly 50 families for weekly worship at its church on Elm Street, with a regular Sunday Mass, daily Mass, scheduled confessions, and weekly Holy Hour and First Friday devotions.
- Patron
- St. Paul the Apostle
- Rector
- Rev. Dominic Duc Nguyen
- Diocese
- Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph
Why belong here
St. Paul the Apostle offers a faithful, intimate Catholic community in rural northwest Missouri where families know one another by name. Worship is centered on a daily 8:00 a.m. Mass Monday through Saturday and a Sunday Mass (10:00 a.m. per the diocese), with the sacrament of Confession offered before Sunday Mass and at First Friday devotions, plus a weekly Holy Hour on Wednesdays. Beyond the parish, members reach out to neighbors through the Tarkio/Westboro/Fairfax Food Pantry and a 24/7 volunteer chaplain program Father Nguyen started at Community Hospital-Fairfax — making this small parish a real hub of Catholic life in Atchison County.
Mass times at St. Paul the Apostle
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:40 a.m. – 9:55 a.m. (before Mass)
- First Friday 7:00 p.m. (during First Friday Mass)
Adoration times
- Wednesday 6:00 p.m. (Holy Hour)
- First Friday 7:00 p.m. (Mass and Confession; Holy Hour/devotion)
About St. Paul the Apostle Parish
St. Paul the Apostle is a Roman Catholic parish in Tarkio, Missouri, in Atchison County, in the very northwest corner of the state. It is part of the Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph and serves the faithful of Tarkio and the surrounding rural townships. The parish gathers roughly 50 families for worship at its church on 908 Elm Street, with regular Sunday Mass, daily Mass, scheduled confessions, a weekly Holy Hour, and First Friday devotions. Its only public online presence is a Facebook page at facebook.com/stpaultarkio.
History of the Parish
The parish was established in the late 19th century as part of the original Diocese of St. Joseph (which became the Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph in 1956), serving the Catholic families who settled this stretch of the Missouri–Iowa border country. After several years of being served only by visiting or temporary priests, the parish received a stable resident pastor in July 2021 with the appointment of Father Dominic Duc Nguyen. In 2024, as part of a diocese-wide pastoral realignment, the Mission of St. Benedict in Burlington Junction was extinctively united to St. Paul the Apostle by decree of Bishop James V. Johnston, Jr., effective April 14, 2024; the parish kept its name and remained in Deanery X.
- Settled within the original Diocese of St. Joseph (est. March 3, 1868), redesignated Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph on August 29, 1956.
- Spent several years before 2021 served only by temporary priestly postings.
- Received a stable resident pastor in July 2021.
- Amalgamated with Mission of St. Benedict, Burlington Junction, effective April 14, 2024.
- Remains in Deanery X of the Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph.
Clergy
The parish has been shepherded since July 2021 by Rev. Dominic Duc Nguyen. Father Nguyen is a native of Vietnam who came to the United States as a refugee, was formed at Holy Apostles Seminary, and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph on May 30, 2009, with his first assignment as Parochial Vicar of Saint Therese Parish.
- Rev. Dominic Duc Nguyen — Pastor since July 2021; currently also providing sacramental and pastoral ministry at the Cathedral of St. Joseph, St. Mary Parish (St. Joseph), and Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish (St. Joseph).
- Parish contact: Elaine Larabee (St. Benedict Contact), per the 2021 diocesan directory.
Outreach and Community Service
Under Father Nguyen, St. Paul the Apostle has become a visible outreach presence in Atchison County. The pastor volunteers time at the Tarkio/Westboro/Fairfax Food Pantry and founded a volunteer chaplain program at Community Hospital-Fairfax in Fairfax, Missouri, in which local clergy rotate being on call 24/7 to provide spiritual guidance and support to patients and their families.
- Tarkio/Westboro/Fairfax Food Pantry — parish volunteers.
- Community Hospital-Fairfax chaplaincy program — 24/7 on-call clergy rotation, founded by Father Nguyen.
Missions and Parish Boundary
Following the April 14, 2024 decree of Bishop James V. Johnston, Jr., the territory of the former Mission of St. Benedict in Burlington Junction (about 18 miles from Tarkio, with 17 of those miles along highway) was united to St. Paul the Apostle Parish. The parish retains its name, remains in Deanery X, and now serves a wider rural footprint across Atchison and Nodaway counties. Sacramental records of the extinct Mission of St. Benedict are preserved in the Archives of the Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph.
- Mission of St. Benedict, Burlington Junction — amalgamated into St. Paul the Apostle effective April 14, 2024.
- Distance between former mission site and Tarkio parish: ~18 miles (17 miles highway).
Diocese and Wider Church
St. Paul the Apostle is one of the parishes of the Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph, currently led by Most Reverend James V. Johnston, Jr., D.D., J.C.L., who was installed as the diocese's bishop on November 4, 2015. The diocese comprises 27 counties of western Missouri — including Atchison, Nodaway, Holt, Buchanan and others — with a Catholic population of about 120,000 across 15,536 square miles.
- Diocese: Kansas City–Saint Joseph.
- Current diocesan bishop: Most Reverend James V. Johnston, Jr. — episcopal motto 'Caritas Christi Urget Nos' (2 Cor 5:14).
- Diocesan vicar general: Very Rev. Kenneth A. Riley, J.C.L.
Contact and Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Paul the Apostle at its parish office by mail, phone, or email, and can follow news and announcements on the parish's official Facebook page. The church is located on Elm Street in Tarkio.
- Address (physical): 908 Elm St., Tarkio, MO 64491.
- Mailing: P.O. Box 5, Tarkio, MO 64491.
- Phone: (660) 736-4342.
- Email: [email protected].
- Official Facebook: facebook.com/stpaultarkio.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Dominic Duc NguyenJuly 2021 – present
Appointed Pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Parish, Tarkio in May 2021; also became Pastor of St. Benedict Mission, Burlington Junction, in July 2021. Born in Vietnam, educated at Holy Apostles Seminary, ordained May 30, 2009 for the Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph; first assignment was Parochial Vicar of Saint Therese Parish.