About St. Louis Bertrand · Foreston, Minnesota
St. Louis Bertrand is a small Catholic parish in the rural community of Foreston, Minnesota, founded around 1886 by local Catholic families led by Mr. A.F. Panchot. The parish is part of the Diocese of St. Cloud and today operates within a clustered Area Catholic Community — formerly the 'Four Pillars in Faith' ACC and now known as St. Joseph, Pillar of Families Parish — that links it with St. Mary's in Milaca, St. Kathryn's in Ogilvie, and St. Mary's in Mora. The parish counts roughly 149 families / 216 registered members, gathers for weekend Mass on Saturday evenings, and is well known regionally for its near-perpetual Eucharistic Adoration at the dedicated St. Anne's Chapel in Foreston. Its patron is St. Louis Bertrand, the 16th-century Spanish Dominican missionary to South America, whose feast is observed on October 9.
- Established
- 1886
- Patron
- St. Louis Bertrand, O.P.
- Rector
- Father Timothy Gapinski
- Diocese
- Diocese of St. Cloud
Why belong here
St. Louis Bertrand offers the warmth of a small rural Catholic parish with the spiritual riches of a much larger community: Saturday evening Mass, a deep faith-formation program led by a long-tenured director, a dedicated music ministry, and one of the area's most distinctive treasures — near-perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in the dedicated St. Anne's Chapel, Monday morning through Saturday morning. Active lay groups such as the St. Louis Christian Women organize parish life and outreach, and the parish's clustering with neighboring communities gives it shared youth programming, retreats, socials, and a combined bulletin that keeps everyone connected across the ACC.
Mass times at St. Louis Bertrand
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- First Saturday: 8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. (at St. Mary's, Milaca, ACC-wide)
Adoration times
- St. Anne's Chapel, Foreston: Monday 8:00 a.m. through Saturday 7:00 a.m. (near-perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament)
Parish History & Founding
St. Louis Bertrand traces its origins to about 1886, when Mr. A.F. Panchot rallied scattered Catholic families in the Foreston area to build a church. He donated much of his own labor as a carpenter, and the small frame church with attached sacristy went up on land given by a non-Catholic neighbor, Mr. Jens Olson. Father Broidy, then working out of a Princeton mission, is said to have offered the first Mass in the new building. The parish grew slowly but steadily, receiving its first resident pastor — Father Kral, appointed by Bishop Trobec — in 1914, and adding a substantial parish hall in 1955.
- c. 1886 — Mr. A.F. Panchot conceives and largely builds the first church
- First Mass offered by Father Broidy (Princeton mission)
- 1914 — Father Kral becomes first resident pastor (appointed by Bishop Trobec)
- 1955 — substantial parish hall built for societies, meetings, and religious instruction
Patron Saint: St. Louis Bertrand, O.P.
The parish's patron is St. Louis Bertrand (1526–1581), a Spanish Dominican friar known as the 'Apostle of South America' for his missionary preaching in New Granada (present-day Colombia and Panama). Born in Valencia, Spain, he entered the Dominican Order, served as a master of novices and a renowned preacher in Spain, and spent several years as a missionary in South America, where he reportedly mastered indigenous languages and worked among enslaved peoples. He was beatified by Pope Paul V in 1608 and canonized by Pope Clement X in 1671. His feast day in the Roman calendar is October 9, and he is patron of Buñol, New Granada, and Colombia. He is typically depicted with a chalice containing a serpent.
- Dominican friar, missionary, 'Apostle of South America'
- Feast day: October 9
- Patron of Buñol, New Granada, and Colombia
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is served by a small, dedicated staff that reflects the personal scale of the community. The pastor, Father Timothy Gapinski, was assigned to the ACC in 2023 and also oversees St. Mary's Milaca, St. Kathryn's Ogilvie, and St. Mary's Mora. Deacon Ken Rosha assists across the ACC; his wife Michele works as a hospice chaplain at St. Gabriel Hospital in Little Falls. Rita Olson has directed Faith Formation and RCIA since 2016 and has coordinated Adoration at St. Anne's Chapel since 1998. Amy Udermann, herself a returned St. Louis Bertrand parishioner, serves as Parish Associate. Hannah Miller — a University of Mary graduate in Sacred Music (2021) — directs music for the whole ACC. Peggy Boyle handles the cleaning and sanitizing of the church buildings.
- Father Timothy Gapinski — Pastor (assigned 2023; ordained 2014; Army veteran)
- Deacon Ken Rosha — Deacon (ACC-wide)
- Rita Olson — Director of Faith Formation / RCIA (since 2016; Adoration coordinator since 1998)
- Amy Udermann — Parish Associate (joined 2018)
- Hannah Miller — Music Director, ACC (University of Mary, Sacred Music 2021)
- Peggy Boyle — Custodian
Faith Formation & School
Faith Formation at St. Louis Bertrand is offered as a 'Lifelong Faith Formation' program spanning Pre-K through adult, with classes for all grades held at St. Mary's, Milaca — reflecting the cluster's shared approach to religious education. The Director of Faith Formation also coordinates RCIA for adults seeking full initiation into the Catholic Church. The parish is a contributing member of St. John's Area School in Foley, which serves students in Pre-K through 6th grade. Youth are also engaged through NET Lifeline retreats and speakers, joint Confirmation preparation across the ACC, and ACC-wide young-adult programming.
- Lifelong Faith Formation — Pre-K through adult (classes at St. Mary's, Milaca)
- RCIA — directed by Rita Olson
- St. John's Area School, Foley — Pre-K through 6th grade (contributing member parish)
- NET Lifeline youth events (e.g., January 2026 speaker visit)
- Joint Confirmation preparation across ACC parishes
Music & Liturgical Life
Music ministry across the ACC is led by Hannah Miller, who came to the role after graduating in 2021 from the University of Mary with a degree in Sacred Music. A native of Browerville, MN, she grew up playing for Mass from age 12 and brings skills on piano, violin, organ, voice, and guitar. The parish also marks First Saturdays with a special rhythm of Confessions (8:00 a.m.), public Rosary (8:30 a.m.), Mass (9:00 a.m.), and First Saturday Devotions following Mass, all held at St. Mary's, Milaca, as an ACC-wide act of Marian devotion. Eucharistic processions have been held on Corpus Christi at St. Mary's Milaca and St. Mary's Mora, deepening the cluster's Eucharistic spirituality.
- Music Director: Hannah Miller (ACC-wide)
- First Saturday Devotions — Rosary, Mass, and devotions at St. Mary's, Milaca
- Corpus Christi Eucharistic processions at St. Mary's Milaca and St. Mary's Mora
Parish Organizations & Community Life
Lay leadership is a defining feature of life at St. Louis Bertrand. The St. Louis Christian Women is the parish women's organization, dedicated to supporting all parish women in spirituality, leadership, and service, sponsoring parish activities and providing time and financial resources to parish, mission, and community needs. Across the broader ACC, parishioners enjoy a combined bulletin and directory, Saturday dinners in Foreston, Sunday socials in Mora and Milaca, Lenten soup dinners in Ogilvie, and joint retreats and confirmations — practical expressions of the ACC's stated mission to 'know, love, and serve God through prayer, education, hospitality, stewardship, and evangelization.'
- St. Louis Christian Women (parish women's organization)
- Combined ACC bulletin and directory
- Saturday dinners in Foreston; Sunday socials in Mora and Milaca; Lenten soup dinners in Ogilvie
- Stewardship and evangelization committees
Four Pillars in Faith ACC / St. Joseph, Pillar of Families Parish
St. Louis Bertrand is one of four parishes in what is now called St. Joseph, Pillar of Families Parish, formerly the 'Four Pillars in Faith' Area Catholic Community. The cluster links St. Louis Bertrand (Foreston), St. Mary's (Milaca), St. Kathryn's (Ogilvie), and St. Mary's (Mora) — together totaling roughly 1,162 Catholics in 582 families across the rural Kanabec and Mille Lacs counties. The ACC shares a pastor, music director, faith formation staff, and bulletin, and collaborates on stewardship, Eucharistic Revival initiatives, youth ministry, and outreach. St. Louis Bertrand itself reports 149 families and 216 members within the cluster.
- Parish cluster: St. Louis Bertrand (Foreston), St. Mary's (Milaca), St. Kathryn's (Ogilvie), St. Mary's (Mora)
- Total ACC membership: ~1,162 Catholics / 582 families
- St. Louis Bertrand: 149 families / 216 members
- Shared pastor, music director, faith formation staff, and combined bulletin
Visit, Contact & Getting Involved
Visitors and parishioners alike are warmly welcomed at St. Louis Bertrand. The parish office can be reached at (320) 294-5460 or [email protected]; the mailing address is PO Box 128, 187 First Street South, Foreston, MN 56330. Mass is celebrated Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and on Wednesdays at 7:00 a.m. (Apr–Sep) or 8:00 a.m. (Oct–Mar), with First Saturday devotions held jointly at St. Mary's, Milaca. Adoration at St. Anne's Chapel runs continuously from Monday morning through Saturday morning. Those interested in getting involved can connect through the St. Louis Christian Women, the Faith Formation team, the music ministry, or the parish's joint ACC committees on stewardship, youth engagement, communications, and outreach.
- Phone: (320) 294-5460
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: 187 First St. S, PO Box 128, Foreston, MN 56330
- Website: http://www.fourpillarsinfaith.org/
- Ways to get involved: Christian Women, Faith Formation, music ministry, ACC committees
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Broidy1886 – c. 1914
Said to have offered the first Mass in the new Foreston church while based at the Princeton mission; the parish was not yet resident-staffed.
- Father Kral1914 –
Appointed by Bishop Trobec as the first resident pastor of St. Louis Bertrand Church in 1914.
- Father Timothy Gapinski2023 – present
Current pastor of the Four Pillars in Faith ACC / St. Joseph, Pillar of Families Parish. Ordained a priest for the Diocese of St. Cloud in 2014; previously pastor of St. Michael, St. Cloud and St. Joseph, Waite Park, and parochial vicar at St. Anthony, Holy Spirit, and St. John Cantius in St. Cloud. Served ~5.5 years in the U.S. Army with a 16-month deployment to Iraq before entering seminary at St. Paul Seminary / St. John Vianney Seminary.