About St. Gregory the Great · Lafayette, Minnesota
The Church of St. Gregory the Great was a small Catholic parish serving the rural community of Lafayette, Minnesota, in the rolling farmland of Nicollet County. Organized in 1942 and part of the Diocese of New Ulm, it was one of five parishes that together formed the Holy Cross Area Faith Community with the New Ulm cluster. After nearly eight decades of parish life — including a dedicated 1967 church and hall, an annual Harvest Festival, and generations of baptisms, weddings, and funerals — St. Gregory the Great celebrated its final Mass on August 8, 2021. Membership records were transferred to the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm, and the church building itself was later auctioned. The parish name, however, is still listed on the Diocese of New Ulm site as part of the Holy Cross AFC.
- Established
- 1942
- Patron
- St. Gregory the Great (Pope Gregory I, Doctor of the Church)
- Rector
- Monsignor Douglas Grams (officiated the closing Mass; priest shortage had merged the Lafayette pastorate with St. George, West Newton Township)
- Diocese
- Diocese of New Ulm (Latin Rite)
Why belong here
Although St. Gregory the Great in Lafayette closed as an independent parish in August 2021, the Diocese of New Ulm and the Holy Cross Area Faith Community continue to honor its legacy. Former parishioners were warmly welcomed into the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm or any of the other AFC parishes — St. Mary (New Ulm), St. John the Baptist (Searles), or St. George (West Newton Township) — where the same faith, sacraments, and rural Catholic community life continue under Fr. Mark Steffl. The AFC website (holycrossafc.org) remains the central hub for Mass schedules, ministries, and parish life in this part of southern Minnesota.
Mass times at St. Gregory the Great
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish History
St. Gregory the Great was organized on October 8, 1942, when 110 people met in Lafayette after Father Edward Clemens began ministering in the area and Archbishop John Gregory Murray agreed a new parish was needed. The parish was incorporated December 16, 1942; Father Clemens was assigned as the first resident pastor on September 1, 1943. The first Mass was offered in the Lafayette Public School auditorium, and in 1944 the parish moved a former nightclub building (the Valley Club, formerly the Blue Moon Night Club) onto its new eight-lot site, dedicating the renovated worship space on December 3, 1944. A rectory followed in 1951, and the present church and parish hall were dedicated on the parish's silver anniversary, May 21, 1967.
- Organizational meeting: October 8, 1942 (110 attendees)
- Incorporated: December 16, 1942
- First resident pastor: Fr. Edward Clemens (assigned Sept. 1, 1943)
- First Mass in renovated church: December 3, 1944
- Rectory built: 1951
- Present church and hall dedicated: May 21, 1967 (silver anniversary)
Closure of the Parish (2021)
After years of discussion, and with the Diocese of New Ulm's priest shortage, declining rural population, and aging parishioners making regular parish life unsustainable, St. Gregory the Great set a deliberate closing date of August 8, 2021 — chosen because it was traditionally the parish's Harvest Festival. A standing-room-only final Mass was celebrated by Monsignor Douglas Grams. Sacramental records and membership cards were transferred to the Cathedral offices in New Ulm; parishioners who did not choose another parish automatically became members of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. Cemetery records and funds remained under the Catholic Cemetery of New Ulm, and the church property was auctioned on August 15, 2021.
- Closing Mass: Sunday, August 8, 2021
- Officiant: Monsignor Douglas Grams
- Property auction: August 15, 2021
- Parish council president at closing: Mark Schuelke
- Records housed at: Cathedral of the Holy Trinity offices, New Ulm
Holy Cross Area Faith Community
St. Gregory the Great was one of the parishes of the Holy Cross Area Faith Community in the Diocese of New Ulm. The AFC website (holycrossafc.org) is now the central hub for the cluster's remaining parishes — St. John the Baptist in Searles, the Church of St. Mary and the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm, and St. George in West Newton Township. The current AFC pastor is Fr. Mark Steffl.
- Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, New Ulm (605 N. State St.)
- Church of St. Mary, New Ulm
- St. John the Baptist, Searles
- St. George, West Newton Township
- Current AFC pastor: Fr. Mark Steffl
Parish Life & Annual Events
St. Gregory's was known in the Lafayette community for its warm, small-town parish gatherings. The annual Harvest Festival — held in early August — was the signature event and ultimately gave the parish its closing date. Other beloved traditions included a December Cookie Walk, pie socials, quilt making, Doughnut Sundays, bingo nights, mother-daughter and father-son banquets, clothing drives, and a Christmas community sing-along.
- Harvest Festival (early August)
- Cookie Walk (December)
- Pie socials and quilt making
- Doughnut Sundays
- Bingo (especially popular)
- Mother-daughter and father-son banquets
- Clothing drives and food shelf donations
- Christmas community sing-along
Architecture & Facilities
The parish's original worship space was the renovated Valley Club building (formerly the Blue Moon Night Club), moved onto the parish's eight-lot site in 1944 and dedicated December 3 of that year. A rectory was built in 1951. The present-day church and parish hall — the building most parishioners remember — were dedicated on the parish's silver anniversary, May 21, 1967, and served as both worship and social center for nearly 54 years until the 2021 closure. The property was auctioned on August 15, 2021.
- Eight-lot parish site on 6th Street, Lafayette
- 1944 church: converted Valley Club / Blue Moon Night Club building
- 1951: rectory built
- 1967: present church and parish hall dedicated (May 21, silver anniversary)
- 2021: church property auctioned after closing
Sacraments & Records
During its active years, St. Gregory the Great celebrated the usual sacraments of a Catholic parish — Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick. After the August 2021 closure, sacramental records and membership cards were transferred to the Cathedral offices in New Ulm (605 N. State St., New Ulm, MN 56073), where they remain accessible to former parishioners. Cemetery records and related funds stayed under the custodial care of the Catholic Cemetery of New Ulm.
- Sacramental records: Cathedral of the Holy Trinity offices, New Ulm
- Cemetery records: Catholic Cemetery of New Ulm
- Phone reference: (507) 228-8298 (legacy parish line)
Contact & Location
The Diocese of New Ulm still lists St. Gregory the Great as a parish within the Holy Cross Area Faith Community, with its historic address on 6th Street in Lafayette and a legacy phone number. Current parish life and Mass schedules for the surrounding AFC are maintained at holycrossafc.org.
- Address: 440 6th Street, Lafayette, MN 56054
- Mailing: P.O. Box 5, Lafayette, MN 56054
- Phone: (507) 228-8298
- Web: holycrossafc.org
- Diocese of New Ulm listing: dnu.org/lafayette
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Edward Clemens1943–
First resident pastor; organized the parish starting in 1942, oversaw the first Mass in the renovated Valley Club building (December 3, 1944) and the 1951 rectory.
- Fr. Bernard Steiner1969–1970
Listed by the Diocese of New Ulm as pastor of St. Gregory (Lafayette) and St. Francis de Sales (Winthrop) 1969–1970.
- Fr. David Roney1980–1993
Pastor of St. Gregory the Great, Lafayette 1980–1993; also Co-director of the San Lucas Mission Office 1980–1986. Retired from assigned ministry in 1993 and died in Guatemala in 2003.