Holy Cross

Holy Cross Parish — North Prairie, Minnesota

Holy Cross is a small rural Catholic parish in Morrison County, Minnesota, served by the Diocese of St. Cloud. The church sits at 14891 Gable Road in North Prairie, at the corner of Gable Road and Great River Road near the village of Bowlus. It is one of five parishes in the Cross Rock Area Catholic Community (ACC), a cooperative of small country parishes that share pastoral ministry and faith-formation programs.

History of the Parish

The parish grew from a tiny German Catholic settlement along the Mississippi River. In 1866 Jacob Turner sold forty acres of land to the Church for $50, and the first small wood-frame church — about 18 by 24 feet — was built. Polish Silesian settlers began arriving in 1870, led by the Schwintek family, and were followed by relatives from villages around Opole in Upper Silesia. By 1876 the community was formally organized as a parish, an event later celebrated as the Golden Jubilee in 1926.

• 1866 — Land purchased from Jacob Turner for $50; first small church built (18×24 ft).
• 1870 — First Silesian settlers arrive (John Schwintek family, from north of Opole).
• 1876 — Parish formally established; celebrated Golden Jubilee in 1926.
• 1876–1893 — Rev. Edward J. Nagl serves as pastor; builds churches at Elmdale, Swan River, Brockway, and a new church and parish house at North Prairie.
• Twentieth century — Remains a rural parish serving roughly 200 farming families.
• Twenty-first century — Joins the Cross Rock Area Catholic Community (ACC) with four neighboring parishes.

Faith Formation & Religious Education

Holy Cross shares its faith-formation programming with Holy Trinity Royalton and St. Stanislaus Bowlus through the Cross Rock ACC Northern Branch. Religious Education for Holy Cross students is coordinated by Ann Borash, and the parish also supports the HC Guardian Angels Youth Group led by Peter Borash. A parish-nurse ministry (Janelle Maciej) provides additional pastoral care.

• HC Religious Education — Ann Borash (320-333-9145, [email protected])
• HC Guardian Angels Youth Group — Peter Borash
• Faith Formation Resource — Jean Skroch ([email protected])
• Parish Nurse — Janelle Maciej
• Totus Tuus Summer Youth Program — annual, hosted by a Cross Rock parish
• Catholic Summer Book Study — ACC-wide small-group program

Sacraments

Baptism and Marriage are prepared through the parish office (320-584-5484). Reconciliation is offered weekly before weekday and Saturday Vigil Masses, and the Anointing of the Sick may be requested through the office for the sick, elderly, or anyone facing surgery.

• Baptism — by appointment through the parish office
• Marriage — preparation arranged through the parish office
• Reconciliation — Tuesday morning and Saturday evening (see schedule above)
• Anointing of the Sick — by request

Cross Rock Area Catholic Community (ACC)

Holy Cross is a member parish of the Cross Rock Area Catholic Community, a diocesan clustering of five small Catholic churches in Morrison and Benton counties. The community shares pastoral leadership, faith-formation resources, and a common bulletin. Its five parishes are Holy Cross in North Prairie, Holy Trinity in Royalton, St. Stanislaus in Bowlus, Immaculate Conception in Rice, and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Opole.

• Immaculate Conception — Rice
• St. Stanislaus Kostka — Bowlus
• Holy Trinity — Royalton
• Our Lady of Mt. Carmel — Opole
• Holy Cross — North Prairie

Contact, Office & Visiting

Parishioners and visitors can reach the Cross Rock ACC Northern Branch through the parish office, shared with Holy Trinity Royalton (216 North 2nd Street, Royalton, MN 56373). The Tri-Parish office mailing address is 130 1st Ave NE, P.O. Box 189, Rice, MN 56367. The Cross Rock ACC main email is [email protected].

• Parish Phone — 320-584-5484
• Parish Office (Holy Trinity Royalton) — 216 N 2nd St, Royalton, MN 56373
• Tri-Parish mailing address — 130 1st Ave NE, P.O. Box 189, Rice, MN 56367
• Email — [email protected]
• Cross Rock ACC website — https://www.crossrockacc.org/