About St. Rose of Lima. Sacred Heart Worship Site. · Manilla, Iowa
Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Manilla, Iowa is a worship site of St. Rose of Lima Parish, a clustered Catholic parish headquartered in Denison that also includes worship sites in Manning, Vail, Charter Oak and Dow City. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Sioux City and serves Crawford County farm communities with roots stretching back to 1887, when Irish Catholic settlers built the first church on a lot donated by the Milwaukee Road Railroad. Today the Manilla worship site offers Saturday and Sunday Masses, a daily Mass, CCD religious education for children, and a long-standing parish life built around the Sacred Heart Quilters, the Sacred Heart Choir, the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, the Holy Name Society, and the Altar and Rosary Society.
- Established
- 1887
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus (worship site); St. Rose of Lima (parent parish)
- Rector
- Rev. Shane Deman (Parish Administrator, effective July 7, 2026)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux City
Why belong here
Sacred Heart, Manilla is a small-town Iowa Catholic community with deep roots — 35 founding Irish families in 1887 — and a tight, multi-generational parish life. Visitors and parishioners find a faithful cluster offering weekend and daily Mass, an active Sacred Heart Choir, weekly CCD religious education for children, and long-standing lay organizations including the Sacred Heart Quilters, the Altar and Rosary Society, the Catholic Daughters of the Americas (Our Lady of Fatima Court #1492 in Manning), the Holy Name Society, and a Legion of Mary praesidium. For Catholics in western Crawford County it is a warm, rural parish where the Sacred Heart devotion and the historic 1964 church remain the spiritual center of the community.
Mass times at St. Rose of Lima. Sacred Heart Worship Site.
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Contact parish office (712-263-2152) or see current bulletin for schedule (cluster-wide Confession opportunities at the Denison site and other worship sites)
Adoration times
- Cluster-wide Eucharistic Adoration per parish bulletin; historically a Friday adoration was attempted at the Denison parish under Fr. Larkin
History of Sacred Heart Parish, Manilla
Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Manilla, Iowa, was founded in 1887 by Irish Catholic settlers of the southern Crawford County farming community. The first Mass in the town was offered in Thews Brothers Hall, east of the present bowling alley. About 35 founding families — among them the Collins, McMahon, McNertney, Finnegan, McSorely and Murphy households — pooled their labor to build the original frame church on a lot donated by the Milwaukee Rail Road, at a cost of $1,200. Father Hugh Byrne, the first pastor, commuted from Manning; the first marriage in the old church united John McMahon and Johanna Collins. The Very Reverend Philip O'Connor, V.F., of St. Joseph's, Carroll, dedicated the building around Thanksgiving 1887.
- 1887 – first Mass in Thews Brothers Hall; first church built on Milwaukee Road lot, cost $1,200
- 1887 – Father Hugh Byrne named first pastor (based in Manning)
- 1887 – dedication by Very Rev. Philip O'Connor, V.F., of Carroll
- 1889 – convent established in the former Carey home; three Sisters from the Sorrowful Mother Community (Milwaukee) arrive
- Two-room parish school built behind the convent
- Frank Knott serves as organist 1895–1946 (51 years)
- High altar donated by Francis McSorley family; Altar of the Blessed Sacrament by the Knott family
- 1932 – parish school closes during the Depression; building reused as parish social hall
- 24 March 1963 – groundbreaking for the present church
- 5 March 1964 – dedication of the current Sacred Heart church by Father Cletus Keleher, assisted by former pastors Fathers Hyland, Frank and Clark
Parish Cluster & Diocese
Sacred Heart, Manilla is a worship site of St. Rose of Lima Parish, a clustered Catholic community headquartered at 916 2nd Avenue South in Denison, Iowa. The cluster also includes Sacred Heart in Manning, St. Ann in Vail, St. Mary in Charter Oak, and St. Mary in Dow City, with sacramental records held at the Denison parish office. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Sioux City, established in 1902; before that, Crawford County Catholics fell under the Diocese (later Archdiocese) of Dubuque, served by missionary priests from Council Bluffs, Dunlap and Carroll.
- Parent parish: St. Rose of Lima, Denison (916 2nd Avenue South, Denison, IA 51442)
- Diocese: Diocese of Sioux City (scdiocese.org)
- Cluster sites: Denison, Manning, Manilla, Vail, Charter Oak, Dow City
- Sacramental records: held at the parish office, Denison
- Cemetery: Mt. Olivet Cemetery near Manilla (parish burial ground)
Clergy & Parish Staff
The current administrator of St. Rose of Lima Parish (which includes Sacred Heart, Manilla) is Rev. Shane Deman, appointed effective 7 July 2026 by Bishop John E. Keehner of the Diocese of Sioux City. He also serves as diocesan Director of Seminarians, Director of Clergy Continuing Education, and Vice-Rector for Formation at Kenrick Seminary in Missouri. He succeeded Rev. Michael Cronin, who served as pastor of St. Rose of Lima for five years before being reassigned to Canon Law studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
- Rev. Shane Deman — Parish Administrator (effective July 7, 2026)
- Rev. Michael Cronin — former pastor (approx. 2020/21 – July 2026); now studying Canon Law in Rome
- Rev. Shinoj Jose — celebrant at Sacred Heart funerals (e.g., December 2023)
- Bishop John E. Keehner — current Bishop of Sioux City
Faith Formation & CCD
Religious education for parish children is offered through the parish CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) program, with classes meeting on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM. Parishioners such as Phyllis Muhlbauer taught first-grade CCD at Sacred Heart from 1969 to 1982, reflecting the long-standing commitment to handing on the Catholic faith to the next generation. First Communion and Confirmation preparation is coordinated through the cluster's DRE / OCIA Coordinator.
- CCD classes — Wednesdays, 7:00 PM
- First Communion preparation
- Confirmation preparation (diocesan-approved program)
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) — cluster-wide, coordinated by DRE Katie Borkowski
Lay Organizations & Ministries
Sacred Heart has long been supported by an unusually rich fabric of lay societies. The Catholic Daughters of the Americas (Our Lady of Fatima Court #1492, based in Manning) is active at the cluster level; the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women has drawn local leaders including Phyllis Muhlbauer. Other ministries include the Sacred Heart Quilters, the Altar and Rosary Society, the Holy Name Society, the Legion of Mary praesidium, and the Sacred Heart Choir (which sang at parish funerals alongside organists such as Barb Baker).
- Catholic Daughters of the Americas — Our Lady of Fatima Court #1492 (Manning)
- Diocesan Council of Catholic Women
- Altar and Rosary Society
- Sacred Heart Quilters
- Holy Name Society
- Legion of Mary
- Sacred Heart Choir (with organist)
- Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers
- Sacred Heart Community Closet (Manning cluster outreach)
School & Cemetery
Sacred Heart's parish school was founded in the 1890s and staffed by three Sisters from the Sorrowful Mother Community of Milwaukee; a small two-room school was built behind the convent, and Catholic children from the public school would attend religious instruction at different times of day. The school closed during the Depression in 1932, but the building was retained as a parish social hall for Christmas concerts and plays for many years. Today Catholic school is available through St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in Denison, which serves the cluster. The historic parish cemetery is Mt. Olivet Cemetery near Manilla, where parishioners including the Perion family are buried.
- Parish school founded c. 1890s with Sorrowful Mother Sisters
- School closed 1932 (Depression); building reused as social hall
- Current Catholic school: St. Rose of Lima Catholic School, Denison (PreK–12)
- Cemetery: Mt. Olivet Cemetery near Manilla
Visiting Sacred Heart, Manilla
The present Sacred Heart church was dedicated on 5 March 1964 and is a clear example of mid-century rural Iowa Catholic church architecture, with locally fashioned altars and a prominent place in downtown Manilla. Visitors are welcome at any scheduled Mass (daily 7:30 AM, Saturday Vigil, Sunday 10:00 AM). The parish office for all sacramental inquiries and cluster-wide records is at St. Rose of Lima, 916 2nd Avenue South, Denison (712-263-2152).
- Address: 537 3rd Avenue, Manilla, IA 51454
- Parish office: 916 2nd Avenue South, Denison, IA 51442 — (712) 263-2152
- Website: https://denisoncatholic.com
- Diocese: https://scdiocese.org
- Cemetery office: Mt. Olivet Cemetery near Manilla
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Peter J. DeSmet, S.J.1867 (missionary visit)
Recorded early missionary service to Crawford County Catholics; born in Belgium in 1801, died in St. Louis, Missouri in 1873. (Cluster/county-wide, not resident pastor of Manilla.)
- Fr. Roger McGrath1872–1880 (Vail, with Denison/Manilla as missions)
Resident pastor of Vail who made regular visits to the Manilla/Denison mission.
- Fr. Mathias C. Lenihan1880–
Succeeded Fr. McGrath in Vail.
- Fr. Bartholomew C. LenehanSpring 1886 – fall 1887
First resident pastor at Denison; served Manilla as a mission from his Denison posting.
- Fr. Hugh Byrne1887–
First pastor of Sacred Heart, Manilla; did not live in Manilla but served the parish from Manning. Formed the building committee and oversaw construction of the first church.
- Fr. Michael J. Farrelly–1919 (32 years)
Long-tenured pastor of the Denison parish; Sacred Heart, Manilla was a mission from Denison during much of this period.
- Fr. John Phelan–Jan 8, 1922
Succeeded Fr. Farrelly at Denison cluster; born in Roscrea, Ireland on Aug 9, 1852.
- Fr. William Veit1919–1920
Born in Chelsea, Iowa, Nov 8, 1887.
- Fr. Michael Bradley–1929
Born Oct 20, 1873 in Ireland; led cluster until 1929.
- Fr. Edmund F. Casey (later Msgr.)1929–1964 (retirement)
Born Jan 7, 1887, Haverhill, Massachusetts; ordained June 22, 1912 at Fall River, Massachusetts; named Monsignor shortly before his retirement in 1964.
- Fr. J.J. Hyland1936–1952 (at Sacred Heart, Manilla)
Wrote much of the parish history in the Manilla Community Folks and Facts 1886–1986 Centennial Book; later helped found St. Mary's, Dow City from this parish.
- Fr. Cletus Keleherofficiated at dedication 1964
Offered the Mass at the dedication of the current Sacred Heart church on 5 March 1964; assisted by Fathers Hyland, Frank and Clark.
- Fr. Frankpre-1964
Former pastor at Sacred Heart, Manilla; assisted at the 1964 dedication.
- Fr. Clarkpre-1964
Former pastor at Sacred Heart, Manilla; assisted at the 1964 dedication.
- Fr. Robert Fangmanmentioned 1981
Pastor of Sacred Heart, Manilla at the time of Fr. Theodore J. Perion's funeral in April 1981.
- Rev. Michael Croninapprox. 2020/2021 – July 7, 2026
Pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish (which includes the Sacred Heart worship site in Manilla); reassigned by Bishop John E. Keehner to Canon Law studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
- Rev. Shane Demaneffective July 7, 2026
Appointed administrator of St. Rose of Lima Parish (which includes Sacred Heart, Manilla); also Vice-Rector for Formation at Kenrick Seminary, diocesan Director of Seminarians and Director of Clergy Continuing Education.