About St. Raphael · Verona, North Dakota
St. Raphael is a small Roman Catholic mission parish in the farming community of Verona, North Dakota (LaMoure County, population ~86). It is part of the Diocese of Fargo and is served as a clustered parish from Holy Rosary Church in nearby LaMoure, together with Assumption Church in Dickey. Because the priest travels between these rural communities, weekend Mass at St. Raphael alternates by month: a Saturday evening Vigil at 7:00 PM in odd-numbered months and a Sunday morning Mass at 11:00 AM in even-numbered months. The parish shares the parish website holyrosarylamoure.org and is listed in GCatholic and the Diocese of Fargo's parish directory.
- Patron
- St. Raphael the Archangel
- Rector
- Rev. Jayson T. Miller
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fargo (suffragan of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis)
Why belong here
St. Raphael welcomes Catholics who live in or travel through the rural Verona area to a quiet, traditional Sunday Mass in a close-knit farming community. As a clustered mission, the parish shares its priest with Holy Rosary in LaMoure and Assumption in Dickey, which means Mass alternates between a Saturday evening Vigil (7:00 PM in odd months) and a Sunday morning (11:00 AM in even months) — a rhythm that fits the schedules of farm families on the northern plains. Visitors are invited to attend, call the parish office in LaMoure for the current schedule, and join a small but faithful congregation of German-Russian and Great Plains Catholic heritage.
Mass times at St. Raphael
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Available upon request at St. Raphael, Verona (parish bulletins note 'Confessions upon request' for Verona Masses)
- Saturday 4:15–4:45 PM at Holy Rosary, LaMoure (cluster reconciliation times listed on holyrosarylamoure.org)
- Sunday 8:15–8:45 AM at Holy Rosary, LaMoure
Adoration times
- Wednesday 1:00–8:00 PM — Adoration at Holy Rosary, LaMoure (cluster)
Parish Identity & Mission
St. Raphael Catholic Church in Verona, North Dakota is a small Roman-Latin mission parish of the Diocese of Fargo. It is one of three clustered communities — together with Holy Rosary in LaMoure and Assumption in Dickey — that share a single pastor and a shared bulletin. Because Verona is a tiny prairie town (population about 86 at the 2020 census), the mission is served by a priest who travels in from LaMoure, and weekend Mass follows the alternating-month pattern typical of circuit-served Great Plains parishes.
- Patron: St. Raphael the Archangel (feast day September 29)
- Rite: Roman-Latin
- Deanery: 8 — South-West, Diocese of Fargo
- Cluster: Holy Rosary (LaMoure), Assumption (Dickey), St. Raphael (Verona)
History & Heritage
Verona was established as a Great Northern Railroad stop in the 1890s. As German-Russian and other Catholic homesteaders opened farms across LaMoure County, the Diocese of Jamestown (renamed the Diocese of Fargo in 1897) organized mission churches to reach them. St. Raphael's in Verona grew out of that mission tradition, and the adjacent St. Raphael Cemetery — within two miles of the town — has long served local Catholic families. The Diocese of Fargo's parish list still places St. Raphael in Deanery 8 (South-West). Father William Sherman, a later pastor, would go on to co-author Scattered Steeples, a panoramic history of the diocese that traces its roots from 'sod-house Masses' to today's clustered rural parishes.
- Verona founded c. 1895 as a railroad settlement (25 residents on the Rand McNally Atlas)
- Diocese of Fargo established 1897 (renamed from Diocese of Jamestown)
- St. Raphael Cemetery adjacent to town
- Fr. William Sherman — former Verona pastor and Scattered Steeples co-author — died May 4, 2022
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
The parish is currently led by Rev. Jayson T. Miller, who was appointed pastor of the Holy Rosary / Assumption / St. Raphael cluster on June 28, 2023, for an initial six-year term. Earlier directories also list Rev. Jerome Okafor as the contact priest at the Verona parish phone number. A notable former pastor was Rev. William 'Bill' Sherman, who served St. Raphael's before being assigned to larger parishes in Grand Forks and eventually retiring in 2003.
- Rev. Jayson T. Miller — Pastor (appointed 2023, serves all three cluster parishes)
- Rev. Jerome Okafor — previously listed as Verona contact priest
- Rev. William Sherman — former pastor (pre-retirement 2003), author of Scattered Steeples
Mass & Liturgical Schedule
Weekend Mass at St. Raphael alternates by month — a Saturday Vigil at 7:00 PM in odd-numbered months and a Sunday morning Mass at 11:00 AM in even-numbered months. The cluster also keeps a robust schedule of weekday Masses out of LaMoure, and Verona hosts special services during Holy Week, including a 5:30 PM Stations of the Cross on Good Friday and the annual Easter Sunrise Mass at 7:30 AM.
- Saturday 7:00 PM Vigil — January, March, May, July, September, November
- Sunday 11:00 AM — February, April, June, August, October, December
- Good Friday Stations of the Cross at Verona — 5:30 PM
- Easter Sunrise Mass at Verona — 7:30 AM
Parish Ministries & Community Life
As a small mission, St. Raphael's ministry life is woven into the broader cluster. The Knights of Columbus council serves the three parishes, and a potluck/social committee coordinates parish fellowship. Most faith-formation activities — and any ministries requiring a fuller complement of volunteers — are organized from Holy Rosary in LaMoure.
- Knights of Columbus (cluster council; officers: Larry Exner, Lucas Isaacson, Roger Loegering)
- Potluck / Social committee (chair: Kristy Hager)
- Cluster-wide faith formation run from Holy Rosary, LaMoure
Sacraments
Because St. Raphael shares a pastor with Holy Rosary in LaMoure and Assumption in Dickey, sacramental preparation and celebration is coordinated across the cluster. Couples and families are encouraged to call the parish office in LaMoure to begin marriage preparation, baptismal instruction, or arrangements for Anointing of the Sick.
- Sunday Mass (alternating Vigil / Sunday)
- Reconciliation (upon request at Verona; scheduled at LaMoure)
- Baptism — by arrangement through the cluster
- Marriage — by arrangement through the cluster
- Anointing of the Sick — by arrangement through the cluster
Cemetery
St. Raphael Cemetery lies less than two miles south of Verona and remains an active Catholic burial ground serving local farm families. It is recorded in the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (GNIS) under the name 'Saint Raphael Cemetery.'
- Location: LaMoure County, ND, within ~2 miles south of Verona
- Recorded in GNIS as 'Saint Raphael Cemetery'
- Associated parish: St. Raphael, Verona
Diocese of Fargo
St. Raphael belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo, a Latin-Church diocese in eastern North Dakota that is a suffragan of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The diocese itself was originally erected on November 10, 1889, as the Diocese of Jamestown and renamed the Diocese of Fargo on April 6, 1897. Its mother church is the Cathedral of St. Mary in Fargo, and the current bishop (since 2013) is Most Rev. John Folda. Verona is grouped in Deanery 8 (South-West).
- Diocese: Fargo
- Province: Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
- Cathedral: Cathedral of St. Mary, Fargo
- Bishop: Most Rev. John Folda (since 2013)
- Deanery: 8 — South-West
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. William "Bill" Sherman
Served as Pastor of St. Raphael's Catholic Church in Verona before going on to other Fargo-diocese assignments; retired in 2003; co-author of Scattered Steeples, a history of the Diocese of Fargo. Died May 4, 2022.
- Rev. Jerome Okafor
Listed in online parish directories as the contact priest at the Verona phone line.
- Rev. Jayson T. Miller2023–present
Current pastor of the LaMoure/Dickey/Verona cluster per the Diocese of Fargo's June 28, 2023 appointments.