About St. Adrian · Adrian, Minnesota
St. Adrian is a Catholic parish in Adrian, Minnesota (Nobles County), founded in 1877 by Father C. J. Knauf on assignment from Bishop John Ireland as part of the Catholic Colonization Bureau's effort to settle southwestern Minnesota. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Winona-Rochester and today operates as part of a four-parish cluster with St. Anthony (Lismore), Our Lady of Good Counsel (Wilmont), and St. Kilian. The current Romanesque Revival brick church, with its distinctive twin corner towers, was built in 1900 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Worship is offered in English across the cluster, with daily and Sunday Masses, weekly adoration, and regular confession.
- Established
- 1877
- Patron
- Saint Adrian the warrior
- Rector
- Monsignor Richard Colletti
- Diocese
- Diocese of Winona-Rochester
Why belong here
St. Adrian offers the rhythms of a faithful rural Catholic parish in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester — daily and Sunday Mass in English, weekly Thursday Eucharistic Adoration from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and regular Sunday confession before Mass. A dedicated cluster staff runs faith formation for grade-schoolers, OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) for adults seeking the Church, and youth and young adult ministry. Parishioners also gather for fellowship groups, Religion Nights, assisted-living Masses, Vacation Bible School, and the close-knit life of a 360-plus-family community that has worshipped on the same Adrian corner since 1877.
Mass times at St. Adrian
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:00 AM — Our Lady of Good Counsel, Wilmont
- Sunday 10:00 AM — St. Adrian, Adrian
- Saturday 4:30 PM — St. Anthony, Lismore
Adoration times
- Thursday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM — St. Adrian, Adrian
History of St. Adrian Parish
St. Adrian was founded on September 20, 1877, when Bishop John Ireland of St. Paul sent Father C. J. Knauf to the fledgling town of Adrian in Nobles County as part of the Catholic Colonization Bureau's effort to settle the southwestern Minnesota prairie. Knauf found a hamlet of three houses, two stores, one hotel, and one wayside station — and a single practicing Catholic, M. Sullivan. Within fifteen months Knauf had sold 22,000 acres of railroad land to settlers, and by December 1878 the parish already counted sixty families. The parish grew steadily through the late nineteenth century, replacing its modest first church (1878) with a larger brick-veneered structure in 1889. A parochial school opened in 1892 and the rectory was completed in November 1899.
- 1877 — Parish founded by Fr. C. J. Knauf, sent by Bishop John Ireland; named for Saint Adrian the warrior.
- 1878 — First wood-framed church built at a cost of $700, financed by Bishop Ireland.
- 1882 — Parish rolls reach 250 Catholics, mostly German and Irish.
- 1889 — Larger brick-veneered church with tall tower dedicated by Bishop Ireland; seats 500.
- 1892 — First parochial school opened under Fr. Knauf.
- December 24, 1899 — Basement fire destroys the 1889 church; baptismal font, pulpit, and altar angels rescued.
- July 4, 1900 — Bishop John Cotter lays the cornerstone of the present church; time-capsule sealed inside.
- 1901 — Twin-towered Romanesque Revival red-brick church opens for worship.
- 1905 — St. Adrian High School begins; first class graduates 1908.
- 1912 — New school building dedicated by Bishop Hefferon.
- 1973 — Parish school closes; area students attend Adrian Public School, District 511.
- 1980 — Church listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The 1900 Church Building
The present church is a Romanesque Revival red-brick structure built in 1900–1901 to replace the 1889 church lost in the December 24, 1899 fire. It stands on a rock-faced stone raised basement with horizontal stone coursing along the front facade and the four unmatched corner towers. Each corner tower is square with arched belvederes and spires. A contrasting stone-and-brick arch accents the entrance, and large circular stained-glass windows fill the front and side gables. The interior retains original canvas murals arched at the front of the apse, along with heirloom pieces saved from the 1899 fire — including the baptismal font still in use today, the gold-edged pulpit, and two altar angels now flanking a reproduction of Da Vinci's Last Supper above the main altar.
- Style: Romanesque Revival
- Exterior: red brick on a rock-faced stone raised basement
- Towers: four square corner towers with arched belvederes and spires
- Windows: large circular stained glass in front and side gables
- Plan: cruciform with a rear apse
- Preserved relics from the 1899 fire: baptismal font, pulpit, and two altar angels
Cluster Parishes
St. Adrian today worships and ministers as part of a four-parish cluster covering Adrian, Lismore, Wilmont, and St. Kilian, all served by Pastor Monsignor Richard Colletti and a shared cluster staff. Mass is offered in each parish throughout the week so that parishioners across the four communities can worship close to home.
- St. Adrian — Adrian, MN (this parish)
- St. Anthony — Lismore, MN
- Our Lady of Good Counsel — Wilmont, MN
- St. Kilian — St. Kilian, MN
Staff and Clergy
The cluster is pastored by Monsignor Richard Colletti and supported by a full team of directors, coordinators, and office staff who serve all four parishes together.
- Father (Monsignor) Richard Colletti — Pastor
- Pam Konz — Director of Faith Formation (retiring after 30+ years of service)
- Amelia Brake — Elementary Classes & OCIA
- Roxanne Kemper — Pastoral Associate
- Kadence Entinger — Youth and Young Adult Ministry
- Mary Christensen — Parish Cluster Secretary
- Jody Richters — Parish Cluster Bookkeeper
- Ben Cook — Custodian
- Mara Hotovec — Custodian, Our Lady of Good Counsel
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Faith formation is the heart of parish life at St. Adrian, organized cluster-wide under Director of Faith Formation Pam Konz. Elementary-age children attend Religion Night, a Wednesday-evening catechetical gathering where they prepare for First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation alongside their peers from across the cluster.
- Elementary Classes — Amelia Brake
- Religion Night — Wednesdays at 6:00 PM
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) — for unbaptized adults, Christians seeking full communion, and Catholics preparing for Confirmation or First Communion
- Youth and Young Adult Ministry — Kadence Entinger
- Vacation Bible School — annual summer program
OCIA — Becoming Catholic
Adults who wish to explore the Catholic faith, complete their initiation, or receive Confirmation are welcomed through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), the modern name for the traditional RCIA process. The cluster coordinates OCIA sessions for anyone curious about the Church, regardless of where they are on their faith journey.
- For never-baptized adults who want to become Catholic (received at the Easter Vigil)
- For baptized Christians from other traditions seeking full communion
- For baptized Catholics preparing to receive First Communion and/or Confirmation
- Contact: Amelia Brake (Elementary Classes & OCIA) via the parish office
Fellowship, Counseling, and Parish Life
Beyond the sacraments, the parish offers fellowship groups and pastoral counseling to help parishioners connect and find support. The cluster also brings Mass to local care facilities through periodic Assisted Living Masses, ensuring homebound members of the community remain connected to the parish.
- Fellowship Groups — small-group gatherings for parishioners
- Pastoral Counseling — confidential conversations with pastoral staff
- Assisted Living Masses — periodic 1:30 PM liturgy at local care homes
- Flocknotes — email/text parish communication network
- Online Giving — recurring and one-time donations through the parish website
Parish Communications and Media
The cluster keeps parishioners connected through several channels: a weekly bulletin available on the website, Flocknotes text and email updates, the official cluster website, and a media partnership with Word on Fire Catholic Ministries (Bishop Robert Barron's evangelization apostolate), which the parish highlights as a resource for catechesis and formation.
- Weekly parish bulletin (current and archived on stadriancluster.org/bulletins)
- Flocknotes text and email updates
- Word on Fire Catholic Ministries media partnership
- Online calendar of Masses, Religion Nights, and special events
- Online Giving through the parish website
Visiting and Contact
Parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed to worship with St. Adrian. The parish office is open during business hours and can be reached by phone, email, or in person for sacraments, Mass intentions, bulletin submissions, or general inquiries.
- Address: 512 Maine Avenue, Adrian, MN 56110-0475 (PO Box 475)
- Phone: (507) 483-2317
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.stadriancluster.org/
- Historic 1900 church open for Sunday Mass at 10:30 AM and Thursday Mass at 8:30 AM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father C. J. Knauf1877–
First pastor of St. Adrian, sent by Bishop John Ireland as part of the Catholic Colonization Bureau; built the first church (1878), the 1889 brick church, the first parochial school (1892), and later platted the nearby village of St. Kilian.