Echoes of Catholic Minnesota

On the day after Thanksgiving, 1949, a group of Catholic women walked expectantly through the front door of 2321 Blaisdell Ave. in Minneapolis and were greeted by nuns in habits featuring distinctive purple capes.

In late December 1860, Bishop Thomas Grace received an extremely concerning letter at his residence in St. Paul.

Before most people had cars, the trip from Delano to Minneapolis was a long way. Those who made the trip often stopped just about halfway at a place known as Schiebe’s Corner, the Farmers Home Hotel, and the Half Way House.

Four hundred Catholic women from across Minnesota gathered for a banquet at the St. Paul Hotel on Thursday, Nov. 5, 1931.

On a rainy and cold Wednesday in January 1937, Msgr. John Ryan stood in front of the U.S. Capitol building and gave the benediction for Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s second inauguration.

In 1961, the young, popular and Catholic President John F. Kennedy signed the Peace Corps into law. In 1962, the Catholic Youth Center in Minneapolis launched Peace Corps, junior grade, to capture the spirit of its namesake and empower high school students from across Minneapolis and the west metro to put their faith into practice for two weeks (or more) of their summer vacation under the supervision of young adults.

Nestled along the shores of Lake Pepin in the hills of southern Minnesota is a French chateau bordered on three sides by Frontenac State Park. Now a hotel and event venue, Villa Maria’s Catholic history stretches back — it may be the site of a fort where Jesuit missionaries celebrated the first Mass in Minnesota in 1732.

A friend and I were enjoying a balmy walk through the Como Conservatory on a cold winter day. While strolling among the tropical spices of the North Garden, we came upon a white statue of a man nestled among the plants. He is wearing a Franciscan habit, sporting a tonsure, and presiding over the pond.