About St. John Nepomucene · Winona, Minnesota
St. John Nepomucene was a Roman Catholic parish in Winona, Minnesota, located on East Broadway in the city's historic East End neighborhood. Founded to serve the Bohemian (Czech) immigrant community of Winona, the parish shared much of its operational life with its East-End neighbor, the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka, even sharing a common website (ssk-sjn.weconnect.com). On July 1, 2025, the Diocese of Winona-Rochester decreed the closure and merger of St. John Nepomucene into the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, citing a 48% decline in Mass attendance in Winona over the prior 15 years and a shortage of priests. The Winona building, designed by prominent local architect Charles G. Maybury in the Gothic Revival style, was retained by the diocese for future repurposing.
- Established
- Late 19th century (parish served East End Bohemian community by at least the 1890s; exact founding date not located in available sources)
- Patron
- St. John Nepomucene (Czech national saint and martyr, patron of Bohemia, invoked against floods and slander)
- Rector
- Most recently served by Fr. Michael Churchill (assisting at the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka and Cathedral of the Sacred Heart following the 2025 merger); Fr. Patrick Arens has served as pastor of the merged Basilica/Cathedral cluster.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Winona-Rochester
Why belong here
St. John Nepomucene was a small, historically Bohemian-American parish in the heart of Winona's East End, sharing its pastor, staff, website, and contact information with the neighboring Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka (a National Register–listed Polish Cathedral-style landmark and Minor Basilica). For decades it offered a quiet, traditional worship setting rooted in the East Broadway immigrant Catholic community. As of mid-2025 the parish was closed and merged into the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka, so new parishioners are now directed to that parish, to the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, or to St. Mary's Parish within the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.
Mass times at St. John Nepomucene
Weekly Mass schedule
History & Founding
St. John Nepomucene was founded in the late 19th century to minister to the Bohemian (Czech) Catholic immigrants of Winona's East End, drawn to the city by jobs in grain-milling, lumber, and the railroads. By the early 1890s it was an established parish on East Broadway; in 1894–95 its church hosted the Polish Catholic congregation of nearby St. Stanislaus Kostka while their original sanctuary was demolished and the present Basilica was constructed. The parish was built around a Gothic Revival church designed by the prominent Winona firm of Charles G. Maybury & Son — the same architects responsible for the 1895 Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka, the Sacred Heart–St. Wenceslaus Church in Pine Creek, Wisconsin, and many other southeast Minnesota churches, schools, and public buildings.
- Founded to serve Winona's Bohemian (Czech) Catholic immigrant community
- Designed by C.G. Maybury & Son in Gothic Revival style
- Hosted St. Stanislaus Kostka parishioners during 1894–95 Basilica construction
- Closed and merged into the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish on July 1, 2025
The 2025 Closure
In May 2025, Vicar General Fr. Will Thompson informed the parish's lay leadership that the Diocese of Winona-Rochester intended to close St. John Nepomucene along with the West-End Polish parish of St. Casimir. A formal Decree of Relegation was issued, and a closing Mass was celebrated in mid-July 2025. As of July 1, 2025, the parish was officially merged into the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish. The diocese cited a 36% decline in overall diocesan Mass attendance over the previous 15 years (and an even sharper 48% decline in Winona), with weekly attendance at St. John Nepomucene of only about 50 people, combined with a thinning ranks of diocesan clergy. The diocese retains ownership of the 558 East Broadway church building and is evaluating future repurposing.
- Closure announced in May 2025 by Fr. Will Thompson, Vicar General
- Decree of Relegation issued; effective July 1, 2025
- Closing Mass celebrated in mid-July 2025
- Stated rationale: declining attendance (about 50 weekly Massgoers) and priest shortage
- Merged into the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish
- Building retained by the diocese for future repurposing
Building & Architecture
The St. John Nepomucene church at 558/560 East Broadway was designed by Charles G. Maybury & Son, the most prolific church architects in late-19th-century Winona and southeast Minnesota. Maybury & Son designed in many styles over their careers; for the Bohemian congregation they chose Gothic Revival, complementing the Polish Cathedral / Romanesque style they used two blocks away for the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka. The building stood in a residential stretch of East Broadway and was closely tied to its neighborhood parish community.
- Architect: Charles G. Maybury & Son of Winona
- Style: Gothic Revival
- Location: 558 (parish) / 560 (church) East Broadway, Winona
- Located in the historic East End residential neighborhood near the Mississippi saw mills
Pastoral Care & Sacramental Life
In its final years St. John Nepomucene shared its pastoral staff and sacramental life with the neighboring Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka. A single parish office and a shared website (ssk-sjn.weconnect.com) served both communities, with funeral Masses, weddings, and other sacramental celebrations held at the East Broadway church. After closure in July 2025, parishioners were directed to the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka, the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, or St. Mary's Parish in Winona.
- Sunday Mass celebrated at 8:30 a.m.
- Shared sacramental and pastoral staff with the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka
- Funerals and Christian Burial Masses held at the church through 2025 (e.g. February 2019 funeral for Alice Theis, officiated by Very Rev. Patrick Arens)
Where to Worship Now
Following the July 1, 2025 merger, former St. John Nepomucene parishioners were welcomed into three Winona parishes within the Diocese of Winona-Rochester: the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka (625 E. 4th St.), the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (360 Main St., the diocesan 'mother church'), and St. Mary's Parish (1303 West Broadway).
- Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka — 625 E. 4th St., Winona (Minor Basilica, National Register landmark)
- Cathedral of the Sacred Heart — 360 Main St., Winona (diocesan mother church)
- St. Mary's Parish — 1303 West Broadway, Winona
Visit & Contact
While the parish is closed, the joint office that formerly served St. John Nepomucene and the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka can be reached at the listed phone and email, and the shared parish website remains online.
- Phone: (507) 425-5430
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://ssk-sjn.weconnect.com
- Diocese: Diocese of Winona-Rochester (https://www.dowr.org)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Unknown early pastorsFounded late 19th century through mid-20th century
Pastoral succession in available sources was not documented in detail. The parish was served by successive Bohemian-speaking priests through the early and mid-20th century; specific names were not located in the sources reviewed.
- Fr. Mark McNea
Was serving at the parish in the late 2010s/early 2020s (referenced in coverage of the closing announcements).
- Fr. Patrick Arens
Identified as 'Very Reverend Patrick Arens' in a 2019 funeral notice from the parish; served the parish (and the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka) in the period leading up to closure.
- Fr. Michael ChurchillThrough July 2025 closing
Assisting priest at the parish and at the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka / Cathedral of the Sacred Heart cluster at the time of closure.