St. Francis De Sales Oratory

History of St. Francis de Sales

Catholic families in the western half of Dodge County petitioned in 1868 to establish a church at Claremont; the building was erected in 1869 with Thomas Donahue and James McCarthy as the first trustees. For nearly three decades the parish was attended from Owatonna until the parish house was constructed in 1898, and a Catholic cemetery was added in 1909. Through the twentieth century the parish remained a small, beautiful presence in a rural community.

• 1868 — Catholic families in western Dodge County petition for a church at Claremont
• 1869 — First church building erected
• 1898 — Parish house built
• 1909 — Catholic cemetery established
• 1979 (May 18) — Became a mission of St. Vincent de Paul, West Concord
• 1990 — Joined the Triton Catholic Parish cluster with Dodge Center and West Concord
• 1994 (June 26) — 125th anniversary Mass celebrated with Bishop John Vlazny
• 1995 — Rectory sold and relocated east of Claremont as a private residence
• 2016 (September 24) — Last Mass celebrated before transition
• 2016 (October 1) — Transitioned to oratory status under Vision 2016

The Vision 2016 Transition to Oratory

On October 1, 2016, St. Francis de Sales became an oratory as part of the Vision 2016 Pastoral Planning process of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. The transition was one of 21 across the diocese, reflecting the increasing shortage of priests in southern Minnesota. The last parish-style Mass was held September 24, 2016, with the congregation gathering afterwards to mark the change. The parish was merged with St. John Baptist de la Salle in Dodge Center and absorbed into the Mary, Mother of Mercy Catholic Cluster, alongside Holy Family in Kasson and Christ the King in Byron.

Pastoral Leadership

Today St. Francis de Sales is served as an oratory by the pastor of the Mary, Mother of Mercy Catholic Cluster. The cluster draws on the priests of the broader Triton Parishes community, with Father Thien Nguyen named as the parish contact for St. Francis de Sales.

• Father Thien Nguyen — Pastor
• Father John Lasuba — Priest at St. John Baptiste de la Salle, Dodge Center (within the cluster)

Triton Parishes & the Mary, Mother of Mercy Cluster

St. Francis de Sales is part of the Triton Catholic Parishes, which bring together St. John Baptist de la Salle in Dodge Center, St. Vincent de Paul in West Concord, and St. Francis de Sales in Claremont — the towns of the Triton school district. After the Vision 2016 transition, the cluster joined with Holy Family in Kasson and Christ the King in Byron to form the Mary, Mother of Mercy Catholic Cluster. Approximately 300 families belong to the cluster, including many Latino families who have made St. John Baptist de la Salle their spiritual home and are served through bilingual ministry and a weekly Spanish Mass.

• St. John Baptist de la Salle — Dodge Center (parish church)
• St. Vincent de Paul — West Concord (oratory)
• St. Francis de Sales — Claremont (oratory)
• Holy Family — Kasson (cluster partner)
• Christ the King — Byron (cluster partner)
• Approximately 300 families across the cluster

Parish Office & Contact

The Triton Parishes office serves all three communities. Inquiries about St. Francis de Sales Oratory in Claremont are directed through the central parish staff, who handle communications, scheduling, faith formation, and bookkeeping for the entire cluster.

• Parish Office: 201 1st Ave NE, PO Box 310, Dodge Center, MN 55927
• Parish Phone: (507) 374-6830
• Parish Email: [email protected]
• Office Hours: see dodgecatholic.org for current staff hours

St. Francis de Sales Cemetery

A Catholic cemetery was established in 1909 to serve the burial needs of the parish's farming families in and around Claremont. It remains part of the historical legacy of the parish community in western Dodge County.

• Established 1909
• Located near the parish in Claremont