About St. James · Underwood, Minnesota
St. James is a small rural Catholic parish in Maine Township, Underwood, Minnesota, part of the Diocese of Saint Cloud and a member of the Disciples of the Mission Area Catholic Community (ACC), which links seven parishes in the Otter Tail County region. The parish traces its roots to the first Catholic settlers who arrived between 1875 and 1882, and it grew from humble beginnings with Mass celebrated in private homes to a dedicated church building consecrated in 1893. Today it is served by Father George Michael VC along with Deacon Craig Stich, and shares worship, faith formation, and community life with neighboring Our Lady of the Lake (Battle Lake) and St. Edward (Henning).
- Established
- 1893
- Patron
- St. James (the Greater)
- Rector
- Fr. George Michael VC
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saint Cloud
Why belong here
St. James offers a warmly rural, small-parish experience where parishioners know one another by name and Mass is still announced by the 1911 bell from the original church. As part of the seven-parish Disciples of the Mission Area Catholic Community, the parish combines intimate country-parish life with broader ACC-wide opportunities — youth ministry, faith formation, Totus Tuus, Vacation Bible School, Corpus Christi processions, the Called & Gifted program, grief support, and community-wide celebrations. Weekly Sunday Mass (summer) and Saturday Vigil Mass (winter), a Wednesday Holy Hour and weekday Mass, Saturday confessions, Eucharistic Adoration on the second Wednesday of the month, and active lay leadership make it a faithful and engaged community in the heart of Otter Tail County.
Mass times at St. James
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM
- Wednesday 8:00 AM
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday 8:00 AM Holy Hour
- Second Wednesday of the month: Adoration 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Parish History — From Pioneer Homesteads to Today's Disciples of the Mission
St. James was born of the homesteading era in west-central Minnesota. Irish, German, Bohemian, and English Catholic families settled the territory of present-day Maine Township between 1875 and 1882, and for the first decade Mass was offered only once or twice a year in scattered farmhouses by priests traveling by horse and buggy from Elizabeth, Rush Lake, Fergus Falls, Perham, Wadena, and Blue Grass. By 1884 a formal parish register listed the founding families. After the dedication of the first wooden church by Bishop Otto Zardetti on November 3, 1893 — named St. James at Patrick Moore's suggestion — the parish grew steadily, receiving its first resident pastor (Rev. John Widenborg) in 1919. The mid-20th century saw the founding of the daughter parish of Our Lady of the Lake (Battle Lake) in 1954, and the late-20th century brought the loss and rebuilding of the church after the devastating 1985 fire. Today St. James belongs to the seven-parish Disciples of the Mission Area Catholic Community, sharing pastoral and program resources with its sister parishes across Otter Tail County.
- First Catholic settlers: 1875–1882
- First Funeral Mass: October 19, 1881 (for Bridget Barry)
- First Baptism: November 22, 1877
- First church dedicated: November 3, 1893 by Bishop Otto Zardetti
- Parish incorporated: February 23, 1900
- 1911 steeple bell still in use today
- Church enlarged to twice its size in 1913
- First resident pastor: Rev. John Widenborg, 1919
- Old church torn down 1985; 1975 addition destroyed by fire Sept. 24, 1985
- New church dedicated August 17, 1986 by Bishop George Speltz
- 1999–2000 sanctuary remodel (new pews, altar furnishings; sacristy and confessional moved to rear)
- 2002 parish house relocated north along County Road 115
Parish Staff & Leadership
St. James is served by a priest of a religious congregation (Fr. George Michael, VC) who shepherds the tri-parish cluster of Our Lady of the Lake, St. James, and St. Edward, along with a permanent deacon and lay leaders in faith formation, parish administration, and finance. The parish office in Maine Township is staffed by a part-time secretary and is open Monday and Thursday afternoons.
- Fr. George Michael VC — Pastor (Office: 218-864-5619; Rectory: 218-862-5644)
- Deacon Craig Stich (Office: 218-770-7449)
- Sheila Newark — Faith Formation
- Ronda Erickson — Parish Secretary
- Denny Floersch — Trustee (218-205-5300)
- Dennis Fagerstrom — Trustee (218-205-4623)
- Parish Office hours: Monday & Thursday, 4:00–7:00 PM
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation at St. James is coordinated at the ACC level, so children, teens, and adults in the parish have access to a much wider program than a small rural parish could sustain on its own. Sheila Newark coordinates the local effort. Summer is highlighted by Totus Tuus, a traveling team of missionaries who lead a week of catechesis, songs, games, and sacraments for children and youth across the cluster.
- Faith Formation Director: Sheila Newark
- Totus Tuus summer youth program
- Vacation Bible School (ACC-wide)
- ACC Youth Director and parish youth groups
- RCIA / adult catechumenate for those entering the Church
- Called & Gifted discernment program
- Adult Bible Study
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the seven Catholic sacraments on the regular rhythm described above, with First Communions gathered across the ACC in the spring. Marriages and Baptisms are scheduled in coordination with the pastor, and the Anointing of the Sick is available to the homebound and elderly. Confessions are offered every week on Wednesday and Saturday and by appointment.
- Baptism — contact parish office
- First Communion — celebrated in spring (ACC-wide schedule)
- Confirmation — coordinated through ACC youth program
- Marriage — contact parish office for preparation
- Anointing of the Sick — by request, especially for the homebound
- Reconciliation — Saturday 3:30 PM; Wednesday 8:00 AM; by appointment
- Holy Orders / Religious Life — encouraged through Called & Gifted discernment
Parish Life & Fundraisers
St. James maintains a lively small-parish culture of gathering and hospitality. Annual events include a Lenten Salad Buffet Supper and a Spring Plant & Bake Sale, both of which bring together multiple generations of parishioners and friends from the surrounding countryside. First Communion Masses, Memorial Day Masses, and ACC-wide celebrations further knit the parish into the wider Disciples of the Mission community.
- Salad Buffet Supper (held in April)
- Plant & Bake Sale (May)
- First Communion Masses (spring, rotating across ACC parishes)
- Memorial Day Mass (rotates among ACC parishes)
- Volunteer Appreciation event
- Corpus Christi Processions
Stewardship & Online Giving
The parish supports its mission and facilities through regular collections, the annual fundraisers described above, and an Online Giving (OLG) program that allows parishioners to make secure electronic contributions directly from a checking, savings, or credit-card account. Online giving is offered as a convenient complement — not a replacement — for the parish's traditional stewardship of time, talent, and treasure.
- Online Giving (OLG) — secure recurring or one-time gifts
- Parish Trustees: Denny Floersch and Dennis Fagerstrom
- Annual Salad Buffet Supper fundraiser
- Annual Plant & Bake Sale fundraiser
- Parish house relocated in 2002 to better serve parish needs
The Disciples of the Mission Area Catholic Community (ACC)
St. James is one of seven rural parishes that form the Disciples of the Mission Area Catholic Community in the Diocese of Saint Cloud: Our Lady of the Lake (Battle Lake), St. James (Maine Township/Underwood), St. Edward (Henning), St. Ann (Brandon), Our Lady of Seven Dolors (Millerville), Sacred Heart (Urbank), and St. William (Parkers Prairie). Together the ACC shares a combined bulletin, website, MyParish App, ACC Pastoral Council, youth director, faith formation programming, and an annual community-wide Mass. Fr. Jeremy Theis and Fr. George Michael VC are the priests currently named on the ACC contacts page.
- Our Lady of the Lake — Battle Lake
- St. James — Maine Township / Underwood
- St. Edward — Henning
- St. Ann — Brandon
- Our Lady of Seven Dolors — Millerville
- Sacred Heart — Urbank
- St. William — Parkers Prairie
- Combined bulletin and ACC website
- MyParish App for ACC events and announcements
- Common ACC prayer and ACC Pastoral Council
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James Hilbert1875–1877
Visiting priest from St. Joseph, Richville
- Rev. Othmar Erren, OSB1878–1879
- Rev. Joseph Buh1879–1883
From St. Joseph, Richville
- Rev. Joseph Boever1883–1885
First to list 26 families on the parish register
- Rev. Francis Vatry1886
- Rev. Sebastian Schels1887–1889
- Rev. William Lange1889–1892
- Rev. William Wilkins1892
From St. Joseph, Richville
- Rev. Ignatius Tomazin1893–1897
First assigned non-resident pastor of St. James
- Rev. Charles Pfeiffer1897–1898
- Rev. Anton Arzt1898
- Rev. Emil J. Steinach1899
- Rev. Francis Britcher1899–1902
- Rev. Mathias Butala1903
- Rev. Francis Welp1904
- Rev. Vincent Weigand1904–1905
- Rev. Joseph Ambauen1905–1914
- Rev. William Van Dinter, OSC1914–1915
- Rev. Hildebrand Zoeller1915–1919
- Rev. John Widenborg1919–1925
First resident pastor; built the parish house; also served Foxhome as a mission
- Rev. Nicholas P. Junker1925–1930
- Rev. James Mohm1930–1945
15-year tenure; beautified grounds and wired church and rectory
- Rev. William Kloeckner1945–1949
First pastor with a car — a garage was built for him
- Rev. Henry Hirsch1950–1952
- Rev. Louis A. Telegdy, C.PP.S.1953
Missionary priest of the Precious Blood
- Rev. Fr. (C.PP.S.)1953 onward
After 1954, pastor also served newly founded Our Lady of the Lake, Battle Lake
- Rev. Heman B. Herbst, C.PP.S.late 1950s
- Rev. Daniel E. Schaefer, C.PP.S.1962–1965
- Rev. Leo Weigel, C.PP.S.1960–1962
- Rev. David Dougherty, C.PP.S.1965–1970
- Rev. Richard Steinemann, C.PP.S.1970–1985
- Rev. David Maciej1985–1990
- Rev. Paul Folsom1990s
- Rev. Robert Kieffer1993
- Rev. Jeremy Theispresent (ACC pastor)
Listed as pastor of Our Lady of Seven Dolors within the same ACC
- Fr. George Michael VCpresent
Current pastor of the Our Lady of the Lake / St. James / St. Edward cluster