Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Parish stands at 2405 1st Street North in St. Cloud, Minnesota, serving Catholics in the north end of the city and the surrounding neighborhoods from a quiet street that runs along the Mississippi. The parish shares its clergy and ministries with nearby Holy Spirit Parish and the Christ Church Newman Center as part of the Spirit and Saints Catholic Community, a cluster of three parishes within the Diocese of Saint Cloud. Together they form a single pastoral team while each parish keeps its own Mass schedule, devotional rhythm, and identity.
Sunday Mass, Daily Mass, and Reconciliation
Saint Anthony's main Sunday Mass is celebrated at 8:00 am. Reconciliation is offered each Sunday morning beginning at 7:30 am, giving early-arriving parishioners a chance to go to confession before Mass. A weekday Mass is offered on Friday mornings at 8:00 am. For those who cannot make Sunday morning Mass, the cluster adds two more weekend Masses at sister parishes: Saturday at 4:00 pm at Holy Spirit, and Sunday at 8:30 am (livestreamed) at the Christ Church Newman Center. Tuesday morning Mass at 8:00 am is also celebrated at Holy Spirit.
Adoration Around the Clock
The most distinctive feature of Saint Anthony's devotional life is its nearly continuous Eucharistic Adoration. The Blessed Sacrament is exposed in the side chapel from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, accessed through the east entrance, with a brief pause on Tuesday mornings from 9:00 am to 10:00 am for cleaning. Outside those hours the chapel remains open with key access, so prayer before the Blessed Sacrament continues 24 hours a day, day after day. The arrangement makes Saint Anthony a regular stopping place for adoration chapels across central Minnesota.
First Friday and First Saturday Devotions
Saint Anthony keeps the traditional First Friday and First Saturday devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. On the First Friday of each month, Reconciliation is heard at 6:00 pm and Mass follows at 7:00 pm. On the First Saturday, Mass is offered at 8:00 am with Reconciliation at 8:30 am. These monthly observances draw a steady group of regulars in addition to the usual Sunday congregation.
Parish Mission and Eucharistic Focus
The parish describes its mission as nourishing a love of God through Jesus Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Centered in the Eucharist, the community develops through worship, prayer, education, and Christian fellowship, and members see themselves as stewards of God's love called to share their gifts in service to others. The round-the-clock adoration chapel and the regular First Friday and First Saturday Masses are practical expressions of that Eucharistic center.
Clergy and Parish Staff
Saint Anthony is served along with Holy Spirit and the Newman Center by a single pastoral team. Father Derek Wiechmann is the pastor, and Father John Paul Igbokwe serves as parochial vicar. Four deacons assist throughout the cluster: Vern Schmitz, Frank Ringsmuth, Richard Scheierl, and John Wocken. Cayna Zabinski is the Music Director at Saint Anthony, and Jessie Johnson coordinates the parish's Visitation Ministry, bringing Communion and pastoral attention to those who cannot easily attend Mass.
Faith Formation, Youth, and Family
Youth and family ministry is shared across the cluster. Andrew Tolman is the Coordinator of Youth and Family Ministry, and Melanie Solland leads Middle School Faith Formation. Together they run programs that bring children, middle schoolers, and high schoolers together with parish life, often alongside the high school Illuminate Youth Ministries group and the CatholicHUSKIES and CatholicCYCLONES peer ministry for students at St. Cloud State and St. Cloud Technical and Community College. Faith Formation registration and information are handled through the cluster's All Called to Christ site.
Funeral Liturgy Planning
The parish walks families through the Order of Christian Funerals. A meeting with the pastor or a staff member after the funeral date is set covers the readings (one Old Testament, one New Testament, one Gospel), the general intercessions, and four to six musical selections. The cluster has gathered a deep library of recommended music, organized by liturgical moment, with hymns ranging from Amazing Grace and On Eagle's Wings to I Am the Bread of Life and How Great Thou Art. A separate guide sets clear expectations for Words of Remembrance: one speaker, five minutes, after Communion, prepared in advance, and focused on the Christian witness of the person who has died rather than a general tribute.
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton School
Parish children commonly attend Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Elementary at 1615 11th Avenue South in St. Cloud, the cluster's parochial elementary school, with older students going on to Cathedral High School. Both schools are part of the larger diocesan Catholic school system.
Office, Bulletin, and Giving
The Saint Anthony parish office is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:00 am to noon, and closed on Wednesdays during June, July, and August. The office can be reached at 320-251-5966, with additional hours available by appointment. The parish bulletin, called the ACC Bulletin, is published cluster-wide and submissions can be sent to bulletin@spiritandsaints.org. Online giving is available through the cluster's secure giving portal, and a livestream of weekend Mass from the Newman Center is carried on YouTube for those at home.
Living Through the Cluster
Saint Anthony is in the middle of a diocesan planning process known as All Things New, which is helping parishes across the Diocese of Saint Cloud look at their long-term future. Within that wider conversation, the parish continues its own quiet rhythm: weekday Mass on Friday morning, Sunday Mass at 8:00 am, the constant presence of the Blessed Sacrament in the side chapel, and the steady First Friday and First Saturday devotions that have marked Catholic life in north St. Cloud for generations.