About Resurrection · Eveleth, Minnesota
Resurrection Catholic Church is a Roman-Latin rite parish in Eveleth, Minnesota, served from the same historic complex at 301 Adams Avenue that was built in 1909 as Holy Family Church to serve the Slovenian Catholic community of the Iron Range. Today the parish worships in the same Gothic-Revival building — now on the National Register of Historic Places — and operates under the Diocese of Duluth, offering Sunday and weekday Mass along with Wednesday Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The parish was renamed Resurrection when, in the late 1970s, the historically Irish St. Patrick's (1968) and historically Italian Immaculate Conception (late 1970s) congregations merged into Holy Family and the surviving ethnic-Irish church had to be closed.
- Established
- 1899
- Patron
- Holy Family (historical parish patron; parish now named for the Resurrection of the Lord)
- Rector
- The parish was most recently served by Rev. Michael Garry (2016–January 2021), who has since been reassigned as pastor of St. Francis and All Saints parishes in Brainerd. No successor pastor has been publicly named in the sources reviewed; the parish has been served in the interim by retired priests including Fr. Dennis Hoffman and Fr. Charlie Flynn.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Duluth
Why belong here
Resurrection is the spiritual heir of three Iron Range ethnic Catholic communities — Slovenian, Irish and Italian — that, after a century of mining life in Eveleth, came together to preserve their historic Gothic-Revival church. Visitors and parishioners are welcomed into a sanctuary that has been continuously updated (LED lighting, re-leaded stained glass, a handicapped-accessible ramp and elevator) while keeping its National Register of Historic Places character. A weekly schedule built around Sunday Mass, weekday Mass on Wednesday and Thursday, an all-day Wednesday Eucharistic Adoration (8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.), and Wednesday confessions makes the parish a steady anchor of Catholic life on the Range.
Mass times at Resurrection
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 8:30 AM–8:50 AM, or by appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday 8:30 AM–8:30 PM (Eucharistic Adoration)
Parish Identity
Resurrection Parish is the consolidated Roman Catholic community of Eveleth, Minnesota, formed from the merger of the historically Slovenian Holy Family (founded 1899), the historically Irish St. Patrick's (merged in 1968), and the historically Italian Immaculate Conception (merged in the late 1970s). It operates under the Diocese of Duluth in the Roman-Latin rite. The parish is located at 301 Adams Avenue in Eveleth, sharing its historic building with the Iron Range community it has anchored for more than a century.
Founding and Early History
Catholic life in Eveleth began with Fr. Mathias Bilban, a Slovenian priest who spoke seven languages and was assigned by the Diocese of Duluth in May 1897. He initially said Mass once a month in the Eveleth Town Hall, then twice a month by 1898. Two lots were purchased at the present Adams Avenue site and a wooden church seating 250 was built at a cost of about $3,200. It was dedicated as Holy Family Church on October 22, 1899 by Duluth Bishop James McGolrick.
- May 1897: Fr. Mathias Bilban's first Mass for Eveleth Catholics in the Town Hall.
- 1898: Two lots purchased at 301 Adams Avenue.
- October 22, 1899: Wooden Holy Family Church dedicated by Bishop McGolrick.
- 1903: Rev. James Hogan becomes the first resident pastor and builds the rectory.
- February 8, 1904: Holy Family incorporated as a national Slavic parish.
The 1909 Gothic-Revival Church Building
The small wooden church was sold and moved to make way for a much larger brick building designed by architects Olson and Magney and constructed by general contractor A.F. Wasielewski of Anoka. Wasielewski, who had already built 15 churches, was hired to build it below the lowest bid of $31,270, using Menomonie brick with red pressed-sand molding and a day-labor system. The two-level Gothic-style church — the largest Catholic church north of Duluth — was dedicated on May 29, 1910, with a Pontifical High Mass at 10:30 a.m. celebrated by Bishop James Trobec. The dedication procession included 1,500 Catholics and was seven blocks long.
- Construction began June 1909.
- Upper level: high altar with tabernacle and statues of Saints Cyril and Methodius; side altars of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph.
- Seventeen stained-glass windows and ceiling paintings on removable canvas.
- Choir loft with a manual reed organ moved from the original wooden church.
- Dedicating bishop: James Trobec, a Slovenian, of St. Cloud.
Mergers and the Name 'Resurrection'
During the decline of Iron Range mining in the late 1970s and 1980s, parish numbers fell. Diocese officials consolidated Eveleth's three ethnic Catholic congregations: the historically Irish St. Patrick's joined Holy Family in 1968, followed a decade later by the historically Italian Immaculate Conception. Rather than build a new church, the community chose to keep and upgrade the Holy Family building — removing the side altars, adding a statue of the cross with new lighting, insulating, drywalling, carpeting, building a stairwell addition to connect the two levels, removing the right-side confessional area, installing a handicap-accessible ramp, and adding parking. It was around this time the church was renamed Resurrection.
Renovations and Heritage Recognition
Through the 1990s a north-side annex added offices for clergy and staff, additional pastor's living quarters, classrooms on both levels, restrooms on both levels, a garage, and an elevator. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 (NRHP reference No. 80004345) for its local significance in religion and social history. Within the past decade, sanctuary updates have included re-leading the stained-glass windows, removing paneling, repairing and repainting the walls and ceiling, installing new LED lighting, and placing new lighted statues behind the high altar. The steeple was repainted and re-lit under the resident pastor's direction. On January 21, 2018 the Iron Range Historical Society and the Eveleth Heritage Committee unveiled a plaque on the building to commemorate more than a century of community importance.
Mass, Sacraments and Devotions
Resurrection offers Sunday Mass at 8:30 AM, with weekday Mass on Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 8:00 AM. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated on Wednesdays from 8:30 to 8:50 AM and by appointment. The parish hosts an all-day Eucharistic Adoration on Wednesdays from 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM, offering visitors and parishioners a full day of prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.
- Sunday: 8:30 AM Mass
- Wednesday: 8:00 AM Mass
- Thursday: 8:00 AM Mass
- Wednesday Confession: 8:30–8:50 AM (and by appointment)
- Wednesday Adoration: 8:30 AM–8:30 PM
Faith Formation and Youth Ministry
Religious education has been a core part of parish life. Former pastor Fr. Michael Garry has spoken publicly about how much he valued teaching religious education and accompanying the parish youth, including an annual youth mission trip that he called 'a highlight every year.' The parish has retained classroom space added during the 1990s annex for faith formation programming.
- Religious education classes for parish youth
- Annual youth mission trip
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
The parish traces its priestly leadership back to its founder Fr. Mathias Bilban (Slovenian, seven languages) and the first resident pastor Fr. James Hogan, who incorporated the parish in 1904. The most recently assigned resident pastor, Rev. Michael Garry, served Resurrection in Eveleth together with St. Joseph's in Gilbert from 2016 until January 2021, when he was reassigned as pastor of St. Francis and All Saints parishes in Brainerd, Minnesota. Following his departure, the Diocese of Duluth placed the parish under interim care by retired priests, with Fr. Dennis Hoffman and Fr. Charlie Flynn (himself a retired priest of Resurrection and St. Joseph's) filling in.
- Founder: Fr. Mathias Bilban, 1897 (seven languages, Slovenian).
- First resident pastor: Fr. James Hogan, 1903.
- Fr. Michael Garry: resident pastor 2016–January 2021.
- Interim clergy: Fr. Dennis Hoffman, Fr. Charlie Flynn (retired).
Facility and Accessibility
The parish campus occupies the historic 1909 building on Adams Avenue together with a 1990s north-side annex. Updates for accessibility include a ramp to the upper level of the church and an elevator connecting the two floors, along with restrooms on both levels. Parking has been added adjacent to the church for parish use.
- Wheelchair-accessible ramp to the upper sanctuary
- Elevator between the two levels
- Restrooms on both levels
- On-site parking
- Classrooms, offices, and pastor's living quarters in the north annex
Visiting the Parish
From Highway 53 take the Eveleth exit; turn left onto Fayal Road, then right onto Adams Avenue. The parish is two blocks in. The parish office can be reached at (218) 744-3277. Mass is celebrated in English.
- Address: 301 Adams Avenue, Eveleth, MN 55734
- Phone: (218) 744-3277
- Website: https://www.rsjcatholic.org
- Liturgy language: English
- Diocese: Duluth
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Mathias Bilban1897–
Slovenian founding pastor; spoke seven languages; said first Mass in Eveleth Town Hall in May 1897.
- Rev. James Hogan1903–
First resident pastor; built the rectory and incorporated Holy Family as a national Slavic parish on February 8, 1904.
- Rev. Michael Garry2016–January 2021
Most recent resident pastor of Resurrection in Eveleth and St. Joseph in Gilbert; reassigned as pastor of St. Francis & All Saints in Brainerd starting January 6, 2021.