About Holy Childhood · Saint Paul, Minnesota
Holy Childhood is a Catholic parish in the Como Park / Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota, founded in 1946 as returning WWII military personnel settled, married, and started families. The parish was officially incorporated on April 8, 1946, with its first Masses celebrated in buildings at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds while the basement church and school were built. Today it is clustered with the nearby Maternity of Mary Parish, sharing pastoral leadership and resources, and is known for its magnificent mid-century church — especially the Max Ingrand stained-glass windows from Paris and a Wicks organ — and for being an early leader in liturgical renewal in the archdiocese.
- Established
- 1946
- Patron
- Holy Childhood of Jesus
- Rector
- Pastors In Solidum: Fr. Andrew Brinkman, Fr. Kevin Manthey, Fr. Philippe Vigneron
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Why belong here
Holy Childhood offers a warm, intimate parish community in the heart of Saint Paul's Como / Midway neighborhood, with a celebrated church building — Max Ingrand stained glass, a Wicks organ, and twelve bronze bells from the Netherlands — that draws visitors from across the archdiocese. As a clustered parish with Maternity of Mary, it shares three pastors in solidum and offers daily and Sunday Mass in English, Eucharistic Adoration, the Rosary, and Reconciliation. Its openness to sharing its campus with a Korean Catholic community reflects a longstanding identity of welcome, hospitality, and pioneering liturgical renewal.
Mass times at Holy Childhood
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 8:30 – 9:30 AM (Holy Childhood)
- Sunday 2:00 – 3:00 PM (Holy Childhood)
- Sunday 6:00 PM (Holy Childhood)
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration Thursday 7:00 – 8:00 PM (at clustered Maternity of Mary)
- Sign-up / substitute Holy Hour slots available
About Holy Childhood Parish
Holy Childhood is a joyful Catholic parish family located in the Como Park / Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Its website describes it as a community that believes it is called to share the love and joy of Christ with others, welcoming all who walk through its doors for Mass, parish events, or simply a prayer request.
History
Holy Childhood was founded in 1946 as part of a post–World War II boom in new parishes across the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Returning servicemen, Archbishop Murray's promise to chaplain-priests, and a growing Catholic population led the archdiocese to establish eleven parishes in a single year — a record tied with 1865.
Founding and Father John J. Buchanan
Following the parish's official incorporation on April 8, 1946, Father John J. Buchanan — a former chaplain with the 1st Armored Division and Gen. George Patton's Third Army, and a Silver Star recipient — was named founding pastor. The parish's first Masses were celebrated in buildings at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds while permanent facilities were constructed.
Building the Church and School
By the autumn of 1947 a basement church and the first two floors of the school were complete, and the school opened its doors. The main upper church as it stands today was not finished until 1957. The parish school ultimately closed in 2010, and the building is now leased to the Language Arts Academy charter school.
Liturgical Innovation and Renewal
Under Father Buchanan's forty-year pastorate, Holy Childhood stood at the forefront of liturgical innovation and renewal in the archdiocese, being an early adopter of Mass in English and Latin, congregational hymn singing, and turning the altar to face the congregation.
Architecture and Sacred Art
The 1957 church is celebrated for a remarkable collection of mid-century sacred art. Its stained-glass windows are by the renowned French artist Max Ingrand of Paris, and the church also features a Wicks organ, twelve bronze bells from the Netherlands that can be played from a keyboard, and statues and artwork by Peter Lupori of the then-College of St. Catherine. The nave is flanked by flags from many nations.
Stained-Glass Windows
The towering south windows, dominated by the color blue, are dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and contain symbols from the Litany of Loreto. The smaller, red-hued north windows alternate with the Stations of the Cross and depict the symbols of the Passion.
Music and the Schola Cantorum
Music has been central to Holy Childhood's identity since its earliest days. The parish's Schola Cantorum — its school of singing — was founded alongside the parish and has served the liturgy for decades.
- Schola Cantorum (parish choir / school of singing)
- Wicks organ
- Twelve bronze bells from the Netherlands, playable from a keyboard
Sunday Mass
Sunday Masses at Holy Childhood are celebrated at 7:45 AM, 9:15 AM, and 11:15 AM (the latter shared with the Korean Catholic community that uses the parish campus).
Weekday Mass
Weekday Masses are celebrated Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings at 7:45 AM, with the Saturday 5:00 PM anticipatory Mass rounding out the week.
Clustered Parish: Maternity of Mary
Holy Childhood is clustered with the nearby Maternity of the Blessed Virgin (Maternity of Mary) Parish in Saint Paul. The two parishes share pastoral leadership — currently three Pastors In Solidum — and a light combined parish calendar, with the parish office handling enquiries for both communities.
- Shared Pastors In Solidum: Fr. Andrew Brinkman, Fr. Kevin Manthey, Fr. Philippe Vigneron
- Shared parish office: 651-489-8825
Sharing the Campus with Korean Catholics
In recent years Holy Childhood has opened its campus to share with a Korean Catholic community, whose parishioners now celebrate an 11:15 AM Sunday Mass at the church. The arrangement has been warmly received by both communities and is seen as a pioneering model of parish partnership in the archdiocese.
Ministries and Get Involved
Despite a smaller and aging membership, Holy Childhood offers a faithful core of liturgical and devotional ministries — from the long-running Schola Cantorum choir to Holy Hour Adoration, the Rosary, and prayer-request outreach — and welcomes new parishioners and visitors to join in parish life.
- Schola Cantorum
- Eucharistic Adoration (with substitute sign-up)
- Rosary devotion
- Prayer request ministry
- Clustered collaboration with Maternity of Mary
Contact and Visit
Parish office enquiries for Holy Childhood are handled through the Maternity of Mary Parish Office. Office hours are Monday – Thursday 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM; the office is closed on Fridays. A pastoral emergency line is available outside office hours.
- Address: 1435 Midway Parkway, St. Paul, MN 55108
- Phone: 651-489-8825
- Email: [email protected]
- Emergency line (after hours): 651-489-8825 ext. 1
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. John J. Buchanan1946 – c.1986
Founding pastor; WWII chaplain with the 1st Armored Division and Gen. Patton's Third Army; Silver Star recipient; led the parish for forty years and guided its early liturgical innovations.