About St. John the Baptist · Melrose, Minnesota
St. John the Baptist is a small Roman Catholic parish in the unincorporated village of Meire Grove (postal address Melrose, MN 56352), part of the One In Faith Area Catholic Community in the Diocese of St. Cloud. The parish is one of the oldest in the area, founded in 1858 by Benedictine missionaries from Saint John's Abbey, Collegeville, and serves a farming community of largely German-American heritage. It is pastored as a cluster with neighboring parishes (St. Mary in Melrose, St. Andrew, and St. Michael) by Father Mitchell Bechtold, with Mass currently celebrated on Wednesdays and Sunday mornings.
- Established
- 1858
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Rev. Mitchell Bechtold (Pastor of the One In Faith Area Catholic Community)
- Diocese
- Diocese of St. Cloud
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist offers a deeply rooted, multigenerational Catholic community in the heart of central Minnesota's German-Catholic farming country, with weekly Mass and a quiet Monday-morning rosary tradition at the historic 1924 church. As part of One In Faith, parishioners benefit from shared clergy, faith formation, music, Hispanic ministry, and a parish school (St. John's / St. Andrew's), while keeping their own parish identity, societies, cemetery committee, and leadership council. Visitors and newcomers are welcomed into a parish whose 167-year history — its Corpus Christi procession, its centennial-vintage church, and its pioneering band — still shapes daily life in Meire Grove.
Mass times at St. John the Baptist
Weekly Mass schedule
History & Heritage
St. John the Baptist Parish was founded in the fall of 1858 by Benedictine Father Clement Staub, who celebrated the first Mass on a carpenter's bench for German Catholic settlers in what would become Meire Grove. The community traces its name to the Meyer family from Holdorf, Oldenburg, Germany; widow Elizabeth Meyer and her sons arrived from New Vienna, Iowa around 1857. Over the decades the parish grew from a log cabin church to a frame church (1872) to a grand Gothic Revival brick church designed by Father Meinulf Stuckenkemper and built in 1886 with bricks from the Imdieke Brickyard. That 1886 building was destroyed in a February 1923 blizzard and rebuilt on the same foundation; the present church had its first Mass on October 7, 1924, and marked its centennial with Abbot Doug Mullen presiding on October 6, 2024.
- Founded 1858 — first Mass celebrated by Benedictine Fr. Clement Staub, O.S.B.
- Gothic Revival brick church designed 1885, dedicated July 20, 1886 by Bishop Trobec
- Destroyed in the February 1923 blizzard; rebuilt on same foundation
- Current church first Mass: October 7, 1924
- Centennial Mass: October 6, 2024, presided by Abbot Doug Mullen, O.S.B.
One In Faith Area Catholic Community
St. John the Baptist is one of four parishes in the One In Faith Area Catholic Community, joined in 2011 with St. Mary's (Melrose), St. Andrew (Greenwald), and St. Michael (Spring Hill). The cluster shares pastoral leadership, faith formation staff, music and liturgy, Hispanic ministry, and a parish office at 755 Kraft Drive SE, Melrose. Weekend Masses rotate across the four parishes and the wider One In Faith area (New Munich, Freeport, St. Rosa).
- Cluster formed in 2011
- Pastor: Fr. Mitchell Bechtold
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. Oswaldo Roche
- Parish Office: 755 Kraft Drive SE, Melrose, MN 56352 — (320) 256-4207
- Office hours: Mon–Thu 8 a.m.–3 p.m.; Fri 8 a.m.–12 p.m.
Mass & Service Schedule
St. John the Baptist celebrates Mass on Wednesday mornings and on Sunday mornings as part of the One In Faith weekend rotation. The parish also hosts a community rosary every Monday morning at 7:00 AM in the church — a long-standing devotional tradition. Weekend Mass times in the broader area include Saturday 4 p.m. at New Munich, 5 p.m. at Melrose, and 4 p.m. at Greenwald; Sunday 8 a.m. at Meire Grove and Freeport, 10 a.m. at St. Rosa and Spring Hill, 9 a.m. (livestreamed) and 11:30 a.m. Spanish Mass at Melrose.
- Wednesday 8:00 AM Mass
- Sunday 8:00 AM Mass
- Monday 7:00 AM Rosary at St. John's, Meire Grove
- When there is a funeral in Greenwald, Meire Grove or Spring Hill, there will be no morning Mass that day in any of the three parishes.
Clergy & Staff
The parish and cluster are served by two priests and three deacons, supported by a parish administrator, bookkeeper, director of music & liturgy, and director of faith formation & youth ministry. The parish also benefits from a cluster-wide parish nurse, custodians for the Melrose and Greenwald sites, and a large lay leadership council for each parish.
- Fr. Mitchell Bechtold — Pastor — (320) 256-9512
- Fr. Oswaldo Roche — Parochial Vicar — (320) 256-9513
- Deacon Ernie Kociemba — Adult Sacramental Preparation (Baptism, Marriage, RCIA)
- Deacon Jorge Carrillo
- Deacon Jesus Hernández
- Pam Pundsack — Parish Administrator — (320) 256-9503
- Katie Roerick — Bookkeeper — (320) 256-9502
- Sarah Woeste — Director of Music & Liturgy — (320) 256-9516
- Mark Kociemba — Director of Faith Formation & Youth Ministry
- Parish Nurse: Darlene Schoenberg (Church of St. Michael)
- Custodians: Roger Althaus & Matt Grossinger (Melrose); Harold Rademacher (Greenwald)
Parish Leadership at St. John the Baptist
The parish maintains its own leadership council, finance committee, and several standing committees. Officers listed as of August 2025 lead the parish's spiritual, financial, and maintenance life and send representatives to the cluster's Leadership Council.
- Parish Council President: Doug Meyer
- Vice President: Karen Meyer
- Trustee / Treasurer: Nick Kelzer
- Trustee / Secretary: Char Meyer
- Finance: Tom Loxtercamp, Brenda Nathe
- St. John's Society: Rita Meyer, Dean Meyer, Tim Meyer, Geralyn Primus, Abby Zenzen
- Poor Souls Society: Ray Schneider
- Catholic United Financial chapter: Cindy Schneider (Pres.), Gloria Schneider (V.P.), Linda Schneider (Sec.), Emily Schneider (Fraternal Sec.), Kathy Illies (Treas.)
- Cemetery Committee: Jerry Imdieke, Jim Leukam
- Maintenance Committee: Jerry Imdieke, Tom Loxtercamp
- Environmental / Recycling: Amber Bueckers
- Public Relations: Jen Wilson, Amber Bueckers, Kathy Gilk
- School Board: Adam Kalthoff (Pres.), Kathy Gilk (V.P.), Kate Kelzer (Sec.)
Sacraments & Faith Formation
Baptism, Marriage, and RCIA (Becoming Catholic / OCIA) preparation for adults is coordinated cluster-wide by Deacon Ernie Kociemba. Faith Formation and Youth Ministry for the parishes is directed by Mark Kociemba. Parents preparing children for First Eucharist and Confirmation work through the parish Faith Formation program.
- Baptism preparation — Deacon Ernie Kociemba
- Marriage preparation — Deacon Ernie Kociemba
- RCIA / OCIA — Deacon Ernie Kociemba
- Faith Formation & Youth Ministry — Mark Kociemba
- Contact: (320) 256-4207
Music, Liturgy & Devotions
Liturgical music across the cluster is led by Sarah Woeste, Director of Music & Liturgy. The most distinctive devotional at St. John the Baptist itself is the Monday-morning rosary at 7:00 AM, which is held every week in the church.
- Director of Music & Liturgy: Sarah Woeste
- Monday 7:00 AM Rosary at St. John's, Meire Grove
Parish Societies & Outreach
St. John the Baptist sustains a strong lay-society culture rooted in its German-Catholic immigrant past. The St. John's Society and Poor Souls Society organize parish events and prayers, while Catholic United Financial provides fraternal insurance and financial support for parish and school projects.
- St. John's Society
- Poor Souls Society
- Catholic United Financial (CUF) local chapter
Cemetery
The Saint John's Cemetery, established alongside the early church, holds monuments honoring pioneer families such as the Meyers and preserves the legacy of the 19th-century German immigrant founders. The Cemetery Committee oversees its ongoing care.
- Cemetery Committee: Jerry Imdieke, Jim Leukam
Architecture & Building History
Father Meinulf Stuckenkemper chose Gothic Revival for the 1886 church, a deliberate expression of German-Catholic identity, and contracted the local Imdieke Brickyard to fire the bricks. After that structure was lost in the catastrophic February 1923 blizzard, the parish rebuilt on the same foundation; the resulting 1924 building still stands and was honored at its 100-year anniversary Mass in October 2024.
- Style: Gothic Revival
- Builder of 1886 brick church: Imdieke Brickyard of Meire Grove
- Current building: rebuilt 1924 on 1886 foundation
Visit & Contact
St. John the Baptist is located in Meire Grove, just south of Melrose on Minnesota State Highway 4. From I-94 West, take Hwy. 4 South to Meire Grove; the church is on the left at the first exit past Melrose. The parish office for the One In Faith cluster is at 755 Kraft Drive SE in Melrose and can be reached at (320) 256-4207 Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Friday 8:00 a.m. to noon. The parish Prayer Line is (320) 256-3746.
- Address: 20 State Hwy. 4 S, Meire Grove, Melrose, MN 56352
- Parish phone: (320) 987-3205
- Cluster office: (320) 256-4207
- Prayer Line: (320) 256-3746
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Clement Staub, O.S.B.1858
Benedictine from Saint John's Abbey, Collegeville; celebrated the first Mass on a carpenter's bench in the fall of 1858.
- Rev. Paul Rettenmeier, O.S.B.
First pastor of St. Boniface in Melrose (served the broader community from St. John's Abbey).
- Rev. Meinulf Stuckenkemper
Designed and built the 1886 Gothic Revival brick church, commissioning bricks from the local Imdieke Brickyard.