Historic St. Michael Catholic Church Marks 125 Years

She has stood, like a beacon, at the center of Wright County’s (now) largest community for 125 years.

This weekend, the St. Michael Historic Catholic Church will be the centerpiece of its annual fall festival, one of the St. Michael community’s biggest celebrations.

You can find the schedule for the Church Festival here – much of which will take place at the current church on Frankfort Parkway. Many here still calling it the “new” church, around a decade after it opened. Events will begin Saturday around 11 a.m. and conclude around 5 p.m. Sunday with the raffle for a 1991 Corvette or $10,000 cash, among other prizes and give-aways.

The chicken dinner is Sunday at the “new church” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. under the big tent. And yes, you can grab it “to-go” if you want.

But the proud moments will come Saturday, Sept. 9, at the city’s heart, beating just a few feet from the intersections of Minnesota Highway 241/Wright County Highway 35 and Wright County Highway 19, or Central Avenue and Main Avenue, as they are called today. The spire that towers over St. Michael, the beacon that calls us home.

At 11 a..m Saturday, Sept. 9, the Archbishop of the Minneapolis Diocese, Bernard Hebda, will celebrate Mass at the church. Assistance and parking will be provided for those who need it. It will bring to life a church that has seen countless marriages, funerals, baptism and sacraments for so many of the community’s long-time residents. Including yours truly. I was married there on Sept. 29, 2001. Just a couple weeks after we were shaken, as our nation, to the core. It felt good to be happy – to celebrate – after so much sadness.

Lunch and fellowship will follow the Mass at the St. Michael Community Education building, across the parking lot. A free-will offering will be accepted. The Knights of Columbus and the CCW will sponsor the lunch.

Here’s a post from longtime resident Julie Dehmer, which sums up how many feel about the church at the center of St. Michael: