About Church of the Holy Family · Silver Lake, Minnesota
Church of the Holy Family is a Roman Catholic parish in Silver Lake, Minnesota, part of the Diocese of New Ulm and one of three parishes that make up the St. John Paul II Area Faith Community (alongside Holy Trinity in Winsted and St. Pius X in Glencoe). The parish was established in 1993 through the merger of Silver Lake's two historic ethnic parishes — St. Adalbert's (serving Polish Catholics) and St. Joseph's (serving Czech Catholics) — which had been sharing a single priest since 1988. Today Holy Family offers weekend Masses in English, weekday Masses, Eucharistic Adoration, and a Homebound Ministry, and it worships in a church that incorporates sacred furnishings brought over from the now-closed St. Adalbert building (whose last Mass was celebrated January 4, 1998).
- Established
- 1993
- Patron
- Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph)
- Rector
- Rev. Matthew (Matt) Wiering
- Diocese
- Diocese of New Ulm
Why belong here
Holy Family is a small-town Catholic community in the heart of McLeod County where Czech and Polish Catholic heritage has been continuously nurtured since the late 1800s. As one of three parishes in the St. John Paul II Area Faith Community, it pairs an intimate Silver Lake setting with the resources and ministries of a wider network — including an active Homebound Ministry, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, daily Mass opportunities, a youth ministry, and faith formation for children through the AFC's Coordinator of Religious Education. Visitors and parishioners are welcomed into a parish whose very walls hold devotional items brought over from St. Adalbert's, and that keeps the Bear Creek Cemetery's old Czech-settler graves under its care.
Mass times at Church of the Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM (Holy Family)
- Sunday: 7:15 AM – 7:45 AM (Holy Family)
- 1/2 hour before daily Masses
- Anytime by appointment — contact the parish office
Adoration times
- Tuesday: 12:00 PM – 5:30 PM (Holy Family)
- Thursday: 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Holy Family)
About Holy Family Parish
Church of the Holy Family is the Catholic parish serving Silver Lake, Minnesota, in McLeod County. It belongs to the Diocese of New Ulm and is one of three parishes that together form the St. John Paul II Area Faith Community — the others being Holy Trinity in Winsted and St. Pius X in Glencoe. Though the AFC pools many ministries and shares clergy, each parish remains a distinct community with its own worship site. Holy Family traces its roots to the 1993 merger of St. Adalbert's (Polish) and St. Joseph's (Czech), and it worships in the former St. Joseph's building at 700 W. Main Street.
- Parish: Church of the Holy Family
- Town: Silver Lake, MN 55381 (McLeod County)
- Diocese: Diocese of New Ulm — Deanery 3
- Area Faith Community: St. John Paul II (with Holy Trinity, Winsted and St. Pius X, Glencoe)
History: From St. Adalbert's and St. Joseph's to Holy Family
Silver Lake's Catholic life began with two immigrant congregations. St. Adalbert's served the Polish families of the area from the late 1800s, while St. Joseph's was incorporated on April 6, 1895, to serve the Czech (Bohemian) Catholics; Fr. Francis Jiranek founded the larger St. Joseph's church in 1896 and his successor, Fr. Jereslaus Cermak, built the present church and rectory in 1896. The two parishes began sharing a single priest in 1988 and were formally merged in 1993 into a new parish named Holy Family. Both church buildings remained open at first, but in January 1998 the parish closed the St. Adalbert building (the last Mass there was January 4, 1998), transferring sacred items — the tabernacle, crucifix, and statues of Jesus and Mary — into Holy Family. The Bear Creek Cemetery (opened 1867), the final resting place of the area's early Czech settlers, came under Holy Family's care with the merger.
- Late 1800s: St. Adalbert's founded for Polish Catholic families
- April 6, 1895: St. Joseph's incorporated for Czech (Bohemian) Catholics
- 1896: Fr. Jereslaus Cermak builds the St. Joseph's church and rectory
- 1988: St. Adalbert's and St. Joseph's begin sharing a single priest
- 1993: Merger into Holy Family Parish (Diocese of New Ulm)
- January 4, 1998: Last Mass at old St. Adalbert's; sacred furnishings transferred to Holy Family
- Today: Holy Family stewards the Bear Creek Cemetery
Sacraments
Holy Family offers the full range of parish sacraments. Reconciliation is available at the posted times or by appointment; First Holy Communion and Confirmation are celebrated jointly with the other AFC parishes; Anointing of the Sick is available on request; and Baptisms and Marriages are arranged through the parish office. The AFC has a Coordinator of Religious Education and a Coordinator of Youth Ministry who support sacramental preparation across Holy Family, Holy Trinity, and St. Pius X.
- Baptism — contact parish office
- First Holy Communion / Confirmation — AFC-wide preparation
- Reconciliation — see scheduled times or by appointment
- Matrimony — contact parish office
- Anointing of the Sick — on request
Parish Ministries & Outreach
Holy Family's parish life is anchored in a Homebound Ministry that brings Communion to parishioners who can no longer attend Mass and leads prayer services at Silver Lake-area nursing homes (coordinated by volunteer Suzann Ernhart, 612-701-4385). After the 1993 merger, the parish united its Council of Catholic Women into a single CCW council and now holds one combined annual parish bazaar instead of two. Across the AFC, youth ministry is led by Coordinator of Youth Ministry Kaitlyn Weiers and faith formation is run by the AFC's Coordinator of Religious Education. The AFC also uses Flocknote to notify parishioners about Mass-time changes and posts a weekly bulletin and weekly homily podcast.
- Homebound Ministry (Suzann Ernhart, 612-701-4385)
- Council of Catholic Women (CCW)
- Annual Parish Bazaar (one combined event)
- Youth Ministry (AFC-wide, Kaitlyn Weiers)
- Religious Education / Faith Formation (AFC-wide)
- Flocknote notification system
- Weekly Homily Podcast (AFC)
- Bear Creek Cemetery stewardship
St. John Paul II Area Faith Community
Holy Family is one of three parishes that together form the St. John Paul II Area Faith Community, a collaboration in the Diocese of New Ulm that pools ministry, clergy, and formation resources across McLeod County. The three parishes are Holy Family in Silver Lake, Holy Trinity in Winsted, and St. Pius X in Glencoe. The AFC sponsors a weekly bulletin, a Flocknote notification system, a weekly homily podcast, AFC-wide Mass, Reconciliation and Adoration schedules, joint sacramental celebrations, and combined faith formation and youth ministry. The Spanish Mass in the AFC is celebrated at St. Pius X on Sundays at 12:00 PM.
- Holy Family (Silver Lake) — pastor's mailing parish
- Holy Trinity (Winsted)
- St. Pius X (Glencoe) — site of the AFC's Sunday 12:00 PM Spanish Mass
- Pastor: Rev. Matthew Wiering (Bishop's delegate to the Permanent Diaconate)
- AFC Director of Administration: Brenda Rothstein
Clergy, Staff & Contacts
Holy Family is served by the clergy and staff of the St. John Paul II AFC. Pastor Fr. Matthew Wiering was assigned by Bishop John M. LeVoir effective July 1, 2020, and also serves the Diocese of New Ulm as the Bishop's delegate to the Permanent Diaconate. Day-to-day office support at Holy Family is provided by Office Assistant Lori Penas. AFC-wide staff include Brenda Rothstein (AFC Director of Administration), the Coordinator of Religious Education, Kaitlyn Weiers (Coordinator of Youth Ministry), Ashley Breyer (AFC Accounting Specialist), Claire Pauly (Reception and Liturgy), Paul Kelley (IT Coordinator), and Katie Kielkucki (Holy Trinity School Principal). The AFC emergency contact line is 320-485-1055, with a Silver Lake-specific line at 320-583-2111.
- Rev. Matthew Wiering — Pastor (jp2afc.org / frw)
- Lori Penas — Holy Family Office Assistant
- Suzann Ernhart — Homebound Ministry coordinator
- Brenda Rothstein — AFC Director of Administration
- Kaitlyn Weiers — Coordinator of Youth Ministry
- Ashley Breyer — AFC Accounting Specialist
- Claire Pauly — Reception and Liturgy
- Paul Kelley — IT Coordinator
- Katie Kielkucki — Holy Trinity School Principal
- Emergency line: 320-485-1055 (Silver Lake: 320-583-2111)
Pastoral Changes (2020 Transition)
On the recommendation of the Priest Personnel Board, Bishop John M. LeVoir of the Diocese of New Ulm announced a sweeping set of pastoral assignments effective July 1, 2020. Fr. Mike Doyle was reassigned as associate pastor of the Tyler/Lake Benton/Ivanhoe/Wilno/Canby/St. Leo cluster, and Fr. Anthony Stubeda became pastor of the Bread of Life Area Faith Community in the Tracy area. Fr. Paul Schumacher also left the AFC to assist in a Bread of Life parish. The Diocese then appointed Fr. Matthew Wiering as pastor of the St. John Paul II AFC (Holy Family, Holy Trinity, and St. Pius X) and assigned then-deacon John Hayes to serve as parochial vicar of the AFC at his ordination.
- Fr. Mike Doyle — reassigned (associate, Tyler-area cluster)
- Fr. Anthony Stubeda — reassigned (pastor, Bread of Life AFC)
- Fr. Paul Schumacher — departed AFC for Bread of Life
- Fr. Matthew Wiering — appointed pastor of St. John Paul II AFC
- Fr. John Hayes — appointed parochial vicar of St. John Paul II AFC
Visit, Contact & Directions
Church of the Holy Family is located at 700 W. Main Street, Silver Lake, MN 55381, on the western edge of the small McLeod County town of Silver Lake, between Mimms Ave NW and Nome Ave NW. The parish office can be reached at (320) 327-2356 (or the AFC office line at (320) 485-5619). For last-minute changes to the Mass, confession, or adoration schedule — and for parish-wide announcements — the AFC encourages signing up for Flocknote and consulting the weekly bulletin posted at jp2afc.org.
- Address: 700 W. Main St., Silver Lake, MN 55381
- Parish phone: (320) 327-2356
- AFC office phone: (320) 485-5619
- Emergency line: 320-485-1055 (Silver Lake: 320-583-2111)
- Website: https://jp2afc.org/holyfamilysilverlake
- Flocknote: AFC notification system
- Weekly bulletin: posted at jp2afc.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Mike Doylethrough June 30, 2020
Departed to serve as associate pastor of Tyler, Lake Benton, Ivanhoe, Wilno, Canby, and St. Leo parishes.
- Rev. Anthony (Tony) Stubedathrough June 30, 2020
Reassigned to pastor of the Bread of Life Area Faith Community (Our Lady of the Prairie) parishes in the Tracy area.
- Rev. Paul Schumacherthrough 2020
Also departed the AFC to assist in a parish of the Bread of Life area faith community.
- Rev. Mr. John Hayesfrom July 1, 2020
Assigned as parochial vicar of the St. John Paul II AFC alongside Fr. Wiering at his ordination.
- Rev. Matthew Wieringfrom July 1, 2020
Appointed pastor of the St. John Paul II AFC (Holy Family, Holy Trinity, and St. Pius X) by Bishop John M. LeVoir; also Bishop's delegate to the Permanent Diaconate.