history of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church

HISTORY OF ST. FRANCIS CHURCH

The priest was Fr. Joseph Buh, who intended to accompany Fr. Pierz directly to Crow Wing. However, he was delayed by Bishop Grace, who asked him to remain at the St. Paul rectory as professor of theology until his fifteen countrymen were ordained. This he did, and in November, 1864, after the ordination, he traveled by stagecoach to Crow Wing to join Fr. Pierz who introduced him to missionary life and passed on to him his extensive knowledge of Indian culture and homeopathic medicine. Fr. Buh spent the winter among the Indians of Lake Winnibigoshish, where he learned to speak Chippewa, and the following summer he was assigned to the mission at Belle Prairie, where he built a rectory. In the fall of 1865, he left Belle Prairie in the hands of Fr. James Trobec (one of the fifteen seminarians from Austria and later Bishop of St. Cloud) and returned to Winnibigoshish.

Between 1864 and 1871, Frs. Pierz and Buh traveled tirelessly from mission to mission, building churches and attending to the spiritual needs of the Indians and the pioneers who were settling in northern Minnesota, only a step ahead of the railroad. A Crow Wing settler who owned and platted 80 acres in the area held out in selling a parcel of his land for the railroad right-of-way. This caused the Northern Pacific to bypass Crow Wing and cross the Mississippi eight miles to the north, now the city of Brainerd. Here in October 1871, Fr. Buh came to offer the holy sacrifice of the Mass. Along the wooded banks of the river, there was peace between the Indians and whites, so the new parish was dedicated to the patron of peace and brotherly love, St. Francis of Assisi.

In 1852, six years before Minnesota became a state, Fr. Francis Pierz built a log chapel at Crow Wing, a town of 600 people at the confluence of the Mississippi and Crow Wing rivers. Settled in 1823 as a fur-trading post, the town stood on the site of the famous Indian battle of 1768, in which the Sioux were decisively defeated by the Chippewa and driven permanently from the area. Father Pierz built the Crow Wing chapel during his first year in Minnesota. He was born in Austria in 1785 and worked among the Indians of Sault St. Marie, Michigan until the age of 67. He was invited to Minnesota by Bishop Grace of St. Paul. For four years, Fr. Pierz was the only priest in central and northern Minnesota and his chapel was the only Catholic church north of St. Paul. In 1856, several Benedictines arrived from St. Vincent’s Abbey in Pennsylvania and settled near Sauk Rapids, freeing Fr. Pierz to turn his attention northward. In 1858, he was joined by a fellow Austrian, Fr. Laurence Lautischar, who lived among the Indians of Red Lake. Before the year was out, this young assistant died of exposure while making a sick call in a blizzard. In 1864, Fr. Pierz returned to Austria to make a personal appeal for help. One priest and fifteen seminarians returned with him to St. Paul in the spring of 1864.

The “old Church”

The first St. Francis Church was located on South Fifth Street near the site of the present courthouse. It is not known what date the building was completed, but in a review of Fr. Buh’s career printed in the Northwestern Chronicle of St. Paul in 1900, this statement appears: “1n 1871 he commenced missionary labors in Brainerd; building a church there”. Furthermore, in Sadlier’s Catholic Directory of 1872, the churches at Brainerd and Crow Wing are listed together as the only Catholic churches in the county. Incidentally, Sadlier’s last mention of the Crow Wing Church is in its 1875 edition, indicating how quickly the town lost its population after the railroad passed it by. Although detailed and accurate information about these early days is not available, it is believed that the original church was replaced by a more substantial structure erected on the same site. Disaster struck this edifice, destroying both church and the parish house, probably during the pastorate of Fr. E.J. Lawler (1890-1892), who succeeded Fr. Gleason. Property was purchased on North Ninth Street, the site of the present church, and new building constructed. Services, in the meantime, were being held in the old court house and the cooperative store on Tenth Street.

In 1872, Fr. Buh counted 200 houses in Brainerd and remarked that when he had passed this way three years before, he had seen only one cabin in the woods. Until St. Francis Church was assigned a resident pastor in 1883, it was served by at least ten priests (Fr. Buh primary among them) who traveled between the many communities springing up along the railroad.

The “Old Church” was completely destroyed by fire on March 9, 1933 during Rev. Hogan’s time as pastor. The fire was one of the most devastating the city of Brainerd had ever witnessed. The early morning fire’s origin was never discovered. It was a very large fire, on a very windy day with temperatures at about 8 to 12 below zero. Due to the winds, the firebrands spread over a radius of 2 blocks and ignited 16 minor blazes in 11 different buildings. At the time, Fr. Hogan was celebrating 6:30 am Mass at St. Joseph’s Hospital. The estimated damage to the church was $50,000, and consisted of both the building and almost all of its contents being completely destroyed. The assistant priest, Fr. Patrick Ryan, did manage to save a few vestments while the building was burning. Mass that Sunday, as well as all Sundays thereafter until the completion of the new church, took place in the auditorium of the Franklin Junior High School. The small chapel in the St. Francis School was the site of the daily Masses and other services.

Immediately after the fire, while the ruins were still smoldering, Don Ryan, a lawyer, called his brother Clem and the trustees of the church. Mr. George F. O’Brien and Mr. Joseph Krause, along with Fr. Hogan began to prepare plans for the new church. As a result of the quick response, construction of the new church was begun on July 1st, 1933 and completed in 1934. The first Mass was celebrated on Quinguagasima Sunday, February 11, 1934. Quinguagasima is the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, as known under the old calendar. The new church was completed for a price of $60,000. This was an extraordinary accomplishment considering it was successful during the Great Depression when many of the Catholics being immigrants with little income. The new church was a larger facility, now seating 650 people.

The “New Church"

Official dedication of the new church was presided over by His Excellency, Most Reverend Thomas A. Welch on June 3, 1934. Included in the celebration and dedication of the new church was the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation for 40 adults and 200 children. Although the exterior of the building was completed so quickly during the depression years, the economic times delayed completion of the interior.

The altar in the new church was made of white wood and gold trimmings. The altar consisted of 8 statues variously arranged, and took about 2 months to install. The altar was 22 feet tall from the base to the top of the cross, and 12 feet wide. It was a duplicate of the altar at the church in West Superior.

Total cost for the altar and statues was approximately $700. Originally the spire was built to height of 102 feet up from the ground, but as the altar was being built, Fr. Lynch wanted to complete the spire. Upon completion in 1901, the spire was 154 feet from the ground. At the time of the completion of the altar and spire, the congregation consisted of 260 families with a population of 1,500 and the church and parsonage was valued at $18,000.

Following Fr. Lynch’s time in Brainerd, was the tenure of Father J. J. O’Mahoney who served from 1906-1920. It was Fr. O’Mahoney who established a permanent parochial school to pass on the Catholic faith as well as general education.

There had been two previous attempts to establish a school, first in 1873 and again in 1883-1885.
St. Francis School was established in 1909. The building was an eight room school which opened in the fall. Approximately 200 children, many of them sons and daughters of the boys and girls who attended the previous failed schools were the first to use the new building. Sister Thecla was the first principal, assisted by Sr. Ursula, Sr. Veronica, Sr. Berchmans, Sr. De Pazzi and Sr. Edwina. Rev. James Hogan was the successor to Fr. O’Mahoney in 1920 and served until 1942. He was the only pastor still living at the Diamond Jubilee celebration for the church in 1947.

Early in his tenure, Rev. Hogan oversaw the completion of a new convent in 1922 at 412 N 8th St for the Benedictine nuns. It housed 12-15 nuns from the St. Scholastica Monastery in Duluth in residence until almost 1970. In transition, the convent was used as the Parish Center and housed the parish offices. The convent was torn down in 2006 to expand the St. Francis of the Lakes school playground.

During the fourteen years, from 1892-1906, when Fr. Daniel W. Lynch served at St. Francis, not only was he the first priest to serve a long consecutive term at the parish, but the “Old Church” on Ninth Street was completed in 1899. Also during this time, he became a favorite of the community regardless of religious affiliation and he is remembered affectionately by those who sought priestly counsel. It was under Fr. Lynch’s leadership the new location (current location) was chosen.

The St. Francis school children presented a gift to the parish of a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of the parish. The school children also donated a beautiful monstrance to the church, and many other furnishings for the altar. Many of the furnishings, statues, baptismal font, linens, altar appointments, and the stained glass windows were given by parishioners either as gifts, or as memorials for their loved ones.

Fr. Hogan was given much credit for his leadership in building the new church. A farewell party was hosted for him upon completion of his 22 years of service in the parish, on July 15, 1942. He was reassigned as pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish in Crosby-Ironton and later was assigned to Hibbing General Hospital as chaplain, where he served until his death. He died in Hibbing on October, 22, 1955. He had previously returned to Brainerd in June 1950 to celebrate his 50th anniversary of his priesthood ordination, and celebrated a Jubilee Mass at St. Francis Church. The Mass had attendees of clergy from all parts of the diocese. He was presented a gold watch from the parishioners.

On July 17, 1942, the Very Reverend Thomas F. Scott became the twentieth pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, coming to Brainerd from Floodwood, Minnesota to begin a pastorate that would span more than a quarter of a century. Born in County Mayo, Ireland, he came to the United States in 1920, where he entered the St. Paul Seminary and was ordained to the priesthood in 1926. Because of economic distress during the depression years, the interior of the church, particularly the sanctuary was not completed, but fitted with temporary furnishings and pressed into immediate service. An indebtedness of slightly more than $40,000 existed when the new church was completed, but under the pastorate of Fr. Scott, enough money was raised to liquidate the parish debt in 1945. Thus in 1948, the completion of the sanctuary was finally undertaken. The travertine marble facing on the walls, an oak baldacchino, new flooring, the beautiful altar, and a large crucifix were installed with a completion cost of $10,510 and kept the style of the Romanesque architectural design. The travertine marble facing on the sanctuary was installed by Drake Marble Company of St. Paul, and the altar was completed by the St. Paul Statuary Company and was a truly beautiful design. During this time, the parish experienced phenomenal growth increasing from 550 families in 1942 to 800 families at the time of the Diamond Jubilee held on September 18, 1947.

After Vatican II a new altar was added to St. Francis Church, facing the congregation, and in keeping with the Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy which states that observances must be made responsive to the requirements of the time. During this time, a Parish Council was formed.

On December 18, 1968 Msgr. Scott died suddenly while attending a meeting in Duluth. Monsignor Scott had faithfully served at St. Francis parish for twenty-six years and his priestly work is commemorated on a plaque installed in the church. Rev. Dennis P. McEnery was appointed to succeed Monsignor Scott as pastor. He came to Brainerd on February 28, 1969 from his pastorate in Pine River. He was born and raised in Ireland, ordained in Dublin in 1950 and came to the Diocese of Duluth in September of that year. During his pastorate in Brainerd, he strove to implement the Decrees of Vatican II into the Liturgy and to make the church more contemporary and ecumenical. Changes in the sanctuary included insulating the ceiling, updating lighting and installing carpeting.

As St. Francis celebrated 100 years in 1971, the parish consisted of 884 families and 3100 individuals. The administrative duties of the parish included not only the church, the school, and the chapel of St. Thomas of the Pines, but also the spiritual welfare of the patients and sisters of St. Joseph’s Hospital.

In 1976 Monsignor Bernard Popesh, Vicar General of the Duluth Diocese under Bishop Paul F. Anderson succeeded Fr. McEnery. Fr. Popesh had previously served St. Francis as an Associate Pastor from 1949-1952. Renovation of the Sanctuary had begun, and the parish staff was expanded especially in the areas of religious and adult education. Modernization of parish operations and finances were also undertaken.

Fr. Lloyd Mudrak was installed as pastor by the new ordinary Bishop Robert H. Brom in July 1983. At that time, St. Francis had over 1,200 families and over 1,000 students receiving religious instructions, one of the largest programs in the Diocese. During his time in Brainerd, Fr. Mudrak instituted the New Wine-New Wineskins Program in which parishioners were invited to share ideas regarding parish goals individually and in small groups eventually culminating in refinement of the top ten goals. The Parish Council was then able to incorporate these goals into their planning and budget and a Stewardship Census was conducted to implement new ministries and new leadership in the parish.

In July 1989, Fr. Roland Antus succeeded Fr. Mudrak and was pastor until January 1998. During this time the parish served 1,300 families. In 1998, the church organ was completely restored to its original function.

Fr. Seamus Walsh, appointed by Bishop Robert Brom was transferred from St. Alice in Pequot Lakes and St. Christopher’s in Nisswa in January 1998, serving at St. Francis until July 2007. Born in Ireland, he arrived in Minnesota shortly after his ordination in 1966, joining his uncle in the Diocese of Duluth. Emphasizing families, marriage and human relationships, parishioners commented on his ability “to relate things from the Bible into today, delivered with humor and an Irish voice.”

In August 2001, Bishop Schnurr clustered the parishes of St. Andrew’s, St. Francis and St. Mathias under the pastorate of one priest and appointed Fr. Walsh, the pastor of St. Francis, as the first pastor of the cluster. Although the parishes remained separate legal entities, programs and services were consolidated to avoid having to close parishes due to the shortage of priests. A full-time business manager was hired, a Tri-Parish Council was formed and several staff members were hired. Because of the substantial growth in student population, plans were made to remodel and expand the school building.

In 2005 the new air conditioning system was installed, bringing relief to summer heat. Rev. Anthony Wroblewski, ordained in 1995, came to St. Francis from Holy Family Church in Duluth in July 2007. This meant leaving his administrative work and his order, The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, to follow his call to parish ministry and evangelization.

In 2010, Bishop Paul Sirba clustered the parishes of St. Andrew’s, St. Francis, St. Mathias, All Saints (established 2007) and
St. Thomas of the Pines, appointing Fr. Tony Wroblewski as pastor of the new cluster.

Bishop Paul Sirba came to Brainerd to dedicate the new altar at St. Francis on April 7, 2013. In 2013-2014 a feasibility study was undertaken to take a hard look at the facilities with the intent to improve.

Beginning July 2014, two clusters were formed, emerging as the North and South Clusters with Fr. Wroblewski pastoring the Northern Cluster comprised of St. Francis, All Saints, and St. Thomas of the Pines; and Fr. Daniel Weiske pastoring the South Cluster of St. Andrew’s and St. Mathias. Because the youth of both clusters were in daily contact it was decided to continue Faith Formation activities as a joint activity. One of the rental houses that St. Francis owned behind the church and next to the parking lot became the new temporary office for St. Francis. 2015 brought separate Long Range Planning Committees as well as a Parish Pastoral Committee and a Stewardship Committee for each cluster. Daily evening Masses were instituted and the Faith Formation staff was increased.

October 2015 also launched the beginning of the St. Francis Building Project and Debt Reduction Campaign (Building our Future in Christ). The proposed plan, estimated at $4.9 million, was to build an addition and to renovate the church basement to create a new gathering space that could better serve events, such as weddings and funerals. Estimated at 10,800 square feet, the total expansion and remodeling included building a new commercial kitchen, restrooms, a much larger elevator, office, conference rooms, a social gathering area and a family/cry room as well as overhauling the technological capabilities of the building. The church came up with the plan after it received feedback from the congregation in 2013. The money raised also would help pay off the St. Francis of the Lakes Catholic School debt. During the church’s “quiet campaign,” $340,000 was designated for retiring debt for the school.

The Expansion Project

The groundbreaking for the expansion project, the first in the building’s 84-year history was held on May 20, 2018 with heavy construction by Hy-Tec Construction beginning on May 23rd. Much of the construction dealt with keeping the building accessible during the process.

During this time, Fr. Tony completed the National Catholic Certification Program in Health Care Ethics while actively serving on the Essentia Health Ethics Committee and being a resource for the Duluth Diocese.

On June 3, 2018, the Brainerd Lakes Catholic churches held the first annual Corpus Christi procession announcing to the whole community the Presence of the Lord in our Catholic Church. The procession began at St. Francis Church and continued through the streets of Brainerd ending at St. Andrew’s Church.

Sunday, June 23, 2019 brought the Most Reverend Paul Sirba, the Bishop of Duluth, to St. Francis to bless the completed church building project. He then led the second annual Brainerd Lakes Corpus Christi procession through the city streets to St. Andrew’s where he also blessed their recently completed building project.

Fr. Tony will be celebrating his 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood on June 10, 2020 at St. Francis Church having faithfully served this parish for 13 years.

St. Francis now has 1,018 families with a total of 2,795 individuals as of January 2024, an impressive figure when you consider that St. Francis has become the parent church of two other independent churches, St. Andrew and All Saints. And so, “the little grain of mustard seed, which Father Buh brought north from Crow Wing and planted in the fertile soil beside the “Crossing”, has now grown into a giant tree, spreading its branches far and wide.” And in Brainerd, the spiritual descendants of Fr. Buh celebrate the 150th anniversary of their church and recall the 800 year old prayer of their patron, St. Francis of Assisi.

St. Thomas of the Pines & St. Andrew’s

On August 17, 1958, Mass was first celebrated in the newly dedicated chapel of St. Thomas of the Pines at Pine Beach on Gull Lake. This chapel continues to serve the hundreds of vacationers who visit the Brainerd area during the summer.

The twenty-fifth anniversary of the first Mass in the present church occurred on February 11th, but because that was Ash Wednesday, the observance was held on Sunday February 8, 1959.

The parish continued to grow both physically and spiritually numbering 900 families in 1960. Significant in the history of the parish was the elevation of the beloved pastor, Most Rev. Thomas Scott to the rank of Domestic Prelate by Pope John XXIII, in September 1961, with the title of Right Reverend Monsignor.

In April 1963 a new parish dedicated to St. Andrew was created from the rib of St. Francis to alleviate the overcrowded facilities. Besides providing the land for the new parish complex and a furnished home for the resident pastor, an outright gift of $200,000 was given to the new church by the congregation at St. Francis.

A new granite church was dedicated and blessed at Crow Wing Park on July 21, 1968 by the Knights of Columbus. It was commemorated and was erected on the same site as the log chapel Fr. Pierz erected 116 years earlier.

Fr. Michael Garry, Pastor
2021-Present

Fr. Scott Padrnos,
Parochial Vicar
2022-Present