About Queen of Peace · Lyle, Minnesota
Queen of Peace is a small Catholic parish in the village of Lyle, in southern Minnesota's Mower County, part of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. The parish was founded in 1946 by Msgr. D. A. Cunningham of Queen of Angels Church in Austin and its present church building was constructed in 1965. Today it is served by Father James Berning as part of a four-parish cluster that includes Sacred Heart in Adams, St. Peter's in Rose Creek, and St. John the Baptist in Johnsburg, with the parish sharing ministries and resources with the wider rural Catholic community.
- Established
- 1946
- Patron
- Our Lady, Queen of Peace (Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Queen of Peace)
- Rector
- Father James (Jim) Berning
- Diocese
- Diocese of Winona-Rochester
Why belong here
Queen of Peace offers a small, close-knit Catholic community in rural southern Minnesota where parishioners know one another by name, supported by an active Knights of Columbus council (Council 3812) and shared ministry with three neighboring parishes. The parish takes part in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester's Catholic Ministries Appeal and has invested in maintaining its 1965 church and hall for ongoing worship and fellowship. For Catholics in Lyle and the surrounding Mower County farmland, it provides a faithful Sunday gathering place, the sacraments, and connection to a wider cluster of Catholic parishes in the area.
Mass times at Queen of Peace
Weekly Mass schedule
History and Founding
Queen of Peace was established in 1946 by Msgr. D. A. Cunningham, then pastor of Queen of Angels Church in Austin, as a mission parish for Catholics in and around the village of Lyle. The early congregation met on Grove Street in a former woodworking shop before the parish built its current church in 1965. The founding and growth of the parish coincided with a wave of Catholic mission work in rural southern Minnesota in the 1940s and 1950s, and Queen of Peace has remained the Catholic presence in Lyle ever since.
- Founded 1946 by Msgr. D. A. Cunningham of Queen of Angels, Austin
- Original meeting place: former Kenneth Corson Woodworking Shop on Grove Street
- Current church building constructed 1965
- IRS exempt status ruling date: March 1946
Parish Cluster and Pastoral Leadership
Queen of Peace is currently pastored as part of a four-parish cluster by Father James (Jim) Berning. The same pastor serves Sacred Heart in Adams, St. Peter's in Rose Creek, and St. John the Baptist in Johnsburg — a configuration that lets the small rural congregations share clergy, faith-formation resources, and facilities.
- Pastor: Father James (Jim) Berning
- Cluster parishes: Sacred Heart (Adams), Queen of Peace (Lyle), St. Peter's (Rose Creek), St. John the Baptist (Johnsburg)
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Pastors identified in parish records: Msgr. D. A. Cunningham (founder), Rev. John Tighe, Rev. Richard J. Engels (by 1971)
Worship and Sacraments
Queen of Peace offers Sunday Mass as part of the Adams–Lyle–Rose Creek–Johnsburg cluster, with the regular weekly schedule coordinated across the four parishes and published through the cluster website. The sacraments of baptism and marriage are celebrated, and funeral Masses are regularly offered at Queen of Peace (Father James Berning has presided at recent funerals, including a Memorial Mass in July 2025).
- Sunday Mass as part of the parish cluster (see sacredheartadams.org for current schedule)
- Baptisms celebrated at the parish (historical record: January 15, 1961)
- Memorial/Funeral Masses with Father James Berning
Parish Life and Outreach
Queen of Peace participates in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester's annual Catholic Ministries Appeal, and the parish has used its returned CMA overage to install new windows in the hall and kitchen and to replenish the building fund. The parish is served by Knights of Columbus Council 3812, which supports spiritual and charitable works among the Catholic faithful in Lyle and the surrounding area.
- Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA) participation with the Diocese of Winona-Rochester
- CMA-funded improvements: new hall and kitchen windows, building-fund replenishment
- Knights of Columbus Council 3812
Visiting and Contact
Queen of Peace Catholic Church is located at 303 3rd Street in the village of Lyle, Minnesota. The parish can be reached by telephone at (507) 582-3321, and pastoral inquiries can be sent to [email protected]. Visitors and parishioners are encouraged to confirm Mass times through the cluster website at sacredheartadams.org before traveling.
- Address: 303 3rd Street, Lyle, MN 55953
- Phone: (507) 582-3321
- Pastor email: [email protected]
- Cluster website: sacredheartadams.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Msgr. D. A. Cunningham1946 (founding)
Pastor of Queen of Angels, Austin; founded the Queen of Peace mission in Lyle in 1946.
- Rev. John Tigheearly pastor (pre-1965)
Listed as 'Rev. John Tighe, Pastor' in Lyle Historical Society news clippings about Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Lyle, Minnesota.
- Rev. Richard J. Engelsserving by 1971
Identified in a March 25, 1971 issue (page 7) of the St. Ansgar Enterprise as priest of Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Lyle.
- Father James (Jim) Berningcurrent pastor (cluster pastor since at least 2024)
Ordained in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester; previously pastor of St. Mary's, Winona (appointed 2011); now pastor of the Adams–Lyle–Rose Creek–Johnsburg cluster. Officiated funeral Masses at Queen of Peace, St. Peter's Rose Creek, etc.