A Latin Mass Parish in Northeast Minneapolis
The Church of All Saints stands on 5th Avenue NE in the Northeast Minneapolis neighborhood, a quiet stretch of the city's older Polish and Italian quarters just across the river from downtown. From the sidewalk, the brick building reads as a parish that has been there a long time. Inside, the Mass offered every day of the week is one that most American Catholics have never seen: the Traditional Latin Mass, celebrated entirely in Latin according to the 1962 Roman Missal, with the priest facing the same direction as the congregation, Gregorian chant in the air, and silence between prayers.
All Saints is a parish of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, but the priests who run it belong to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, a pontifical society of priests whose specific mission is the celebration of the older form of the Roman Rite. Since July 2013, All Saints has been the FSSP's Minneapolis apostolate, drawing Catholics from across the Twin Cities who want to worship in the form of Mass their grandparents would have recognized. The parish is known for its reverence, its adult catechesis, its choirs, and a steady calendar of devotions that gives the week a reliable rhythm.
The Weekly Mass and Confession Schedule
Sunday Mass is offered three times at All Saints: a Low Mass at 8:00 AM, a Low Mass at 9:30 AM, and a Sung (High) Mass at 11:00 AM. Confession is heard thirty minutes before each Sunday Mass.
On weekdays, Mass is offered daily. Monday through Thursday Mass is at 12:15 PM. Friday Mass is at 7:00 PM, paired with exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament from 5:30 PM to 6:45 PM. Saturday morning Mass is at 9:00 AM, and First Saturdays add a period of exposition from 7:40 AM to 8:45 AM. Confession is heard thirty minutes before every Mass except on Fridays. Outside Lent, Friday confessions are heard from 6:15 PM to 6:45 PM; on First Fridays, from 5:45 PM to 6:45 PM. During Lent the Friday schedule moves earlier, with confessions from 5:45 PM to 6:15 PM and exposition with Benediction from 5:20 PM to 6:15 PM, followed by the Stations of the Cross at 6:25 PM.
Holy Days of Obligation and the Holy Week schedule vary; the weekly bulletin lists current times.
What a Visitor Sees at the Latin Mass
First-time visitors are gently prepared for what they will encounter. The parish publishes a detailed set of frequently asked questions about the older form of the Mass and explains that the first impression is often one of quiet: the nave is hushed before Mass, in recognition of Christ's presence in the tabernacle. People tend to arrive early, and many join in the Rosary before the Sung Mass on Sunday. Paper worship aids in the narthex offer English translations of the day's chants and readings, and the St. Edmund Campion hymnal at the pew contains the order of Mass in Latin and English. A hand missal such as the 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal published by Angelus Press is recommended for those who want to follow every word.
Low Mass is celebrated by the priest assisted by one or more servers. Most of the Mass is inaudible; only the servers make the responses. After Low Mass, the priest kneels at the altar steps to lead the congregation in the Leonine Prayers, a set of invocations introduced by Pope Leo XIII that include three Hail Marys, the Hail Holy Queen, the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, and a threefold invocation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sung Mass is normally offered once a week on Sundays, on Holy Days of Obligation, and on special feasts. The prayers and readings of the Mass are sung, the choir and congregation take up the responses, incense is used, and six candles burn on the altar. After Sung Mass, the congregation waits in silent prayer while the priest and servers return to kneel at the foot of the altar, and the Angelus is sung, or the Regina Caeli during Eastertide.
Several customs are common at All Saints and at most parishes that offer the older form of the Mass. Worshippers stand as the priest enters and departs, kneel through the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar and the Collect, sit for the Epistle and Gradual, stand for the Gospel, sit through the Offertory, kneel from the Sanctus until after Holy Communion, stand for the Last Gospel, and kneel for prayers after Mass. Many women cover their heads with a hat, scarf, or lace mantilla, although the Church no longer formally requires headcovering, and women without veils are warmly welcomed. Communion is received kneeling at the communion rail and on the tongue, and only baptized Catholics in a state of grace may receive. A one-hour fast from food and drink, with water and medicine excepted, is required, and many parishioners fast longer as a personal devotion.
A Polish Parish Becomes a Latin Mass Apostolate
The Church of All Saints was established in 1916 to serve the local Polish community in Northeast Minneapolis. Father Francis Matz served as pastor for fifty-two years, from 1916 to 1968, and under his long tenure the parish took root in the neighborhood. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis continues to be its canonical home.
In 2013, the Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis entrusted All Saints to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter so that the older usage of the Roman Rite would have a permanent home in the Twin Cities. FSSP priests took over the pastoral and administrative duties of the parish in July 2013. All Masses and sacraments offered by the Fraternity's priests are celebrated according to the preconciliar form of the Roman Rite, also called the usus antiquior.
The Priests of the Fraternity of St. Peter
The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter is a clerical society of apostolic life of pontifical right. Its members are Roman Catholic priests who do not take religious vows but work together for a common mission: the formation and sanctification of priests in the cadre of the traditional liturgy of the Roman Rite, and the pastoral deployment of those priests in the service of the Church. The Fraternity's spiritual formation rests on four pillars: a deep love of the Blessed Eucharist in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; faithful following of Christ the High Priest; filial devotion to Mary the Mother of Priests under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe; and loyalty to the Magisterium of the Church and the successor of St. Peter.
Pope John Paul II established the Fraternity in 1988, and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, served as its first patron. The Fraternity operates Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Nebraska, where its North American priests are trained. Roughly seventy-five FSSP priests serve in parishes and apostolates across the United States and Canada today, including parishes in seventeen American dioceses.
The current pastor of All Saints is Father Christopher Pelster, FSSP, and the associate pastor is Father Robert Dow, FSSP.
The Other Sacraments
All baptized Catholics are welcome to join All Saints at Mass, go to Confession, and adore Our Lord in exposition. Sacramental preparation such as First Communion classes and Confirmation preparation is reserved for registered and regularly attending parishioners, because the pastor is responsible for knowing the souls under his care and for witnessing marriages and baptisms within the parish family.
Infant baptism is celebrated within the first month of birth. The godparents must be practicing Catholics in good standing, and parents contact the parish office to schedule. Adults preparing for baptism work with one of the parish priests directly. First Communion for children takes place as a group, usually once a year in May or June, for children aged seven and older, with First Confession a few weeks beforehand. Confirmation is conferred at All Saints every two years. Candidates attend four priest-led catechetical classes, present a current baptismal certificate, and choose a sponsor who is a confirmed Catholic.
Couples should arrange weddings at least six months before the anticipated date and receive Pre-Cana instruction with a priest; marriage preparation is reserved for registered and attending parishioners. Funerals are arranged through the parish office.
For sacramental emergencies, situations in which a person is thought to be in serious or life-threatening medical condition, the parish office number (612-379-4996) carries automated options that route the call to a priest. The parish gives detailed guidance for preparing the home for a sick call: a small table covered with a clean white cloth, a crucifix, at least one blessed candle lit, and a small glass of fresh water for the ablution after Communion. The priest bearing the Blessed Sacrament should be met at the door by someone holding a lighted candle, who leads him to the sick room.
Becoming Catholic at All Saints
All Saints welcomes those who are coming home to the Church as well as those entering it for the first time. Catholics who have been away from the sacraments are encouraged to speak with a priest in the confessional or to make an appointment through the parish office. Those who were baptized in another Christian tradition or who were never baptized are warmly received, and before formally entering the Church they are asked to refrain from presenting themselves for Holy Communion.
Preparation for full reception into the Church at All Saints is individualized. A specific priest works with each inquirer personally, assigning reading and meeting regularly to discuss Church teaching. If a number of inquirers are working toward entry at the same time, an Adult Faith Formation class may be instituted for a season.
Altar Servers and the Sacred Music Program
All servers at All Saints are boys who are at least ten years old and in good physical and mental health. Boys who wish to serve High Mass are added to a serving schedule after their parents email the parish with the boy's name and date of birth. There are currently four serving teams at All Saints. Each team typically practices after one High Mass and serves the High Mass the following week, with two Sundays off in between. Training is conducted by the Masters of Ceremonies on each team. New servers begin as torchbearers and advance in turn through Cross, Acolyte 2, Acolyte 1, Thurifer, and finally Master of Ceremonies, a position usually held by young men in their mid- to late teens who are trained by the priests.
Servers who will assist at Low Mass must memorize the full set of Latin responses printed on the parish's Low Mass Server Responses page. Once the prayers are memorized, one of the priests tests the new server, after which Father Pelster offers tutorials on the prescribed actions before the boy begins serving alongside another server.
The Sacred Music Program at All Saints is built around the vision laid out by Pope St. Pius X more than a century ago: sacred music exists to glorify God and to sanctify and edify the faithful. The parish choir sings hymns, polyphonic motets and Masses, and Gregorian chant. A very basic ability to read music is helpful but not required, and any parishioner is welcome to join. Those interested can write to music@fsspminneapolis.com.
Adult Life at the Parish
The parish supports a full roster of adult groups organized around the sacraments, devotion, and the practical work of being Catholic in the city.
The St. Joseph's Guild is an organization of Catholic men aged eighteen and older, dedicated to their spiritual growth, the better fulfillment of the duties of their state of life, and the material and spiritual needs of the parish. The Guild meets on the second Wednesday of every month at 7:00 PM. Husbands and fathers, and men aspiring to marriage, are encouraged to attend.
The Queen of All Saints Sodality is the principal women's group at the parish, gathering women aged twenty-one and older, single, married, and widowed, for spiritual formation, prayer, and community. The Sodality emphasizes praying together before the Blessed Sacrament for the priests of the Fraternity of St. Peter, for the parish, for one another, and for the whole Catholic Church. The Sodality has long maintained a Confraternity of Our Lady of Perpetual Succor, and members pray the Mother of Perpetual Succor devotions together with the Holy Rosary. Alongside the Sodality, the parish women's Flocknote also gathers Domestic Discussions, a forum that meets three or four times a year on topics such as homemaking, educating children, and holistic health. MealTrains are organized on an as-needed basis through Flocknote, and parish women provide meals for families with a new baby or who are facing sickness, bereavement, or unemployment.
Children, Catechesis, and the Homeschool Co-op
Young children are a normal and welcome presence at Holy Mass at All Saints, and the parish provides a mothers' room in the narthex, to the right as one enters from the street, for parents who need a quieter space to calm infants or to nurse.
The All Saints Homeschool Co-op assists families in providing a solid traditional Catholic education for their children, working in obedience to the parish priests and the bishop and drawing on the guidance of the Fraternity of St. Peter. The co-op's mission is to help children become lights, and guiding lights, for Christ in the world.
Devotions and the Confraternity of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
All Saints maintains a devotional life built around the major Catholic practices associated with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The parish observes the First Friday Devotion, in which the faithful receive Holy Communion on nine consecutive first Fridays of the month, attend Mass, make a good confession, and offer their Communion in reparation for sins against the Sacred Heart. The parish also observes the Five First Saturdays devotion requested by Our Lady at Fatima: on five consecutive first Saturdays, the faithful go to Confession within eight days before or after, receive Holy Communion, pray five decades of the Rosary, and meditate for fifteen minutes on the mysteries of the Rosary, all with the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Stations of the Cross are prayed in common every Friday during Lent at 6:25 PM.
All Saints is home to a confraternity dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, centered on the fifteenth-century Byzantine icon of the Virgin Mary holding the Child Jesus while the Archangels Michael and Gabriel present the instruments of the Passion. The confraternity meets regularly for communal prayer and veneration, continuing a tradition that began in Rome and spread worldwide through the Redemptorists. Pope Pius IX elevated the original Roman confraternity to an archconfraternity in 1876.
St. Joseph's House
A few blocks from the church, at 248 5th Street NE, All Saints operates St. Joseph's House, a rooming house for Catholic men. Rent is $550 per month with utilities included, and residents come together five days a week to pray and share a meal once a week, building friendships and drawing closer to God. Any single man, regardless of what he believes his vocation to be, is welcome. Inquiries go to Father Pelster at pastor@fsspminneapolis.com.
The New Parish Center
In July 2024, All Saints completed construction of a new parish center with offices, classrooms, and a large fellowship hall. The center is now used for parish events, classes, and as a gathering space for coffee and conversation after Mass. Registered parishioners may rent the facility for private functions; rental fees, insurance, and a cleaning deposit are required. Recognized parish-based organizations may schedule events without charge. Non-parishioners are not able to rent the parish center. A recommended vendor list, an event inventory sheet covering vases, linens, and the speaker system, and detailed cleaning checklists are published on the parish forms and documents page.
Joining the Parish
Parishioners are encouraged to register at All Saints so that the pastor knows to whom he owes pastoral care, can witness marriages and baptisms, and can provide sacramental preparation. Registration forms can be mailed to the church office at 435 4th Street Northeast, Minneapolis, MN 55413, dropped in the rectory mailbox, or placed in the collection basket.
The parish communicates through Flocknote, a service that delivers the weekly bulletin, parish announcements, and group-specific updates by email or text. Giving is handled online through ParishSOFT, with options for one-time or recurring donations and a choice of funds including tithes, parish center, and the bookstore.
The parish publishes a full set of weekly bulletins, a Latin Mass FAQ and resource page, a prayers page with the Rosary, the Leonine Prayers, and the Angelus and Regina Caeli in Latin and English, and a devotionals page that walks through the First Friday, First Saturday, and Consecration to Our Lady and St. Joseph devotions. Parishioners, visitors, and the merely curious can reach the office by phone at 612-379-4996 or by email at allsaints@fsspminneapolis.org.