About St. Anne · Kimball, Minnesota
St. Anne's Catholic Church in Kimball, Minnesota is a parish of the Diocese of Saint Cloud serving the small community in southern Stearns County. Established in 1919–1920, it is the spiritual successor to an earlier 19th-century parish in the area called St. Anna (1873–1884). Today, St. Anne's is part of the Holy Saints Area Catholic Community (ACC), a five-parish grouping that shares pastoral ministry. Saturday Vigil Mass is offered at 5:00 p.m., and the parish counts several religious vocations among its descendants — including a priest, two deacons, and three religious sisters — reflecting its long Catholic farming heritage.
- Established
- 1920
- Patron
- St. Anne (mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Fr. Donald Wagner
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saint Cloud
Why belong here
St. Anne's is a tight-knit rural parish with deep roots in southern Stearns County, where families have worshipped together for over a century and have produced a priest, two deacons, and three religious sisters. As part of the Holy Saints Area Catholic Community, parishioners benefit from shared pastoral ministry across five parishes while still belonging to a small, personal community at 441 Hazel Avenue East. Weekly Saturday Vigil Mass, weekday Masses, faith formation through the ACC, and time-honored traditions like the Fall Festival and parish quilt raffle give families many ways to grow in faith and fellowship.
Mass times at St. Anne
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday at 4:30 PM (or by appointment)
Parish History
The current parish of St. Anne's in Kimball was incorporated on September 13, 1920, with Father Edward Mahowald as the first pastor and Paul Berscheid and Aloys Knaus as trustees. It grew out of an earlier 19th-century parish called St. Anna (1873–1884) whose log church was destroyed by a cyclone. The parish was reorganized in 1919 when Bishop Busch met with local Catholic families in the Kimball village hall. A basement church was built that year, and a house was converted into the first rectory for the parish's first resident pastor, Father Matt Butala (1921–25). In 2020, St. Anne's joined the Holy Saints Area Catholic Community (ACC), sharing pastoral clergy with four neighboring parishes.
- Founded: incorporated September 13, 1920 (parish effort began summer 1919)
- Successor to St. Anna parish (1873–1884), destroyed by cyclone June 27, 1884
- First pastor: Fr. Matt Butala (1921–25)
- New church–school complex dedicated May 1965 by Bishop Bartholome
- 100th anniversary celebrated in 2019 with Bishop Kettler
Founding Families (1919)
On October 12, 1919, Bishop Busch met with the founding families in the Kimball village hall and approved the establishment of the parish. Father John Brender, pastor of Luxemburg, came to Kimball each Sunday to offer Mass in the village hall until the parish's own church was ready.
- Miss Kate Berscheid — organizer of the founding effort
- William French (mayor), Claude Brower (banker), Fred Brower (hardware store)
- Gerhard Looman — later donated land for the parish cemetery
- Joseph Borman, Anton Tellers, William Looman, George Nothnagel, Aloys Ertle
- Jacob Cooper, Steve Beckman, John Stelton, Henry Steman, M.E. Eichers, John Stein
- Carl Engler, Vincent Berscheid, Oscar Nystrom
Holy Saints Area Catholic Community (ACC)
In July 2020 the Diocese of Saint Cloud restructured parishes due to a shortage of priests, and St. Anne's joined the Holy Saints Area Catholic Community along with St. Nicholas (Watkins/St. Nicholas), St. Wendelin (Luxemburg), Holy Cross (Marty), and St. Mary Help of Christians (St. Augusta). The ACC shares clergy and faith-formation programming across all five parishes. The community's website at holysaintsmn.org now carries regular updates; the parish email [email protected] remains the direct contact for St. Anne's.
- St. Anne's, Kimball — 441 Hazel Ave E, (320) 398-2211
- St. Nicholas, Watkins — 15862 Co Rd 165, (320) 764-7345
- Holy Cross, Marty — 10651 Co Hwy 8 Kimball
- St. Wendelin, Luxemburg — 22714 Hwy 15, St. Cloud
- St. Mary Help of Christians, St. Augusta
- Shared website: holysaintsmn.org
Clergy and Staff
St. Anne's is served by the priests of the Holy Saints ACC. Parishioners may reach the parish office at (320) 398-2211 or [email protected].
- Fr. Donald Wagner — Pastor (Holy Saints ACC)
- Fr. Erik Lundgren — Parochial Administrator (Holy Saints ACC)
- Fr. Matthew Crane — Pastor (Holy Saints ACC)
- Fr. James Statz — Pastor Emeritus, retired 2020
- Lana Vossen — Parish Secretary, St. Anne's
- Kelli Kleinschnitz — Faith Formation Director (Holy Saints ACC)
- Lester German — ACC Website Admin & FF Support
- Shelly Gohmann — Parish Secretary (SMHOC, St. Wendelin, Holy Cross)
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation across the Holy Saints ACC is directed by Kelli Kleinschnitz. St. Anne's coordinates RCIA through the parish office for adults interested in joining the Catholic faith, and baptism preparation is arranged by contacting the office.
- RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) — call the parish office
- Baptism Preparation — call the parish office
- Faith Formation Director: Kelli Kleinschnitz ([email protected])
- Website & FF support: Lester German
Sacraments
All sacramental preparation for St. Anne's is coordinated through the parish office at (320) 398-2211 or [email protected].
- Baptism — preparation required; contact the parish office
- Marriage — arrangements must be made at least 6 months in advance; call the parish office
- Anointing of the Sick — call the parish office for homebound or hospitalized visits
- Reconciliation — Saturday 4:30 PM or by appointment
Parish Life, Ministries & Events
St. Anne's has an active parish council, finance council, and trustees, plus liturgical ministers (lectors, ushers, sacristans), a parish nurse, and a prayer line. Annual traditions include a Fall Festival and a parish quilt raffle, both long-standing favorites in the Kimball community.
- Parish Council: John Donnay, Mary Lou Pivec, Jesse Lesnau, Lara Feyma, Teresa Schiefelbein, Jennifer Schiefelbein
- Finance Council: Ed Maus, Brenda Maus
- Trustees: Tom Ehlinger, Robin Schiefelbein
- Fall Festival & Quilt Raffle
- Prayer Line: 398-7525 / 236-7947
- Parish Nurse ministry
Religious Vocations from St. Anne's
Reflecting the depth of Catholic family faith in this rural Stearns County community, the parish has produced a priest, two permanent deacons, and three religious sisters over its history.
- Fr. Donald Wagner — ordained priest 1987; first Mass at St. Anne's
- Steve Yanisch — ordained permanent deacon
- Kenneth Bates — ordained permanent deacon
- Sr. Cyprian (Rita) Kunkel, O.S.B.
- Sr. Francetta (Betty) Kunkel, S.Sp.S.
- Sr. Mary Paula Unterberger, S.S.N.D.
Contact & Visit
St. Anne's Catholic Church is located at 441 Hazel Avenue East in Kimball, Minnesota. The parish office can be reached by phone or email; the parish also has an interactive Google Map on its website for directions. Note that the churchofsaintannes.com site indicates regular updates are now posted at the Holy Saints ACC website, holysaintsmn.org.
- Address: 441 Hazel Avenue East, Kimball, MN 55353
- Phone: (320) 398-2211
- Email: [email protected]
- Parish website: www.churchofsaintannes.com
- Holy Saints ACC: holysaintsmn.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Matt Butala1921-1925
First resident pastor of the parish.
- Fr. Paul Kunkel1925-1931
Years of parish growth before the Depression.
- Pastors during Great Depression1931-1936
Parish became a mission of Paynesville for three years.
- Fr. Nicholas Kraemer1936-1947
Longest tenure in early parish history; served alongside Fr. Sylvester Renner and Fr. Raymond Lang.
- Fr. Sylvester Renner1947-1949
- Fr. Raymond Lang1949-1953
Helped the parish begin a building fund for future growth.
- Fr. Raymond Jacques1953-1964
Directed the new church-school complex project; his funeral was the first service in the new church.
- Fr. Donald Rieder1964-1969
Renovated the sanctuary; led implementation of Vatican II teachings.
- Fr. James Statz2017-2020
Last solo pastor before the Holy Saints ACC restructuring; retired in 2020.
- Fr. Donald Wagner2020-present
Son of the parish, ordained 1987; pastor of the Holy Saints ACC.