A Roman Catholic Parish in Burnsville
Mary, Mother of the Church sits on twenty-two acres of former farmland on Cliff Road East in Burnsville, a few miles east of the Minnesota River, and has served as a Roman Catholic parish since September 7, 1965. Archbishop Leo Binz established the parish that day and named Father Donald Burns as its founding pastor; he and 550 charter households made up the original congregation. In 1966, thirty parishioners planted the 900 evergreen trees that still line the southern border of the grounds. The parish grew with the south suburbs; by the mid-1970s it was serving 1,645 households, and today it remains a community of about 1,600 families.
The parish's mission is summed up in three phrases often repeated around the building: Love God, Love Others, Make Joyful Disciples. Underneath that, the parish uses a single motto - "Live Jesus" - and says that apart from Jesus the mission cannot be accomplished. The parish logo, designed in 2015 for the 50th anniversary, takes its inspiration from a fifth-century fresco called "Our Lady of the Column" in St. Peter's Basilica.
Mass Times and the Rhythm of the Week
Weekend Masses are offered on Saturday at 4:00 PM and on Sunday at 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM; the 11:00 AM Sunday Mass is livestreamed on the parish's YouTube channel for those who cannot attend in person. Weekday Masses are celebrated at 9:00 AM in the church on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and at 5:30 PM in the lower-level chapel on Wednesday.
Eucharistic adoration fills most weekdays in the chapel: Monday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Tuesday from 10:00 AM to midnight, Wednesday from midnight to 5:30 PM and again from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Thursday from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and Friday from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM. Reconciliation is heard on Wednesdays at 4:30 PM near the chapel on the lower level, and on Saturdays at 9:00 AM in the Reconciliation Room in the main church.
The parish observes the standard Catholic holy days, and on civic holidays (Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Independence Day when it falls on a weekday) a single Mass is celebrated at 9:00 AM in the lower-level chapel. The parish is closed on Martin Luther King Day and Presidents' Day, with no Mass or adoration offered. Weather-related closures follow School District #191.
Finding Your Way Around
The campus is built into a hillside and has two parking lots served by separate entrances. Visitors coming for Sunday worship are encouraged to enter from the east side at Slater Road and use the upper lot, which is level with the main church and the sanctuary doors marked 4 and 5. Those visiting the parish office or the chapel should use the Cliff Road entrance on the west side and the lower lot, entering through Door 1. The driveway wraps around the building in either direction, so a driver who finds themselves in the wrong lot can follow it back to the right entrance.
Seven Sacraments, One Parish
Mary Mother celebrates all seven Catholic sacraments. Baptism is celebrated once a month at varying times, with required formation for parents on Saturday mornings from 9:30 AM to noon. Parents attend with their first child and with subsequent children beyond a three-year span, and godparents who live locally or are visiting are encouraged to attend.
Children typically prepare for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist around second grade as part of the Faith Formation program, with parent meetings and family retreats built into the process. Older children prepare individually with parents and the Youth Formation Director.
Confirmation is open to young people in tenth grade and older. Candidates choose a sponsor, attend a retreat hosted in partnership with Risen Savior Parish, give ten or more hours of service in the parish, and select a patron saint. Attendance in a Faith Formation program during grades 8 through 10 is required.
Marriage preparation is offered for couples preparing for the sacrament, and the parish hosts an annual Cana Dinner for married couples along with a Married Couples Small Group.
The Anointing of the Sick is offered for those facing illness or aging. Priests and Stephen Ministers bring Communion to the homebound, to those hospitalized at Fairview Ridges, and to residents of Ebenezer Ridges, Eagan Pointe Senior Living, Care Free Living, Emerald Crest, and The Rivers.
Inquiries about Holy Orders are routed to the Archdiocesan Office of Vocations. The Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (O.C.I.A.) guides adults who wish to become Catholic.
Funerals are arranged through the parish office. The parish distinguishes between a Mass of Christian Burial, with the remains present, and a Memorial Mass or Service without remains, and notes that cremation is accepted, preferably after the funeral liturgy. A Funeral Guidelines Booklet covers the practical details.
Children: Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and Sacramental Prep
Children's ministry centers on the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a child-centered religious education program used for children from age 3 through grade 5. Weekly sessions run September through May on Sundays from 9:30 to 11:00 AM and on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6:00 PM and 6:30 to 8:00 PM. In the atrium - a specially prepared room with hands-on materials - children work at their own pace to explore the Liturgy and the Bible.
First Reconciliation and First Eucharist are typically prepared for around second grade, with family retreats built into the process. Older children prepare individually with parents and the Director of Youth Formation.
During Advent and Lent, children in grades 1-5 are invited to Children's Liturgy of the Word during the Sunday morning Masses, where they hear the scriptures proclaimed, discuss them in age-appropriate ways, and bring their own prayers to the Lord.
Cindy Monn directs children's faith formation. The parish emphasizes that parents are the primary evangelists of their children and offers scholarships so that every student can participate.
Wednesday Nights for Youth
Youth Faith Formation and Youth Ministry share a single rhythm: Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 PM, September through early May, beginning in the Fireside Room on the lower level. The first fifteen minutes of each night are spent breaking open the coming Sunday Gospel, after which teens break into faith-sharing small groups. Speakers, Bible studies, video sessions, and small group discussions rotate through the year to help teens grow in the richness of the Catholic faith.
The first Wednesday of each month, the program gathers in the church for ELEVATE, a large-group night of prayer, adoration, and catechesis for youth and families together. Throughout the year teens can join peer ministry, the ELEVATE Youth Music team, Liturgy roles, fun nights, service events, Living Stations of the Cross, and summer trips such as Extreme Faith Camp and Summer Stretch.
Amy Schroeder, Director of Youth Formation, leads the program. The parish notes that scholarships are available and that volunteers are needed as small group leaders, hospitality help, and prayer partners.
Adults: Bible Study, Small Groups, and the Divine Mercy Cenacle
Adult faith formation takes several shapes. A Bible Study meets during the fall and spring semesters with a presentation focused on the readings for the upcoming Sunday liturgy. A Young Adults Bible Study meets every other Saturday morning at 9:00 AM.
Small groups are the foundation of adult community life. Groups of 6 to 12 people meet for about an hour and a half with an emphasis on prayer, real sharing, and formation into "joyful missionary disciples of Christ." Current offerings include co-ed, married couples, men's, women's, young adults, and widow/widowers groups. A typical meeting moves through praise, personal sharing, a teaching, discussion, parish announcements, and intercessions.
Two Divine Mercy Cenacles meet once a week to study the writings of St. Faustina and other Divine Mercy texts and to pray the Chaplet. Book studies round out the formation options, and Mary Mother provides free access to FORMED, an online Catholic streaming service, for parishioners to use at home.
Music Ministries
Music at Mary Mother is shared across several choirs. The Exultation Choir leads music at the 8:30 AM Sunday Mass, and the Living Spirit Choir leads at the 11:00 AM Sunday Mass, with both rehearsing Wednesdays from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, September through May. The Women's Ensemble provides music at the Saturday 4:00 PM Mass roughly twice a month. The Hand Bell Choir rehearses Wednesdays from 5:30 to 6:30 PM and supports the liturgy at rotating Mass times.
The Festival Choir leads music for the Easter Vigil and other special liturgies. The Funeral Choir sings at funeral liturgies throughout the year. Cantors proclaim the responsorial psalm and lead assembly song at weekend and Holy Day Masses. The Uplift Choir, open to students in grades 2-8, leads music at four Masses each year, including the 4:00 PM Christmas Eve Mass, and rehearses Wednesdays from 5:30 to 6:15 PM. David Jeske is the Music Director and Doreen Bondy is the Associate Music Director.
Liturgy Ministries and the Live Stream
Many liturgical roles are open to parishioners. Eucharistic Ministers (confirmed and at least 16 years old) distribute Communion at the Mass of their choice; altar servers (grade 3 and up) assist the presider every four to eight weeks; lectors proclaim the first and second readings; ministers of hospitality welcome the assembly, take up the collection, and assist where needed; and greeters provide a warm welcome at the door. Children's Liturgy of the Word leaders serve in the chapel during 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM Mass from Advent through Lent. The Sounds Ministry handles audio at weekend and Holy Day Masses, and the Live Stream Ministry makes sure the Sunday 11:00 AM and Holy Day Masses reach those who watch online. Roxanne Tozier, Parish Ministry Director, oversees these ministries.
Pastoral Care: Stephen Ministers, Grief, and Caregivers
Pastoral Care is rooted in one-on-one relationships. Stephen Ministers are trained parishioners who meet one-on-one with someone going through a crisis or a hard season, listening, encouraging, and offering spiritual and emotional support for about an hour each week in a confidential, nonjudgmental setting. They serve people facing family challenges, major medical crises, incarceration, military deployment, vocational issues, and faith struggles.
Grief support is offered through Seasons of Hope, a Catholic bereavement small group that meets in the fall and spring for six Wednesdays from 10:30 AM to noon, facilitated by Deacon Jerry Saladin. A Care Givers Support Group meets on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 PM to support those caring for a parent, child, or spouse. Growing Through Loss brings the parish into an interdenominational South Suburban Grief Support Coalition. Janet Gorshe, Pastoral Care Associate, coordinates these ministries.
Reaching Out Beyond the Parish
Outreach is a large part of parish life. Meals at Mary Mother serves meals prepared by volunteers, delivered to cars or to a neighboring housing facility or served as walk-ups on the third and fourth Thursday of each month from 5:00 to 6:00 PM. An Emergency Food Shelf, stocked by parishioner donations, provides two bags of groceries a month by appointment. A Diaper Ministry provides a sleeve of diapers and a package of wipes monthly by appointment, and a Crib Ministry, referred by Dakota County case workers or public health nurses, provides a full-size crib, mattress, mattress pad, and sheets to families in need.
A team of Mary Mother volunteers prepares and serves a free, healthy meal once a month at the Peace House Community in Minneapolis through Loaves & Fishes. On Tuesday mornings, volunteers bag and distribute day-old bread in the Main Lobby through the Panera Bread Day-End Dough-Nation Program. A Prayer Shawl Ministry brings together knitters and crocheters on the second Monday of each month from 4:00 to 5:00 PM to create shawls and baby blankets that are blessed by the pastor and given to those experiencing illness, grief, loneliness, or the birth of a child. Rosary Makers meet on the second Saturday of each month from September through May, 9:00 to 11:00 AM, to make rosaries that are sent to organizations locally and around the world, including Sierra Leone, Italy, Togo, the Philippines, Mexico, Haiti, and Rwanda.
Twice a year, the parish organizes seasonal drives. In November, Community Thanksgiving Baskets bring together families and volunteers to prepare holiday meal boxes for families experiencing food insecurity; the program has been running since 2002. In Advent, the Advent Giving Tree collects new warm clothing for those served by 360 Communities, The Drawer, and School District 191, with waterproof boots, waterproof mittens, waterproof snow pants, and reusable canvas tote bags among the most-requested items.
Year-round financial support is directed to a list of outreach programs and special collections, including Community for Caring Life (which supports Pregnancy Choices), Ending Homelessness (which supports MICAH and Dakota Woodlands, the only shelter for families experiencing homelessness in Dakota County), Food Sunday, Loaves & Fishes, Meals at Mary Mother, Military Support, and November Outreach. Annual special collections include Peter's Pence, World Mission Sunday, Retirement for Religious, the Campaign for Human Development, and Risen Savior Missions.
Parish Leadership and Stewardship
Mary Mother is pastored by Fr. Jim Perkl, with Fr. Robert Barry O.P. serving as Associate Pastor. Roxanne Tozier is the Parish Ministry Director, Michael Wilde is the Parish Business Administrator, and Anne Susag handles Accounting and Scheduling. Tami Richardson is the Liturgy Coordinator, Janet Gorshe is the Pastoral Care Associate, and Katie Salai is the Communications Coordinator.
The Parish Pastoral & Evangelization Council is chaired by Sarah Dickhausen, with Rebecca Brubaker as Vice Chair and Greg Robinson as Secretary. The Finance Council, which serves in an advisory and consultative role to the pastor under canon 537, is chaired by Paula Robinson; Dr. Jim Rice serves as Trustee.
Parish giving supports general operations, including staffing, building and grounds, programs, and Sunday liturgy. The parish publishes Sacrificial Giving pledge cards and offers online giving.
Safe Environment
All adult volunteers with ongoing contact with minors or vulnerable adults fulfill the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Enhanced Essential 3 requirements: a Code of Conduct, VIRTUS safe-environment training, and a background check, re-credentialed every three years. Youth volunteers under 18 sign a youth Code of Conduct and provide two non-family references. Amy Schroeder serves as the parish Safe Environment Coordinator.
Getting Involved
Parishioners can take part in nearly every part of parish life. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd welcomes atrium assistants; Vacation Bible School and other children's events welcome volunteers; youth ministry welcomes small group leaders and hospitality help; the music program welcomes singers, ringers, and instrumentalists; and Stephen Ministry welcomes new trainees. Outreach opportunities such as the food shelf, diaper ministry, Loaves & Fishes, the Panera Bread distribution, prayer shawls, and rosary making are open to all.
Mary, Mother of the Church sits on its twenty-two acres on Cliff Road East, with its 900 evergreen trees along the southern border, its single mission of "Live Jesus," and a community of about 1,600 families formed and forming one another in the faith.