About St. Raphael · Springfield, Minnesota
St. Raphael Catholic Church is a Catholic parish in Springfield, Minnesota, serving the southern Minnesota town of Springfield and the surrounding Brown County farming community. It is part of the Diocese of New Ulm and, together with St. Joseph in Lamberton and the Oratory of St. Thomas in Sanborn, forms the Vine & Branches Area Faith Community, which is shepherded by a single pastor and shared staff. The parish hosts weekend Masses at the church at 20 W. Van Dusen Street, operates St. Raphael Catholic School (PreK–6), and runs a full faith formation program for ages 3 through grade 12.
- Established
- 1874
- Patron
- St. Raphael the Archangel
- Rector
- Father Jeremy Kucera
- Diocese
- Diocese of New Ulm
Why belong here
St. Raphael offers a true small-town Catholic life: Saturday evening and Sunday morning Mass, Saturday confession, a PreK–6 Catholic school on the same campus, and a full faith formation program that runs from the Atrium (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for ages 3 through grade 1) all the way through Confirmation preparation in 11th grade. The parish shares clergy and staff through the Vine & Branches Area Faith Community — meaning you get a tight-knit parish at 20 W. Van Dusen with the wider reach of two neighboring parishes under one pastor. There is a Council of Catholic Women, RCIA, an Administrative Council and Education Committee, a school with tuition assistance, and a weekly weekday Mass at Valley View Nursing Home.
Mass times at St. Raphael
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM – 5:15 PM at St. Raphael
Parish Identity & Diocese
St. Raphael Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of New Ulm in southern Minnesota. It belongs to the Vine & Branches Area Faith Community, which also includes St. Joseph Parish in Lamberton and the Oratory of St. Thomas in Sanborn, all served by a single pastor (currently Father Jeremy Kucera). The parish's stated mission is to bear lasting fruit by celebrating the Eucharist and sacraments, proclaiming Catholic faith as disciples of Jesus, welcoming all people, and living the teaching and service of the Church.
- Diocese of New Ulm
- Vine & Branches Area Faith Community (with St. Joseph, Lamberton, and St. Thomas Oratory, Sanborn)
- Pastor: Father Jeremy Kucera
History of St. Raphael Parish
St. Raphael was founded as a Catholic mission in 1874 by the pioneering New Ulm priest Rev. Alexander Berghold, who built the first small frame church and served the German-Catholic farming families of the area. The mission was later shepherded from Sleepy Eye by Fathers Tori and B. Sandrege, then received its first resident pastor in Father Hare. Successive pastors through the early 1900s — Stultz, Boland, Rollinger, Hass, Wirth, Gemeiner, Fey, Rant, and Gmeiner — built the parish's buildings and institutions, including the parsonage (Hass), the school (Wirth, with the Sisters of St. Francis of Rochester), and the present Romanesque church (Fey). Among them, Rev. John Gmeiner (pastor 1902–1908) is remembered as a gifted amateur photographer whose glass negatives are preserved in the Minnesota Digital Library.
- Founded 1874 by Rev. Alexander Berghold of New Ulm
- First resident pastor: Father Hare
- Romanesque church built by Rev. H. P. Fey
- Rev. John Gmeiner served 1902–1908
- Pioneer families: Ray, Ryan, Gamble, Lehrer, Foy, Thurbis, Pascher, Schmid, and many others
St. Raphael Catholic School
St. Raphael Catholic School is Springfield's first parochial school, established in 1900 on property just east of the church on Van Dusen Street. It currently serves preschool through 6th grade on the parish campus under Principal Beth Steffl. Its mission is "to nurture a deeper relationship with Jesus while delivering an excellent education for all students," educating each child spiritually, academically, emotionally, physically, culturally, and socially. The school offers tuition assistance through an Adopt-A-Student Scholarship Program for grades K–6 and bus transportation through Superior Transportation.
- Established 1900 — Springfield's first parochial school
- Celebrated 125th anniversary in 2025
- PreK–6th grade
- Principal: Beth Steffl
- K–6 tuition (2025–26): $2,400/year
- Adopt-A-Student Scholarship Program
- Superior Transportation bus service for K–6
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation at St. Raphael is run through the parish and shared across the Vine & Branches Area Faith Community. The program is directed by Karen Reindl and offers a range of options to suit different ages and learning styles — the core content is the same at every grade level. Sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist takes place in 2nd grade (Reconciliation typically in January; First Eucharist the first Sunday in May), and Confirmation preparation begins in 11th grade, with the AFC Confirmation Retreat bringing the parishes together.
- Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (Atrium) for ages 3 through 1st grade
- Faith Formation classes for grades 1–12
- First Reconciliation (2nd grade, typically January)
- First Eucharist (2nd grade, first Sunday in May)
- Confirmation preparation begins in 11th grade
- RCIA for adults
- Confirmation Retreat (Area Faith Community-wide)
Parish Staff & Leadership
Parish staffing is shared across the Area Faith Community. Father Jeremy Kucera is pastor; Deacon Barry Reindl assists. Karen Reindl serves as the Faith Formation Director, Greg Roiger as bookkeeper, and a Principal leads the school. The parish is also served by a Parish Secretary, a Food Service Manager, and a Maintenance Supervisor, and is governed by an Administrative Council and an Education Committee.
- Father Jeremy Kucera — Pastor
- Deacon Barry Reindl
- Karen Reindl — Faith Formation Director ([email protected])
- Greg Roiger — Bookkeeper (507-828-5247)
- Beth Steffl — School Principal
- Parish Secretary, Food Service Manager, Maintenance Supervisor
- Administrative Council members (Paul Pieschel, President; Dan Hillesheim, Vice President; Judy Lipetzky, Kahla Petersen — Secretary; Donna Woidylla; Scott Cowan; Kristina McVicker, etc.)
- Education Committee (Cody Milbrath, Chairperson; Julia Beyer, Secretary)
Council of Catholic Women
The Council of Catholic Women (patterned on St. Anne) is one of the parish's main lay organizations. Its mission is to help women of the parish recognize and share their God-given talents in service to the parish and broader community, with a Spirituality Commission, Leadership Commission, Scholarship Commission, a Reverence for Life Committee, a Cheer & Hospitality Committee, and a Service Commission.
- Patron: Saint Anne
- President: Denise Reiner
- Vice President: OPEN
- Secretary: Julia Beyer
- Treasurer: Donna Krueger
- Spirituality Commission: Beth Sturm
- Leadership Commission: Sarah Boettger and Mariah Pietig
- Scholarship Commission: Maureen Miesen
- Reverence for Life: Katie Dauer
- Cheer & Hospitality: Sharon Ferdinandt
- Service Commission: OPEN
Visiting & Contact
The parish office and the pastor's office share the school building at 20 West Van Dusen Avenue. During school hours the doors are locked for safety, so visitors are asked to ring the doorbell; a locked drop box is in the hallway just outside the school doors for quick drop-offs. The parish phone is (507) 723-4137; Father Jeremy can also be reached at (507) 828-5247. The parish is part of the Vine & Branches AFC, which shares a website at vineandbranchesafc.org covering St. Raphael, St. Joseph (Lamberton), and the Oratory of St. Thomas (Sanborn).
- Address: 20 W. Van Dusen Ave, Springfield, MN 56087
- Parish phone: 507-723-4137
- Father Jeremy's direct line: 507-828-5247
- Faith Formation email: [email protected]
- Vine & Branches AFC website: www.vineandbranchesafc.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Alexander Berghold1874–
Pioneer priest of New Ulm who began the Springfield mission and built the first small frame church.
- Father Tori and Father B. Sandrege
Attended to Springfield's spiritual needs from Sleepy Eye after the mission was attached to that parish.
- Father Hare
First resident pastor of St. Raphael.
- Fathers Stultz, Boland, Rollinger, Hass, Wirth, Gemeiner
Successive early pastors per Brown County history. Rev. Leopold Hass built the parsonage. Rev. A. Wirth established the parochial school in the care of the Sisters of St. Francis of Rochester.
- Rev. H. P. Fey
Built the present Romanesque church, which cost roughly $50,000.
- Rev. F. S. Rant
Pastor at the time of the Brown County history write-up; overseeing plans for a new modern parsonage and school expansion.
- Rev. John Gmeiner1902–1908
Author, lecturer, scientist, and photographer whose glass-negative images of the parish and community are preserved in the Minnesota Digital Library.
- Father Jeremy Kucerabegan June 27 (recent)
Current pastor; grew up on a dairy farm near Silver Lake, MN; Catholic Studies at University of St. Thomas (with semester at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome); Master of Divinity from the University of St. Thomas.