About St. Adalbert · Saint Paul, Minnesota
St. Adalbert Catholic Church is a Roman-Latin rite parish of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, located at 265 Charles Avenue in Saint Paul's historic Frogtown neighborhood. Founded in 1881 by Polish Catholic immigrants, the present stone church was completed and dedicated in 1911 after replacing an earlier frame structure. After decades as a Polish-American parish followed by demographic shifts that closed its school in 1988, St. Adalbert was revitalized in the early 1990s by Mexican-American and Vietnamese Catholic families and today primarily serves the local Vietnamese Catholic community alongside English-speaking parishioners.
- Established
- 1881
- Patron
- St. Adalbert of Prague (Wojciech)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Why belong here
St. Adalbert offers daily Mass in both English and Vietnamese throughout the week, a Saturday anticipatory Mass in English, and two Sunday Vietnamese Masses — a rare combination of bilingual liturgy in the heart of Frogtown. Worshippers are warmly welcomed in English and Vietnamese ('Hân hoan chào đón quý vị ghé thăm cộng đoàn St. Adalbert!'), and the parish carries more than 140 years of immigrant Catholic heritage on Saint Paul's near west side. Reconciliation is offered before weekend Masses, and the parish remains a neighborhood anchor for both longtime families and newer arrivals.
Mass times at St. Adalbert
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:10 PM – 4:25 PM
- Sunday 9:30 AM – 9:50 AM
Parish History
St. Adalbert traces its origins to the Polish Catholic immigrants of 1870s Saint Paul, who in 1879 purchased the small frame Church of St. Louis from the French Catholic community and had it moved from 10th and Cedar to the corner of Charles and Galtier in what became known as the Wojciechowo (St. Adalbert) neighborhood. The building was rededicated in November 1881 in Polish and English under the patronage of St. Adalbert of Prague, with Father Horbaczewski as the first resident pastor. Over the next generation the parish grew — the church and original wood school were enlarged in 1885, and a convent was built — and the cornerstone of a much larger stone church was laid in May 1910. That church, designed by Boyer, Taylor and Tewes, was formally dedicated in October 1911 and remains the parish's home today.
- 1881 – Parish founded as Polish Catholic community in Frogtown, rededication of the moved frame Church of St. Louis
- 1885 – Church, wood school, and convent enlarged
- May 1910 – Cornerstone laid for the present stone church (Boyer, Taylor and Tewes)
- October 1911 – Church completed and dedicated
- 1915 – Former wooden church (used as a parish hall) destroyed by fire
- 1951 – Present convent and rectory buildings erected
- 1988 – Parish school closed amid demographic change
- Early 1990s – Mexican-American and Vietnamese Catholic families renew parish life
Church Building & Architecture
The present Saint Adalbert church was designed by the firm of Boyer, Taylor and Tewes and completed in 1911. Its exterior is defined by a pair of three-tiered twin front towers topped with gold crosses, while the three front doors are capped with window openings that have since been filled in. Inside, the building replaced the small wooden frame structure originally brought from downtown Saint Paul and served generations of Polish-American Catholics before its revival with the Vietnamese community.
- Architect: Boyer, Taylor and Tewes
- Style: Three-tiered twin towers topped with gold crosses
- Cornerstone laid: May 1910; dedicated: October 1911
- Three front doors with filled-in window openings above
Community & Cultural Identity
St. Adalbert has always reflected the immigrant character of its Frogtown neighborhood. For decades it served as a hub of Polish-American Catholic life in the Twin Cities, with Polish-language services and Polish foods and customs prominent at parish events. As demographics shifted and families moved to the suburbs, the parish shrank and its school closed in 1988. Beginning in the early 1990s, Mexican-American and then Vietnamese refugee and immigrant families settled in the surrounding blocks, and the parish was renewed in a new cultural key. Today St. Adalbert primarily serves the Vietnamese Catholic community while continuing to welcome English-speaking neighbors — its bilingual welcome ('Hân hoan chào đón quý vị ghé thăm cộng đoàn St. Adalbert!') reflects that ongoing dual identity.
- Founded by Polish Catholic immigrants in 1881
- Long-running hub of Polish-American Catholic culture in the Twin Cities
- Renewed in the early 1990s with Mexican-American and Vietnamese Catholic families
- Today primarily a Vietnamese Catholic parish, with English-language services retained
Notable People
Monsignor Dominic Majer, one of St. Adalbert's pastors, was the first Polish priest in the United States to be raised to the rank of prelate. He was active in efforts to promote the Polish Catholic Church and navigate the competing factions of America's Polish Catholic communities. His funeral in March 1911 was the first liturgy held in the not-yet-completed new stone church, before its formal dedication that October.
- Monsignor Dominic Majer — first Polish priest made a prelate in the United States
Visit & Contact
St. Adalbert Catholic Church stands at 265 Charles Avenue in Saint Paul's Frogtown neighborhood, a few blocks west of the Minnesota State Capitol. The parish office can be reached by phone at (651) 228-9002, and the parish's official website is stadalbertchurch.org. The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis lists the parish among its locations and provides a Map & Directions link for visitors.
- Address: 265 Charles Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55103-2005
- Phone: (651) 228-9002
- Website: http://www.stadalbertchurch.org/
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
- Faith tradition: Roman-Latin rite
Archives & Records
The University of Minnesota Archives holds a collection of St. Adalbert Church (St. Paul, Minnesota) records, spanning the years 1882 to 2000. The collection includes parish anniversary publications, ledgers, financial and other parish-related documents, making it a key resource for anyone researching the history of Polish Catholic (and now Vietnamese Catholic) life on Saint Paul's near west side.
- Holding: St. Adalbert Church (St. Paul, Minnesota) records, 1882–2000
- Repository: University of Minnesota Archives
- Contents: anniversary publications, ledgers, financial and other parish documents
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Horbaczewski1881–
First resident pastor of St. Adalbert after the Polish community rededicated the moved frame church in November 1881.
- Monsignor Dominic Majer
Long-serving Polish pastor; first Polish priest to be made a prelate in the United States; his funeral in March 1911 was the first liturgy held in the still-uncompleted new church.