About Sacred Heart · Flensburg, Minnesota
Sacred Heart Church (formally Sacred Heart of Jesus) is a small Roman Catholic parish in the village of Flensburg, Morrison County, Minnesota, founded by Polish settlers in the late nineteenth century. It is one of six parishes that make up the Haven of Mercy Area Catholic Community (ACC) in the Diocese of Saint Cloud, alongside parishes in Little Falls, Randall, Sobieski and Belle Prairie. Sacred Heart holds a distinctive role in the diocese as the first parish designated by Bishop Emeritus John Kinney to host the Mass in the Extraordinary (Latin) Form, celebrated every Sunday at noon.
- Established
- 1897
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Fr. Ben (associated with Haven of Mercy ACC as of website's most recent content)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saint Cloud
Why belong here
Sacred Heart is a small, devotional rural parish where generations of Polish-Catholic families have worshiped since the 1890s and that has produced an extraordinary harvest of priestly and religious vocations. It is part of the Haven of Mercy Area Catholic Community, so members share in the broader liturgical, educational, and outreach life of six parishes — including a Catholic school, faith formation, and youth ministry — while gathering in an intimate historic setting. Sacred Heart is also the diocese's first parish designated to celebrate the Mass in the Extraordinary (Latin) Form, offering a distinctive tradition for the faithful of central Minnesota.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
- Friday: 7:30 AM – 8:00 AM
- Saturday: 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Sacred Heart Church in Flensburg
Sacred Heart of Jesus is the Catholic parish of the village of Flensburg in Morrison County, central Minnesota. It is one of six parishes of the Haven of Mercy Area Catholic Community, an ACC that also includes Holy Family in Belle Prairie, Our Lady of Lourdes in Little Falls, St. Mary's in Little Falls, St. James in Randall, and St. Stanislaus in Sobieski. Sacred Heart is located at 18 Pine Street, Flensburg, MN 56328, and is part of the Diocese of Saint Cloud.
- Address: 18 Pine Street, Flensburg, MN 56328
- Mailing address: 9406 Church Circle, Little Falls, MN 56345
- Parish phone: 320-632-6930
- Diocese: Saint Cloud
- ACC: Haven of Mercy Area Catholic Community
Parish History
Founded by Polish Catholic settlers in the late 1890s, Sacred Heart is one of the older small parishes of the Diocese of Saint Cloud. Polish families — including the Schneider, Wotzka, Wojciekowski, and Supercinski households — moved into the Flensburg area and initially attended Mass at Little Falls and then at the Swan River (Sobieski) parish. Impassable roads persuaded them to build their own parish.
- First baptism recorded: Ignatius Tandicki, April 7, 1898
- Visiting priests in early years: Fathers John Kitowski, Stanislaus Urbanski, Stanislaus Laczynski, T.J. Rekosiak, Ignatius Wippich, Joseph Janski
- 1900: log church built by the Polish community
- 1905: log church destroyed by fire
- 1907: present brick church erected and dedicated during the pastorate of Father John Tokarz (1906–1909)
- 1939: present rectory built under Father Francis Zilkowski (1933–1941)
- 1952: parish school built under Father Paul J. Otto (1941–1959), staffed by the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls
- 1962: parish school closed; building repurposed as a religious education center
- Source for history: 'The Spirit in Central Minnesota,' Part II, by Monsignor Vincent Yzermans (1989 diocesan centennial history)
The Village of Flensburg
Flensburg is an inland village in Morrison County that was platted in 1890 by Olaf and Dagmar Searle in an area previously known as Flen's Landing. Its name comes from the principal seaport of the province of Schleswig in Prussia — reflecting the Northern European heritage of its founders, just as the Catholic settlers who followed were largely of Polish origin.
- Platted in 1890 by Olaf and Dagmar Searle
- Originally known as Flen's Landing
- Named after the seaport of Flensburg in Schleswig, Prussia
The Latin Mass at Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart holds a unique liturgical role in the Diocese of Saint Cloud: it was commissioned by Bishop Emeritus John Kinney as the first parish in the Diocese to be designated to host Mass in the Extraordinary Form. The Latin Mass is celebrated at 12:00 PM (noon) every Sunday, with celebrants drawn from priests of the Diocese of Saint Cloud.
- Sunday Latin Mass: 12:00 PM (Extraordinary Form)
- Designated by Bishop Emeritus John Kinney
- First parish in the Diocese of Saint Cloud to host the Extraordinary Form Mass
Faith Formation & Religious Education
After the parish school closed in 1962, the former school building continued in use as a religious education center for Sacred Heart and the surrounding Haven of Mercy parishes. The Director of Religious Education for the parish is Sheila Gardner, who also coordinates parish outreach.
- Religious education center housed in the former 1952 parish school building
- Director of Religious Education: Sheila Gardner
- Part of the broader Haven of Mercy ACC family-formation program
Franciscan Sisters & House of Prayer
The Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls staffed Sacred Heart's parish school from its opening in 1952 and remained in the community after the school closed in 1962. Their convent in Flensburg continues to serve as a house of prayer for members of their Order — a quiet sign of the parish's long monastic and missionary roots.
- Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls staffed the school (1952–1962)
- Sisters continue to reside in the community
- Convent is now a house of prayer for members of their Order
Parish Vocations & Honors
The parish has produced an exceptional number of religious vocations, testimony to the devotional character of its families. Sons of the parish have been ordained priests across several religious institutes; daughters have entered communities of Benedictine, Sisters of St. Joseph, and Franciscan life.
- Priests ordained from the parish: Fathers Stephen Lacinski, Vincent Wotzka, Francis Zilkowski, Anthony Salzbrun O.S.C., Albert Piekarski, Jerome Super, Peter Bialka O.C.S.O.
- Religious brother: Brother Steven Karpinski
- Religious sisters: Sr. Ventilla Wielinski O.S.B., Sr. Nolential Wotzka O.S.B., Sr. Cyrene Zilka C.S.J., Sr. Bernarda Sonoski O.S.F., Sr. Eugenia Schneider O.S.F., Sr. Fabian Schneider O.S.F.
- Bishop's Medal of Merit (1984): Joseph J. Kroll (trustee) and Stanley Schneider (choir member)
Haven of Mercy Area Catholic Community
Sacred Heart is one of six parishes that together form the Haven of Mercy Area Catholic Community in Morrison County. The Haven of Mercy ACC operates with a shared bulletin, shared website, unified financial administration, a common Catholic school (Mary of Lourdes Catholic School, preschool through 8th grade), youth ministry, and ACC-wide events such as the Divine Mercy Sunday observance, Parish Missions, Confirmation, the annual State of the ACC Meeting, and a Young Adults Group. The ACC manages sixteen buildings and nine cemeteries across its parishes and also serves the broader community through St. Gabriel's Catholic Hospital, area nursing and healthcare facilities, and the nearby Camp Ripley military installation.
- Six Haven of Mercy parishes across Morrison County
- Predominantly German, Polish, French, and Norwegian heritage
- Mary of Lourdes Catholic School (preschool–8th grade)
- Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls convent
- St. Gabriel's Catholic Hospital partnership
- Shared youth ministry, Confirmation, and retreats including Steubenville
- Annual Divine Mercy Sunday, Parish Missions, Stewardship Renewal, Amazing Parish initiatives
Sacramental Preparation — Matrimony
Couples preparing for marriage at any Haven of Mercy parish are asked to contact the parish office at the time of engagement, or at least six months before the desired wedding date, to schedule an initial meeting with Fr. Ben or Fr. Patrick. The full preparation process includes a pre-marriage interview, the 'Fully Engaged' inventory, meetings with a trained mentor couple, a diocesan marriage retreat, and a final meeting with the priest.
- Initial contact: Fr. Ben or Fr. Patrick via the parish office
- Pre-marriage interview and 'Fully Engaged' inventory
- 5–6 mentor couple meetings (approx. one hour each)
- Diocese of Saint Cloud marriage retreat (register early; fills quickly)
- Marriage convalidation available (civilly or previously married) — contact Fr. Ben
- Diocesan Tribunal referral available (320-639-2669)
Parish Staff
The parish's published staff includes the priests serving the Haven of Mercy ACC and lay staff supporting parish operations, outreach, and faith formation.
- Fr. Ben — parish priest of Haven of Mercy ACC; contact for marriage and convalidation (320-639-2669)
- Fr. Patrick Hoeft — parochial vicar (reassigned by the diocese effective July 1, 2026)
- Reverend Oswaldo Roche — incoming parochial vicar effective July 1, 2026
- Sandy Koenig — Parish Secretary
- Sheila Gardner — Parish Outreach / Director of Religious Education
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach Sacred Heart through the Haven of Mercy Catholic ACC office in Little Falls. The church is located in Flensburg, with driving directions noted as County Road 1 South from Highway 27 West.
- Worship site: 18 Pine Street, Flensburg, MN 56328
- Mailing address: 9406 Church Circle, Little Falls, MN 56345
- Parish phone: 320-632-6930
- Directions: County Rd. 1 South from Hwy. 27 West
- Website: havenofmercycatholic.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Visiting/mission priests from Swan River and Little FallsPre-1906
Fathers John Kitowski, Stanislaus Urbanski, Stanislaus Laczynski, T.J. Rekosiak, Ignatius Wippich, Joseph Janski
- Father John Tokarz1906-1909
Dedicated the present brick church (1907)
- Father Francis Zilkowski1933-1941
Supervised construction of the present rectory (1939)
- Father Paul J. Otto1941-1959
Built the parish school (1952), staffed by the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls