Parishioners at St. Nicholas in Carver celebrated the completion of improvements to their historic church building during a Mass and blessing with Archbishop Emeritus Harry Flynn on April 9.

Father Thomas Joseph, St. Nicholas pastor, wrote in an article for The Catholic Spirit that the church is a house of prayer situated on the bluffs of Carver. “Being on a mountaintop gives you the sense that you are a step closer to God and heaven,” he wrote. “Reaching the mountaintop is not just a concept or idea, it is real. Our forefathers were willing to give up their best farmland on the bluffs of Carver so that God might be glorified from the top of the hill.”

Last year, when the parish learned that it needed a new roof, plans were also approved by Archbishop John Nienstedt to renovate the entire church, which was founded in 1868. The last interior renovation of the church took place in 1945.

A school was built in 1876, which has been renovated and is now used as a parish office and pastor’s residence. A cemetery was opened in 1936 and a parish center in 1973.

Read Father Thomas Joseph’s reflection here.

Father Keiser 40th jubilee

Father Jerome Keiser, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi in Lake St. Croix Beach, will celebrate 40 years of priesthood beginning with the 10:30 a.m. Mass Sunday, May 22, at the parish. A parish picnic reception will follow from noon to 3 p.m. Father Keiser was ordained in 1971 at Visitation in Minneapolis. He has also served at St. Rose of Lima in Roseville, St. Mark in St. Paul, the archdiocesan mission in Venezuela and as a spiritual counselor at St. John Vianney Seminary.

Local Nobel nominee

Stephanie Smith, athletic trainer for Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, has been nominated by leaders of the Dakota, Lakota and Nakota nations for a Nobel Peace Prize. Her nomination by the First Nation elders recognizes that she “has demonstrated the potential to bring hope and healing across all colors of skin by building innovative bridges between groups as they serve together.” Smith has voluntarily “served as an unofficial neutral mediator between government officials and nonprofit leaders, First Nations Elders and young adults,” using the Rotary International model to solve conflict. She has led a campaign to help prevent type 2 diabetes, organized the June 18-21 Great Dakota Homecoming and helped create Bdote Peace Park in Minnesota.

Visitation Robettes winners

The robotics team from Convent of the Visitation School in Mendota Heights, the Robettes, won the North Star Regional Tournament and will compete in St. Louis April 27-30 for the FIRST Robotics Championship. The competition, which started with 89 teams, currently has close to 20,000 teams of students from age 6 to 18 in the U.S. and more than 50 countries.