About St. Mary · Le Center, Minnesota
St. Mary is a Roman Catholic parish in Le Center, Minnesota, the county seat of Le Sueur County, serving the local community and a growing Latino population in southern Minnesota. The parish was established in 1899 by Irish-descent settlers who had outgrown the older Romansch-language parish of St. Henry three miles to the west, and it has been the English-speaking Catholic heart of the Le Center area ever since. Today St. Mary is a clustered parish sharing clergy and staff with three neighboring Catholic communities — St. Henry, the Church of the Nativity in Cleveland, and the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Marysburg — and offers weekend Mass in both English and Spanish. It belongs to the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
- Established
- 1899
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Rev. Matthew Northenscold (Pastor; appointed parochial administrator May 8, 2025, then pastor June 4, 2026)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Why belong here
St. Mary offers the full sacramental life of a small-town Catholic parish with the warmth and accessibility that comes from its size: weekly Mass in both English and Spanish, two weekly periods of Eucharistic Adoration, and confession twice a week (Tuesday evening and Saturday morning). It shares priests and staff with three neighboring parishes, so the faith community stretches across Le Sueur County and includes faith formation for children and youth, sacramental preparation, a grief-support ministry, home Communion visits, and a parish subscription to FORMED.org for ongoing Catholic formation. For anyone moving into the Le Center area, the parish makes it easy to register, get a child baptized, prepare for marriage, or simply find a quiet hour in adoration in the cry-room chapel.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesdays 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM (St. Mary)
- Saturdays 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM (St. Mary)
- Saturdays 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM (at St. Henry / Immaculate Conception / Nativity — rotates with the Saturday Vigil Mass)
- By appointment — contact Fr. Barsness or Fr. Northenscold
Adoration times
- Tuesdays 5:30 PM – 9:00 PM (in the chapel / cry room at St. Mary)
- Wednesdays 9:30 AM – 9:00 PM (chapel / cry room at St. Mary)
- First Fridays 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM (at Nativity, Cleveland)
- Approximately 15 hours of weekly Adoration at St. Mary's; chapel is closed during a Funeral Mass
History of St. Mary Parish
Le Center was designated the Le Sueur County seat in 1876, and for most of the second half of the 19th century area Catholics attended Mass at St. Henry, a Romansch-language parish three miles to the west. As the Irish-descended population of Le Center grew, the local faithful wanted Mass in English in their own town. St. Mary was established in 1899: the first Mass was celebrated in the public school on June 5, a wood-frame church was completed December 12, and the first pastor was in the rectory by Christmas.
- 1899 — parish established, first Mass June 5 in the public school
- 1899 — wood-frame church completed December 12; first pastor in residence by Christmas
- 1915 — parochial school added, staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph
- 1958 — original wood-frame church replaced by a larger building with Mankato limestone façade, stained glass, and social hall
- 1971 — parish school closes
- 1978 — new parish rectory built
- 2002 — new parish office complex completed
- Cluster formed with St. Henry, Nativity in Cleveland, and Immaculate Conception in Marysburg, sharing clergy and staff
- Spanish Mass added as the area's Latino population grew
Clergy & Staff
St. Mary is currently led by Father Matthew Northenscold, who serves as Pastor of the four-parish cluster and also as a Defender of the Bond on the Archdiocesan Metropolitan Tribunal. He is assisted by an associate pastor, a parochial vicar who serves the Spanish-language community, and a deacon who handles Spanish baptisms.
- Rev. Matthew Northenscold — Pastor; also at Metropolitan Tribunal; appointed Parochial Administrator May 8, 2025, then Pastor June 4, 2026
- Rev. Michael Barsness — Associate Pastor; Sacramental Minister
- Rev. Timothy Norris — Parochial Vicar of St. Wenceslaus (New Prague); Sacramental Minister for Spanish Ministry at St. Mary
- Deacon Adelmo — Baptisms and classes in Spanish
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation at St. Mary prepares children, youth, and adults for the sacraments and for ongoing Catholic life. Preparation for First Communion begins in 2nd grade, Confirmation in grades 9 and 10, and adults can inquire about Confirmation through the pastor. The parish also subscribes to FORMED.org so parishioners can access Catholic video, audio, and e-book formation at home.
- First Communion preparation — 2nd grade
- Confirmation preparation — grades 9 & 10
- Adult Confirmation / RCIA — contact Fr. Matthew
- FORMED.org parish access — register under 'Churches of St Mary and St Henry'
- Faith Formation Assistant & Safe Environment Coordinator on staff
Clustered Parishes & the Wider Catholic Community in Le Sueur County
St. Mary shares its priests, office staff, and lay volunteers with three other Catholic parishes in the area: St. Henry (the historic Romansch parish three miles west of Le Center), the Church of the Nativity in Cleveland, and the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Marysburg. The four-parish cluster publishes bulletins, schedules, and cluster-wide announcements through St. Mary's website, stmarysthenry.org.
- St. Henry (St. Henry, MN) — historic 1859 Romansch parish, 150th anniversary celebrated 2009, sole Sunday Mass 8:00 AM
- Church of the Nativity (Cleveland, MN) — Sunday Mass 8:30 AM
- Church of the Immaculate Conception (Marysburg, MN) — Saturday Vigil 5:00 PM (rotates with Nativity), Sunday Mass 10:30 AM
- Office complex at 27528 Patrick St, Madison Lake, MN 56063 for Nativity / Immaculate Conception
- Cluster priests live together in a home in Le Center, sharing meals and prayer
Pastoral Care, Outreach & Devotions
St. Mary emphasizes visiting the homebound, anointing the seriously ill, and walking with parishioners through grief. The parish also publishes a Spiritual Communion Prayer for those unable to attend Mass, and uses Flocknotes and Facebook to keep the cluster informed.
- Communion Calls to the homebound — Tuesday mornings (Extraordinary Minister) and First Fridays (priest)
- Anointing of the Sick — by appointment, or 651-353-1120 in emergencies
- Last Rites — priests will never refuse, even amid health-related restrictions
- Grief, Hope & Healing — widows' grief-support group, Wednesdays 10:00–11:00 AM, St. Mary Mission Room (contact Marlene Hunt 507-381-1177)
- Scam awareness — priests and staff will never request money or gift cards by text or email
- FORMED.org digital Catholic formation
- Flocknotes parish announcements; Facebook presence
Buildings, Campus & Architecture
The current St. Mary church replaced the original 1899 wood-frame building in 1958 and is distinguished by its Mankato limestone façade and vibrant stained glass windows. A social hall was added with the new church. A new parish rectory was built in 1978, and a new office complex was completed in 2002 to serve the cluster.
- 1958 — current church built (Mankato limestone façade, stained glass, social hall)
- 1978 — new rectory
- 2002 — new office complex
- Chapel / cry room used for weekday Eucharistic Adoration
Getting Involved at St. Mary
Newcomers are welcome. The parish publishes its phone number and After-hours emergency line on the website, and offers a clear path for registering, scheduling baptisms, requesting marriage preparation, signing up for an hour of Eucharistic Adoration, or joining parish communications through Flocknotes and FORMED.org.
- Parish office: 507-357-6633
- After-hours emergency: 651-353-1120
- Adoration sign-up: Gloria 507-317-2839 / Joyce 507-357-4410
- FORMED.org — register under 'Churches of St Mary and St Henry'
- Bulletin announcements and homilies posted on stmarysthenry.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Thomas Margevičiusthrough May 2025
Served as Pastor of the cluster (St. Mary, St. Henry, Nativity, Immaculate Conception); transferred to Holy Spirit in May 2025 appointment cycle.
- Rev. Chris Shofnerapprox. 2016–2018
Assigned in December 2016 to the cluster of Immaculate Conception of Marysburg and Nativity of Cleveland with Fr. James Adams; later served St. Anne's in Le Sueur (appointed 2018).
- Rev. Matthew NorthenscoldMay 2025–present
First assigned as Parochial Administrator of the four-parish cluster on May 8, 2025 (transfer from St. Pius V, Cannon Falls, and St. Joseph, Miesville); named Pastor on June 4, 2026. Also serves on the Metropolitan Tribunal.