The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin in Bloomington, Minnesota, has stood at 9900 Lyndale Avenue South since the parish community first gathered in 1949. Nativity was the first Catholic parish in Bloomington, and it grew from a borrowed Town Hall and a high school gymnasium into a campus that today serves roughly 1,200 families through 60 ministries, a parish school, and an active program of formation, outreach, and worship. Its mission is plain: to make Jesus Christ known and loved.
A Parish Built Before a Church
The story begins on November 9, 1949, when the first Mass was offered in the Bloomington Town Hall on Penn Avenue. Weekly Masses followed in Bloomington High School and even at the Oxboro Theatre while the founding priest, Father Martin Larkin, moved quickly to give the new community a permanent home. Ground was broken for a school building and gymnasium on November 8, 1950, and in 1951 Nativity of Mary School opened with 140 students, with Sunday worship held in the school gymnasium. Father Larkin believed so strongly in education that the school was built before the church. The current church was constructed and dedicated by Archbishop John R. Roach on September 18, 1980, with most of the cost covered by proceeds from parish festivals.
A 1991 addition brought the Gathering Space, the Caritas Room, the pipe organ, and a lower level of meeting rooms, and connected the school and church for easier access between them. The school was remodeled in 2005 to add new administrative offices for both the school and the parish staff, and the parish turned its attention in the late 2000s to paying down debt and improving the church campus, efforts intended to keep Nativity financially healthy for generations to come. Today the school has been recognized as a School of Excellence and continues to attract strong educators; its curriculum includes music, athletics, and foreign languages, all taught with an emphasis on Christian values. About 1,200 families give their time and talents in 60 different ministries.
Mass, Confession, and Reconciliation
Weekend Masses are celebrated on Saturday at 4:00 PM, the anticipatory Mass, and on Sunday at 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM. Weekday Masses follow a steady rhythm: Monday at 8:00 AM, Tuesday at 6:00 PM, and Wednesday through Friday at 8:00 AM. The Saturday 4:00 PM Mass and Holy Day Masses are livestreamed on the parish's YouTube channel, allowing those who cannot attend in person to pray with the community.
Reconciliation is offered four days a week. The confessional sits in the north corner of the chapel behind the main church, and priests are available Tuesday from 5:00 to 5:50 PM, Wednesday from 7:30 to 7:50 AM, Thursday from 8:30 AM until the last penitent, and Saturday from 3:00 to 3:45 PM. Examination of conscience guides are available for children, middle schoolers, high schoolers, and adults, helping penitents of every age prepare.
Eucharistic Adoration and Devotions
Eucharistic Adoration is woven into the parish's daily life. Adoration is held Monday through Friday from 7:00 to 8:00 AM, with extended hours on Monday from 8:30 AM until 2:00 PM in the church and on Tuesday from 5:00 to 5:50 PM. Parishioners who want to keep vigil with the Lord on Mondays are invited to step into a regular hour; those interested in assisting with Tuesday adoration can reach the Director of Liturgy and Music.
The Rosary is prayed in the chapel Wednesday through Friday at 7:30 AM, and on the 13th of every month at 7:00 PM in honor of Our Lady of Fatima. Stations of the Cross are prayed on Fridays at 7:00 PM during Lent. Other devotions include the Five First Saturdays Devotion and the Holy Face Devotion.
The Sanctuary, the Altar, and the Art of Worship
The sanctuary renovation of recent years was the parish's effort to deepen the visual language of Catholic worship. Drawing on the principle Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi (how we pray, how we believe, how we live), the project began under Fr. Steve Ulrich in 2005 and continued through several pastors. A new floor was installed; the previously lowered portion was raised so that the entire sanctuary is now one level; and the Altar was centered, a reflection of the Eucharist being the source and summit of the Catholic faith. The lighter floor draws the eye into the Sanctuary and reflects the heavenly nature of the space, where heaven descends to touch earth and the faithful encounter Christ the Lord.
The new Altar was dedicated at Mass by Bishop Andrew Cozzens on Sunday, January 31, 2021, the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Dedication Mass replaced the normal Penitential Act with a Sprinkling Rite, used also at the Easter Vigil, in which the bishop sprinkled the congregation and the new altar with holy water. The Litany of the Saints was sung, with Mary Mother of God invoked first, then Saint Paul and Saint John Vianney as patrons of the diocese, and finally Saint Anne, whose relic was placed inside the Altar alongside the altar stone from the original altar in the old basement church, a highly appropriate saint for a church dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. The bishop prayed the Prayer of Dedication, which travels through salvation history from Noah and Abraham to Moses and the blood of the Lamb. He anointed the Altar with sacred chrism in the center, over the relics, and then in crosses on all four corners. Incense rose as a sign that Christ's sacrifice ascends to God as an odor of sweetness. The Altar was then covered and lit with candles.
Twelve wooden Apostolic Crests were carved by woodcarver Paul Sirba and mounted vertically on either side of the Tabernacle. The crests depict the twelve Apostles using ancient symbols, and they are listed in the order they appear in the Roman Canon. The crests sit on either side of the Tabernacle to remind the faithful of the Last Supper, when the disciples reclined at table near the Lord and received the command to do this in memory of Him. The same woodcarver crafted the shrine that holds the statues of Mary and Joseph, which were found in parish storage and are believed to have come from the old basement church before the current church was built. Near the Baptismal Font stands a Madonna of the Streets, a depiction of Roberto Ferruzzi's painting in which the Virgin Mary reaches out to take the baby of a woman of the streets and gives her own Son in return, a reminder that Mary is mother to all of us and gives us her Son, Jesus. The statue is from the art studio of Conrad Moroder.
The sanctuary's two paintings carry deep Marian meaning. The first is Saint Anne and Joachim with Little Mary by Francesco Mancini, painted in 1732 for the Church of Saint Teresa in Perugia, Italy. It depicts Mary as a young child with her parents and shows Saint Anne teaching Mary to read, a popular subject in the fourteenth century, when widespread literacy was growing alongside the invention of the printing press. Mary wears a blue ribbon at her waist for purity and virginity, and her head is encircled with twelve stars from Revelation 12. The second is The Coronation of the Virgin by Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, painted between 1625 and 1636 for the oratory of Queen Elizabeth of Bourbon at the court of Philip IV of Spain and now in the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid. The Holy Spirit is portrayed as a dove, and the gentle curve of the wings softens the inverted triangle of the composition into a heart, a symbol of reverence and piety.
Surrounding the Gathering Space is the Cloud of Witnesses, an art collection of eight saints, venerables, and blesseds created by parishioner Erin Wee, with several of the figures modeled after parishioners of various races. The project was led by parishioner Benjamin Heidgerken. The eight are Saint Juan Diego, Saint Martin de Porres, Saint Pedro Calungsod, Blessed Christian de Chergé, Saint Josephine Bakhita, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, and Venerable Henriette Delille. Short videos introducing each one are available on the parish YouTube channel.
Music and the Van Daalen Pipe Organ
Music is an integral part of liturgy at Nativity. The Parish Choir is a four-part traditional choral group that typically rehearses on Wednesday evenings from September through Pentecost, with music ranging from Gregorian chant to more contemporary choral works. The choir generally sings at weekend Masses and Holy days; new members are always welcome, including teenagers. Cantors lead the congregational singing and proclaim the Responsorial Psalm and the Gospel Acclamation verse during the Liturgy of the Word. Instrumentalists are welcomed to play with the piano or organ to make liturgies more festive. The Resurrection Choir provides musical support at Funeral Masses during the week, and anyone regularly available on weekday mornings is welcome to join.
The Children's Choir is open to children of the parish in grades 1 through 6. Rehearsals are held on Tuesdays after school from 4:00 to 4:45 PM in the School Band Room. The choir helps children learn how to use their voices, why the faithful sing at Mass, and what the music teaches about Jesus and the faith.
The Van Daalen Pipe Organ was installed in 1991. Built by Jan Van Daalen, it has 33 ranks, 1,832 pipes, 3 divisions, 2 manuals, and 24 stops, with mechanical key and stop action and mechanical unison couplers. The Great division opens with a Praestant 16' and includes ranks from Rohrflute 8' and Octave 4' to a Mixture V and Trompete 8'. The Swell division includes Gemshorn 8', Gemshorn Celeste 8', a Principal 4', Spillflute 4', and a Hautbois 8' with Tremolo. The Pedal division is anchored by a Subbass 16' and Trombone 8' with a Bombarde 16'.
Sacraments for the Whole Life
The seven sacraments are celebrated and prepared for at Nativity. Baptism is offered to infants and older children, and baptisms are celebrated in small groups so that families can share in the joyful sacrament together as a parish community. Parents intending to baptize a child at Nativity complete a baptism preparation class using Belonging by Ascension Press, an online course available in English or Spanish that takes about an hour and a half and can be broken up over time or finished at once. Godparents must be confirmed Catholics who have already received the Eucharist and are at least 16 years old, with no more than two godparents.
First Reconciliation and First Communion preparation begins in second grade and is paired with Wednesday evening Faith Formation or religion classes at a Catholic school. The parish uses the BLESSED program from Dynamic Catholic. The student workbook is available in English or Spanish. The program includes parent introductory meetings, in-person family workshops, and an at-home curriculum for parents and children to work through together. Family Adoration Nights and parent meetings accompany the preparation, and the First Communion Mass is celebrated on a Sunday in late April. The program cost is $60.
Confirmation is a year-long program for 9th-grade students that meets weekly on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 PM in the Gathering Space, using the Chosen curriculum from Ascension Press. It is led by church staff, seminarians of St. John Vianney, and faithful parishioners. The journey culminates when students receive the Sacrament of Confirmation at the Cathedral of Saint Paul. The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) welcomes those who are unbaptized, baptized in another Christian tradition, or baptized Catholics who have not yet received all the Sacraments of Initiation. The group meets most Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 PM from September through March and culminates in the celebration of receiving the Sacraments at the Easter Vigil. The Order of Christian Initiation of Children (OCIC) provides a parallel process for children age seven and older.
Marriage preparation at Nativity requires that at least one member of the couple, or his or her family, have been a member of the parish for at least six months before beginning preparation, with exceptions possible. Marriage preparation begins at least six months before the wedding and includes a meeting with the pastor, a series of meetings with a mentor couple, and additional work between meetings. Music for weddings is sacred in nature, and the Music Director, who is the usual organist and pianist for weddings, approves all music and guest musicians.
Mass intentions can be requested through the parish office for a suggested stipend of $10.00, with a limit of five Masses per year per intention. Requests cannot be made more than one year out, and can be submitted by email or in person at the donation dropbox near the Welcome Desk.
Faith Formation for Children and Teens
Faith formation at Nativity serves students from kindergarten through high school. Elementary Faith Formation is open to students in kindergarten through fifth grade and meets most Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 PM during the school year using the Word of Life curriculum. Middle School Faith Formation is open to students in sixth through eighth grade and follows the same Wednesday evening rhythm and curriculum. Youth Group is for high school students in grades 9 through 12 and gathers roughly twice a month on Sunday evenings with fellowship, small groups, games, food, prayer, service, Bible study, Eucharistic adoration, speakers, and small groups.
Vacation Bible School is held in collaboration with the other two Bloomington parishes for children currently in Pre-K (must be four years old) through fifth grade; the program is hosted at St. Edwards in Bloomington with Nativity staff and leadership on site.
Summer Camps
The parish offers four summer camps each year. Catholic Youth Camp, new to Nativity, is an overnight camp at McGregor, Minnesota, for incoming third through fifth graders. Extreme Faith Camp is held in Trego, Wisconsin, for incoming sixth through ninth graders, with teen leaders serving on Prayer Team (incoming tenth grade and first-time high schoolers) and Extreme Team (incoming eleventh and twelfth graders and first-year post-high school). The Steubenville Youth Conference is a new overnight program for high school juniors and seniors held at the University of St. Thomas. Partial need-based scholarships are available, and payment plans are offered.
Adult Faith Formation
Adult faith formation takes many shapes at Nativity. NOM Mom is a mothers' group that meets on Thursdays during the program year with speakers, prayer, and table discussion; childcare is available for children over one year old. Theology & Brews is a monthly gathering that pairs craft beer with a theological presentation; past speakers have included Fr. Nathan LaLiberte, Deacon Nick Vance, and Dr. Erika Kidd of the University of St. Thomas. The Great Adventure Timeline is a video-based Bible study guided by Jeff Cavins and other presenters that follows fourteen key narrative books across twenty-four sessions using the color-coded Bible Timeline system, meeting most Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 PM from October through May. The Young Adults group is open to adults in their twenties and thirties and gathers roughly once a month across the Southwest Deanery parishes, with past events that have included brewery outings, an out-of-state pilgrimage, trivia games, sports nights, cookouts, and a JPII-themed retreat.
Liturgical Volunteers and Children's Programs
Worship at Nativity involves many liturgical volunteers. Lectors proclaim the Scriptures at Mass and may read the Prayer of the Faithful in the absence of a Deacon; confirmed Catholics aged 16 and older may participate. Altar servers are youth in grades 4 and up who have received First Communion and assist the priest at weekend Masses and special liturgies on a rotating basis. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion assist the priests and deacons in distributing Holy Communion at weekend Masses and special liturgies. Sacristans help set up the church for Mass by preparing the gifts of bread and wine and setting out the liturgical books. Ushers greet people as they arrive, assist with seating, and assist with the Collection. The Environment Committee, the Green Angels, enhances the church and gathering space by arranging plants and flowers for liturgical seasons, watering plants, and laundering the linens used at Mass. Sunday hospitality ministers create an atmosphere of welcome and serve coffee and donuts after Sunday morning Masses. Voice of the Good Shepherd, a Children's Liturgy of the Word for children ages 3 to 6, is grounded in the principles of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and is offered most weekends of the school year at the 10:30 AM Sunday Mass.
Outreach, Pastoral Care, and the Wider Community
Outreach at Nativity includes the Ad Gentes prayer event and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a lay Catholic organization that serves those in need. Dignitas Vitae, the Respect Life ministry, works to protect and promote human life at every stage from conception to natural death. Knights of Columbus and the Women's Auxiliary volunteer for maintenance and painting projects on the parish campus. The Men's Club supports the school and parish through improvement projects and fundraising, providing fellowship to school dads and men of the parish. Money Counters, in teams of five to seven, count Sunday and Holy Day collections on a rotating basis. Loaves and Fishes and the Social Justice Committee raise awareness of Catholic social teaching through justice-oriented action and education. Scouting programs include Cub Scouts for boys and girls in grades K through 5, Scouts BSA for boys ages 11 through 18, and Girl Scouts, with each Scout encouraged to earn the religious emblem for his or her age level. The Vocations Team promotes awareness of vocations and sponsors a morning of Adoration during Vocations Awareness Week in January.
Pastoral Care at Nativity includes Anointing of the Sick, Funeral Planning, and a Grief Support Group for those who have lost loved ones. The Intercessory Prayer Ministry prays for the needs of the people of Nativity of Mary Church and School and for all children and families worldwide. People in Prayer pray for the needs of the parish, and a Prayer Team serves at Extreme Faith Camp.
Parish Councils, Stewardship, and Giving
Parish operations are guided by several councils and committees. The Parish Council advises the pastor on matters affecting the life and ministry of the parish, with strategic goals in New Member Ministries, Youth and Family Ministries, and Parish Member and Community Outreach. The Finance Committee advises the pastor on the financial operations of the parish. The Stewardship Committee promotes a culture of Christian stewardship, and the Liturgy Committee helps parishioners exercise liturgical ministries. Parish Council meets on the third Tuesday of every month.
Giving options include Stewardship, online Donations, Corporate Matching, Donor-Advised Fund Giving, Endowment, Stock Donation, and Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). Online giving is available through the parish giving portal. The Fall Festival, with its silent auction, is the parish's largest annual fundraiser.
The Parish Staff
The parish staff is led by Pastor Fr. Bill Duffert and Deacon Jim Reinhardt. Molly Bellmont serves as Coordinator of Faith Formation and Evangelization. Martha LeBlanc is Director of Liturgy and Music. Kelly Schumacher serves as Parish Life Coordinator. Maggie Nelson is Creative Clubhouse Coordinator. The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM, with summer hours closing at noon on Fridays in June, July, and August. The parish office phone is (952) 881-8671 and the email is parishoffice@nativitybloomington.org. The church is open for prayer from 6:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. Newcomers are warmly invited to register as parishioners through the parish office.
Nativity of Mary Catholic Church is rooted in more than 75 years of Eucharist, prayer, fellowship, and outreach in Bloomington. Through its school, its formation programs, its music ministry, its outreach to those in need, and its many small groups and volunteer efforts, the parish remains a community where God's love is made visible through its members.