About St. Henry · Saint Henry, Minnesota
St. Henry Catholic Church is a small rural Roman Catholic parish in Lexington and Sharon Townships of Le Sueur County, Minnesota, about 10 miles west of Le Center. It is the spiritual home of roughly 60 families — many descended from the original Swiss-Romansh settlers who founded the colony in the 1850s — and it is one of four parishes clustered under a single pastoral team. The parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, is named for Saint Henry II (Holy Roman Emperor, 1014–1024), and is widely believed to be the first Romansh settlement in the United States.
- Established
- 1859
- Patron
- Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (Henry the Emperor)
- Rector
- Father Matthew Northenscold, JCL (parish is clustered with three other parishes, served with Father Barsness)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Why belong here
St. Henry offers the warm continuity of a small, multi-generational rural parish where many families are descended from the original Swiss-Romansh settlers and still care for the 1870 wood-frame church, parish hall (1924), ball field (1975), and adjoining cemetery themselves. Worship includes a Saturday Vigil Mass, daily English Masses shared with the clustered parishes, Eucharistic Adoration in the chapel/cry room, and a Spanish Mass at neighboring St. Mary's for the wider community. New families are warmly welcomed to register, take part in faith formation and Vacation Bible School, join the RCIA, or come in for five minutes or an hour before the Blessed Sacrament.
Mass times at St. Henry
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM at St. Henry
- Tuesday 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM at St. Mary (LeCenter)
- Saturday 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM at St. Mary (LeCenter)
- Saturday 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM also rotates with Immaculate Conception & Nativity
- By appointment (contact Fr. Barsness or Fr. Northenscold)
Adoration times
- Tuesdays 5:30 PM – 9:00 PM in the chapel/cry room (St. Mary / St. Henry cluster)
- Wednesdays 9:30 AM – 9:00 PM in the chapel/cry room (St. Mary / St. Henry cluster)
History of St. Henry Parish
St. Henry was born from a Swiss-Romansh immigration to the Big Woods of southern Minnesota in the 1850s. In 1851–1852, scouts Francis Tambornino and Jacob Beer traveled from the canton of Graubünden on behalf of the Wolf Company and other Grisons immigration boards, purchased farmland in Lexington Township in Le Sueur County, and recruited others to follow. In 1852 eight families emigrated from Grisons; in 1854–1855 they formalized the St. Henry Colony in Lexington and Sharon Townships, and in 1859 the parish was officially founded with the celebration of its first Mass. St. Henry is believed to be the first Romansh settlement in the United States.
- 1852: Eight families from Grisons, Switzerland settle in the Big Woods of Le Sueur County
- 1854–1855: St. Henry Colony formally established in Lexington and Sharon Townships
- 1859: Log chapel completed and first parish Mass celebrated
- 1870: Present wood-frame church erected
- 1876: Steeple added to the church
- 1882: First resident pastor moves into the new rectory
- 1924: Parish social hall built (centennial celebrated 2024)
- 1974: Church remodeled, air conditioning installed
- 1975: Ball field added for the community
- 2024: 165th anniversary of the parish; 100th anniversary of the parish hall
Swiss-Romansh Heritage
The parish was named for Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (1014–1024), a beloved Bavarian patron of the settlers. The founders spoke Romansch (Romansh), a Latinate language descended from the vernacular Latin of Roman soldiers and still one of Switzerland's four official languages. Descendants of those original families continue to make up a large share of today's roughly 60 St. Henry households, and the adjoining cemetery contains the graves of several early pastors alongside the colony's founders.
- Patron: Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
- Settlers' language: Romansch (Romansh)
- Origin canton: Graubünden / Grisons, Switzerland
- Immigration facilitators: Wolf Company and other Grisons immigration boards
- Scouts who located the farmland: Francis Tambornino and Jacob Beer
Clustered Parishes and Pastoral Team
St. Henry shares its priests with three other local parishes. Worship is led by Father Matthew Northenscold, JCL and Father Barsness, with Deacon Michael also serving the cluster. Because the priests rotate, daily Masses and certain services move among the cluster churches; the weekly bulletin and parish website carry the up-to-date schedule.
- Father Matthew Northenscold, JCL
- Father Barsness
- Deacon Michael
- Cluster parishes share priests and rotate Mass and reconciliation times
Faith Formation and Sacraments
Faith formation for children, including a summer Vacation Bible School, is offered through the cluster, and adults who wish to become Catholic are welcomed into the RCIA. Parents preparing for an infant baptism are asked to attend a class with the priest and to contact the parish even before the child's birth. Engaged couples should contact Fr. Barsness at least six months in advance to begin marriage preparation, which includes an engaged couples retreat, the Prepare-Enrich assessment, and Natural Family Planning classes.
- Faith Formation for children and youth
- Vacation Bible School (summer program)
- RCIA — Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (contact Fr. Barsness)
- Infant Baptism class with the priest
- Marriage preparation: retreat, Prepare-Enrich, NFP classes (6+ months advance)
Pastoral Care of the Sick and Homebound
The cluster continues Christ's ministry to the ill and homebound through Anointing of the Sick, Communion calls, and Last Rites. Homebound parishioners receive Holy Communion on Tuesday mornings from an Extraordinary Minister, with a priest visiting on the Tuesday following the First Friday and on First Fridays themselves. In an emergency, the after-hours priest line is staffed at 651-353-1120.
- Anointing of the Sick — by appointment; emergency: Fr. Michael 651-353-1120
- Last Rites / Viaticum — always available; do not delay
- Homebound Communion Calls — Tuesday mornings; priest on First Friday weeks
- Funeral Ministry — coordinated through the parish office
Parish Property and Community Facilities
St. Henry's campus reflects the long life of the parish. The wood-frame 1870 church with its 1876 steeple still stands at the heart of the colony, joined by an adjoining cemetery where several of the early pastors are buried. The 1924 parish social hall and the 1975 parish ball field continue to serve both the parish and the wider Lexington/Sharon Township community, and were lovingly maintained in 2024 to mark the hall's centennial alongside the parish's 165th anniversary.
- Church: wood-frame, 1870 (steeple added 1876; remodeled with A/C in 1974)
- Rectory: 1882
- Parish cemetery: graves of several early pastors
- Parish hall: 1924 (centennial 2024)
- Ball field: 1975
- Total parish families: ~60, many descended from original settlers
Get Involved and Stay Connected
Newcomers are warmly invited to register with the parish, join faith formation or Vacation Bible School, sign up for an hour of Eucharistic Adoration, or serve as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. The cluster also produces a weekly bulletin with current Mass and event times, and parishioners can access Formed.org's Catholic content using the parish organization name "Churches of St Mary and St Henry."
- Parish Registration Form on the parish website
- Formed.org parish access: search "Churches of St Mary and St Henry"
- Weekly bulletin posted on stmarysthenry.org
- Facebook page for the Churches of St. Mary & St. Henry cluster
- Volunteer opportunities: Adoration, Faith Formation, Homebound Ministry