Father James Flattery gives a homily at an outdoor Mass in September 2025 in Mechanicsville. He is the pastor of the recently merged St. Isidore the Farmer Parish in Cedar County.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
TIPTON — With a shortage of diocesan priests on the horizon, three farming communities in Cedar County came together to work toward a solution.
For St. Mary-Tipton, St. Bernadette-West Branch and St. Mary-Mechanicsville, togetherness was the answer. The three parishes merged earlier this year to form St. Isidore the Farmer Parish.
Making a change
Tipton and Mechanicsville have shared a pastor since the rectory in Mechanicsville closed in 2012. West Branch had been shifting between clusters and, as a member of the Tipton/ Mechanicsville group since 2023, wanted some stability, said the pastor, Father James Flattery. As with many rural parishes sharing pastors, there was concern that the diocese would eventually merge or close one or more parishes. “We wanted to… be forward thinking, instead of reacting to the situation when it comes,” the priest said.
The three parish councils met individually, then collectively, after harvest time last year to discuss what a merger might look like. Administratively, there were clear advantages to a merger: “Where there is one pastor managing more than one parish, streamlining the administrative duties can free up the pastor to spend more time in ministry,” said Father Flattery, who also serves as diocesan director of seminarians. No office jobs would be lost, since the three parishes already shared a bookkeeper.
With Bishop Dennis Walsh’s blessing and oversight, conversations surrounding the possible merger continued. The parishes hosted open forums earlier this year where community members could ask questions and share concerns. Continuing to have Masses at each location — and keeping church names — was important to all three communities, Father Flattery observed. They also wanted assurance that each church location would be financially supported once the bank accounts merged.
“I think Father Flattery did a great job of explaining the merger process and keeping us updated and informed,” said Joanne Salemink, a longtime member of the West Branch community. “As with any new adventure there were questions and concerns, but father was always patient in clarifying and correcting information.”
What’s in a name?
All Catholics in the Cedar County cluster had the opportunity to submit a parish name suggestion. “The rules were that it couldn’t be St. Mary or St. Bernadette — it had to be new, it had to be Catholic, and we didn’t want All Saints,” Father Flattery said.
More than 80 name submissions came in. Father Flattery whittled the list down to 20 by removing duplicates and selecting names unique to the Davenport Diocese. “If another parish had the name nearby, we took it out, or if it was used twice in the diocese, it got axed,” the priest explained. Father Flattery shared the list with Bishop Walsh, who pared it down to 14 potential names.
That list went back to parish councils, with each member choosing his or her favorite. The parish voted on the resulting five finalists, and the three top names — St. Isidore the Farmer, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Francis — went to Bishop Walsh’s desk for final selection and approval.
Father Flattery was excited to learn that Bishop Walsh chose “St. Isidore” as the parish’s namesake. “The county as a whole is a strong agriculture-driven county,” the priest said. “It fits Cedar County very well.”
Coming together
Before and throughout the parish planning process, Father Flattery worked to create opportunities for the three parishes to develop a shared sense of belonging. When I got there (in 2023), we put everyone together in one bulletin” as Cedar County Catholic, he said. That year, members of the three parishes began volunteering together at the Cedar County Catholic booth at the county fair. Last September, the parishes celebrated Mass on the Grass together in Mechanicsville, with rows of corn as the backdrop. Additionally, anytime a parish is hosting an event or festival, members of the other two parishes are encouraged to attend. Father Flattery is in the process of planning a “St. Isidore Day” at an upcoming Cedar Rapids Kernels baseball game. Through these events, “we kind of get to know each other a little bit,” the pastor said.
Like any relationship, communication is the key to success, Father Flattery said. “An important piece for parishes thinking about (merging) is, ‘how do we ensure we have a community where we are transparent and everyone knows the game plan and where we’re headed?’”
For now, that means continuing to foster that sense of community, addressing concerns as they arise, and staying consistent. Since the official merger on July 1, not much has changed for members of the parish, aside from the new name and to whom checks are addressed, Father Flattery said. St. Bernadette Church in West Branch will continue celebrating Mass on Saturday evening, and St. Mary churches in Tipton and Mechanicsville will continue hosting Sunday morning Masses.
For Phyllis Jacobsen, music and liturgy director at St. Bernadette, said the merging process has been a reminder “that we are all very similar (as) people of Cedar County, and we all want the same thing for our church homes. We want to survive and thrive and welcome newcomers and be of service.” She believes the community is better positioned to live that reality “as one body with three homes.”
