St. Joseph Catholic Church sits on Nicolai Avenue East in the small town of Miesville, Minnesota, a Roman Catholic parish that has welcomed families since 1873 and belongs to the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. It is known for conservative liturgies, a Romanesque church built in the early twentieth century, and a steady community of worshipers who attend the Traditional Latin Mass in the Extraordinary form. Sunday worship runs from an 8:00 AM Ordinary Form Mass to a 10:00 AM Traditional Latin Mass, and the parish's faith formation program begins in kindergarten and continues through high school.
Serving, Teaching and Worshipping
The faith community states its mission directly: "We, the faith community of St. Joseph Catholic Church, are trusted to continue the mission of Jesus through the Catholic Church. Toward this goal, we serve, teach and worship. We strive to meet these ends in a spirit of love and compassion, tempered by justice and peace, through the grace of the Holy Spirit."
Worship here takes two distinct shapes on a Sunday morning, and the parish holds to the same conviction about the altar in both of them. Under the Ordinary Form Mass and under the Traditional Latin Mass, "the presence of Christ in the Eucharist is real, true and substantial." The parish credits its continuity through more than a century and a half of change to the grace of God and to its volunteers, and those volunteers remain the backbone of parish life.
A Walk to St. Paul and a Parish Founded in 1873
The story of St. Joseph begins in 1856, when J. Joseph Fox walked to St. Paul to ask Bishop Cretin for a Catholic priest to baptize area children, hear confessions and distribute Holy Communion. At the time, people traveled on foot or on horseback to New Trier for Mass. The church was founded in the spring of 1873 as a mission of St. Boniface Parish in Hastings by Bishop Grace, and the Rev. George Scherer, OSB, became the first pastor. He came to Miesville every second Sunday, and the parish was incorporated in 1882.
Priests continued to arrive from Hastings, and then from New Trier, for decades. The original church, built in 1873, was torn down in 1908. The present church was erected in 1907 and then struck by lightning on August 27, 1913; the resulting fire left nothing standing but the brick walls. The church was rebuilt and dedicated on October 25, 1914.
The parish's historical boundaries ran roughly from the Mississippi and the Welch township line in the east, 220th Street to the north, Lillehei to the west and 280th Street to the south. For many years the parish has drawn worshipers from beyond those boundaries, and the reasons are its conservative liturgies, its small town atmosphere and its beautiful church building.
The Romanesque Church, Gathering Space and Convent
The parish campus centers on a Romanesque style church, joined by an adjoining gathering space dedicated on December 22, 2002. That gathering space was controversial when it was first proposed, but it has been put to good use, hosting funeral dinners, fundraisers and family events. Several classrooms used for Faith Formation sit in the basement. The adjoining convent, a remnant of the parish's Catholic School years, has been lovingly modernized, and the rectory has recently been updated.
The Priests and Friends Who Shaped the Parish
St. Joseph has been blessed by many priests who were not pastors, and the parish remembers them by name. Father James Shannon, just ordained when Father Duhr was dying of cancer in 1946, later became an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese and wrote of how happy he was here. Bishop Ham lived in the rectory with his housekeeper Maria Elena from 1984 until 1990, often saying Mass and remaining an important member of the community. The Siebenaler priests, who grew up on a farm outside New Trier and knew many families here, helped out regularly: Fr. John lived in an apartment in the convent before moving to Hastings, and Fr. Martin and Fr. Leonard also served the parish.
Fr. Klaers was pastor for more than 25 years. In July 1991, Fr. Mike O'Connor arrived with his housekeeper Marie Lorenz to fill the gap left by Bishop Ham and Maria Elena, becoming the parish's priest in residence while St. Joseph shared Fr. Klaers with New Trier. For the next 14 years, few parties, graduations, First Communion dinners or other important events were held without him, and Marie when her work allowed. Both have gone to their eternal reward and are still missed.
Fr. Ralph Huar followed and supervised the decorating of the gathering space. Fr. Jay Kythe, the youngest pastor the parish has had, served eight years, then Fr. Ortega served two, Fr. Terry Beeson ten and Fr. Michael McClellan two. The parish's current pastor is Fr. Andrew Brinkman, who also ministers to the community that attends the Traditional Latin Mass in the Extraordinary form.
Sunday Morning: Ordinary Form and Traditional Latin Mass
Sunday morning at St. Joseph offers the two forms of the Roman Rite side by side. Mass is celebrated at 8:00 AM in the Ordinary Form, and at 10:00 AM the Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated in the Extraordinary form. A large group of worshipers is attached to that Traditional Latin Mass, and the pastor ministers to them.
The parish describes the two forms in terms of continuity rather than rupture. The earliest Church documents show that Rome, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Antioch, Milan and Gaul each celebrated the Eucharist differently, and yet there was never a question that it was the same Eucharist, the same sacrifice and the same apostolic foundation beneath them all. The Council of Trent endorsed some of that diversity while calling for greater centrality and uniformity, and popes from the fourth century through the twenty-first century have made changes to adapt and reform the Roman Rite. In 1984, St. John Paul II issued the special indult Quattuor abhinc annos, and in 1988 the motu proprio Ecclesia Dei established a commission for the pastoral oversight of Catholics who remain attached to the Mass as celebrated in the 1962 Missale Romanum. In 2007, Benedict XVI's Summorum Pontificum expanded and simplified the permissions for celebrating the whole liturgy according to the norms of 1962, clarifying that the 1962 and 2008 Missals are both legitimate forms of the one Roman Rite, called the Extraordinary and Ordinary forms.
That apostolic letter aimed at offering the Roman Liturgy in the Usus Antiquior as a precious treasure to be preserved, at guaranteeing the forma extraordinaria for all who ask for it, and at promoting reconciliation at the heart of the Church. Its exhortation is to "generously open our hearts and make room for everything that the faith itself allows." The 2011 Instruction Universae Ecclesiae further specified the use and regulation of the Extraordinary form, including the competence of diocesan bishops, the meaning of a "stable group of the faithful," the qualifications of the priest celebrant, the use of the Breviarium Romanum, the Sacred Triduum, and the sacraments of confirmation and holy orders. The parish holds that the two forms of the one Roman Rite may provide mutual spiritual enrichment for the faithful and promote the communion of the whole Church as an expression of unity in diversity.
Music at St. Joseph is directed by a Music Director for the Ordinary Form and a separate Traditional Latin Mass Music Director, and the St. Joseph choirs sing the traditional Christmas carols that fill the church at Advent.
Weekday Mass, First Friday and Confessions
On weekdays, Mass is celebrated at 11:00 AM from Tuesday through Friday, and at 8:00 AM on Saturday. First Friday has its own shape: Exposition and Adoration with Confessions at 4:30 PM, Benediction at 5:45 PM, and a Traditional Latin Mass at 6:00 PM. Confessions are offered Sunday from 9:15 to 9:45 AM, Tuesday through Friday at 10:30 AM, and on Saturday after the 8:00 AM Mass. The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, closed on Tuesdays, and the schedule of worship times is kept current at the church's Mass Times listing.
Family Formation: Learning at Home and in the Classroom
St. Joseph's faith formation program is built around the idea that parents are the primary educators of their children in the faith. The program opens with a quotation from the General Directory of Catechesis: "Parents are the primary educators in the faith... It is for this reason that the Christian community must give very special attention to parents." The parish describes its task as helping families educate their children in the Catholic faith, with Our Blessed Mother Mary and the Holy Spirit as guides.
For families with children in grades K through 5, Family Formation meets on the first and third Wednesdays of each month from 6:15 to 7:15 PM. On the first Wednesday the children have class while parents attend a speaker; on the third Wednesday one teacher leads an all-inclusive class for the children while parents observe. In the other weeks of the month, parents receive a take-home folder to work through with their children. Each month comes with a packet of lessons, and the parish supplies the materials, instructions and support. Parents do not have to be experts in the faith, only willing to devote about an hour a week to quality family time in sharing the faith.
The schedule is designed to bend around family life. Families who homeschool or send their children to Catholic school are invited to participate, and families can work through the take-home lessons whenever convenient, whether that means Wednesday nights or Sundays after church. The aim is a stronger connection among parents, children and the church catechists, and a strengthening of community within the parish.
Middle School and High School Classes
Two additional classes serve older students. Grades 6 through 8 meet on the second, fourth and fifth Wednesdays of the month from 6:15 to 7:15 PM, and grades 9 through 12 meet on the second and fourth Wednesdays from 7:15 to 8:15 PM. Parents are welcome but not required to attend. The classes teach the fundamentals of the faith and encourage critical thinking, so that older children can ask questions about their faith and be better equipped to defend it as they approach adulthood. The middle school classes focus on the sacraments, and the high school classes on morality.
Preparing for First Reconciliation and First Communion
Sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation and First Communion ordinarily takes place in second grade. Students preparing for the Traditional Latin Mass take classes on Sundays, while other students meet on Wednesdays, and all join a retreat as part of their preparation. Children and parents take part in the preparation provided by the religious education staff, and First Eucharist is traditionally celebrated in the spring of second grade in conjunction with First Reconciliation.
Confirmation: A Two-Year Process
Confirmation at St. Joseph is a two-year process involving students in grades 7 and 8. The parish describes the sacrament as the one in which a person is enriched by the gift of the Holy Spirit and bound more perfectly to Christ and his Church, strengthening the recipient as a witness to Christ by word and deed. Like Baptism, it imprints a spiritual mark on the soul, and it is received only once.
Baptism and Preparation for It
Baptisms and baptism classes are conducted every other month. A child's baptism can take place during one of the parish Masses, which is preferred, or in a ceremony after Mass. Preparation is required by the Diocese, and the parish welcomes every parent, whatever their circumstances, with the expectation that the child will be raised in the Catholic faith. A child may be up to six years old for a traditional baptism; at seven and older, canon law requires baptism to be followed by Confirmation and Eucharist.
A person may serve as one or two godparents, and if two are chosen they must be a man and a woman. A godparent must be chosen by the parents, at least 16 years of age, a confirmed Roman Catholic who has already received the Most Holy Eucharist, living in harmony with the Catholic faith, and able to serve as a good role model. A baptized person from another Christian community may be admitted only as a Christian witness, and only when at least one Roman Catholic godparent meets those requirements.
The parish insists on preparation because of the promises made at the baptismal font. "Before God, you have taken on an awesome responsibility for the salvation of another, your own child," and the classes are designed to help parents understand the sacrament in both a spiritual and a practical sense, including the theology of the sacrament and the practical aspects of the ceremony itself.
Marriage
Marriage is treated as a sacrament with a four-fold character:
- Free: each person enters the relationship by choice, without coercion, deception or restriction.
- Total: through their vows, each person gives himself or herself totally to the other, not 50:50 but 100:100.
- Faithful: the couple vows to lifelong marital fidelity.
- Fruitful: the couple vows to be open to life in marital relations, trusting in God's providence.
Anyone contemplating marriage is asked to contact the parish office at least six months before setting a date or reserving a hall, since the other steps can only begin after consultation with the pastor or his delegate.
Anointing of the Sick, Becoming Catholic and Holy Orders
The Anointing of the Sick is given by a priest who anoints the person with the Oil of the Sick, blessed by the diocesan bishop during Holy Week each year. The sacrament can be received in the danger of death before surgery, in a hospital room, in a nursing home or in a private home, and it may be repeated.
Adults who are learning about the Catholic faith or returning to it can take part in the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults, with instruction arranged through the parish. Children older than second grade who have not yet made First Communion receive special instruction through the Order of Christian Initiation for Children. The parish also welcomes men discerning a call to ordination, and the three levels of ordination in the Catholic Church are the episcopate, the priesthood and the diaconate.
Youth and Young Adult Gatherings
From September through May, the parish holds monthly events with guest speakers for high school youth in grades 9 through 12 and for young adults up to age 25. The night begins with a meal at 6:30 PM, and the guest speaker talks from 7:00 to 8:00 PM.
Advent, Christmas and Lent
St. Joseph marks the seasons with events that fill the church. On the Third Sunday of Advent each year the parish stages an annual Live Nativity. Come early to see the sheep and cows and to get a seat on the straw bales, then follow Mary and Joseph on their journey to Bethlehem with the shepherds, angels, wise men and animals, hearing traditional Christmas carols sung by the St. Joseph choirs. Refreshments are served in the church hall, and confessions begin at 6:00 PM. At Christmas, carols are sung before the Midnight Mass at St. Joseph.
During Lent, the Stations of the Cross are held on Fridays at 7:00 PM. The fourteen devotions focus on specific events of Christ's last day, beginning with his condemnation, and are commonly prayed as a mini pilgrimage; when prayed as a group, the priest or presider moves from station to station while the congregation remains in the pews. The parish also holds a Living Rosary, where the Rosary is prayed and the children's choir sings, along with a Requiem Mass and the annual planting of the mini Marian garden.
Men's Guild, Fundraisers and Parish Life
Volunteers run much of the outward-facing life of the parish. The All Saints Men's Guild is one of the standing organizations, and the Knights of Columbus host a pancake breakfast with all the trimmings and a free will offering whose proceeds go to a scholarship fund. Other gatherings include a chicken dinner, a corned beef and cabbage dinner, an English Country Dance Ball, a bake sale and a Living Rosary. The gathering space that was controversial when it was first proposed is now put to good use for these fundraisers, family events and funeral dinners, and the parish calendar carries the fuller season of activities.
A Cemetery That Holds the Parish's Memory
The parish cemetery records the community's early settlers as plainly as any register. The oldest tombstone marks Eliz O'Shaughnessy, buried in 1870 at the age of two, and Elizabeth O'Connell was buried there in 1872 at 17. Four priests lie in the cemetery, including Fr. D. F. O'Keefe, who was baptized in the parish, ordained on November 5, 1885 and died on December 4, 1886, and Frs. Duhr and Ortner in the southeastern side of the old part of the cemetery, where Fr. Frank Poncelet is also buried. The local joke is that the Germans put the Irish on the northern, or "cold," side of the cemetery. Along the eastern border, the names Gerlach, Kieffer, Shaffer, Ruhr, Saam, O'Shaughnessy, Wiederhold, King, Kimmes, Fox, Illa, Lorentz, Eckart, Miesch, O'Keefe, O'Rourke, Brennan and Nilan appear again and again, and many descendants of those early settlers still think of the parish as their ancestral home.
The parish has always been a mixture of German and Irish, as it remains today, with the occasional Scandinavian, usually a convert allowed in.
Newcomers, Newsletters and Giving
Anyone who is new to St. Joseph, or who has been coming for a while and would like to register as a member of the parish family, is welcome to experience Christ present here. Registration begins with a call or email to the parish office, where a name, address, phone number and email address are all that is needed to start; a welcome email follows. To stay connected, parishioners can sign up for weekly and monthly newsletters by text message or email and choose the groups they want to hear from, and giving is available through online giving.
What holds St. Joseph together across more than a century and a half is a familiar set of habits: Mass at 8:00 and 10:00 on Sunday, a week of classes and take-home lessons for families, confessions on a regular schedule, and a circle of volunteers who keep the parish running. The Romanesque building on Nicolai Avenue East remains what the parish has always claimed for itself, a place of conservative liturgy, small town atmosphere, and the real, true and substantial presence of Christ in the Eucharist.