About St. Stanislaus Kostka · Bowlus, Minnesota
Church of St. Stanislaus Kostka is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the village of Bowlus in south-central Morrison County, Minnesota, in the Diocese of Saint Cloud. The parish was organized by Polish Catholic settlers in 1909 and its church was dedicated on May 8, 1910 under the patronage of St. Stanislaus Kostka, the young Polish Jesuit novice who died in 1568. Today St. Stanislaus Kostka is one of five parishes that together form the Cross Rock Area Catholic Community (ACC), a rural cluster also comprising Immaculate Conception (Rice), Holy Trinity (Royalton), Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Opole), and Holy Cross (North Prairie). The parish is pastored as part of this ACC, with Father Gregory Sauer serving as pastor of the Cross Rock ACC.
- Established
- 1909
- Patron
- St. Stanislaus Kostka (Polish Jesuit novice, 1550–1568)
- Rector
- Father Gregory Sauer (Pastor of the Cross Rock Area Catholic Community)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saint Cloud
Why belong here
St. Stanislaus Kostka is a close-knit rural parish with deep roots — founded in 1909 by Polish Catholic families who literally built their own church on land donated by the Soo Line Railroad, and still worshipping in the same village over a century later. As part of the Cross Rock Area Catholic Community, parishioners share weekday Mass, Saturday Vigil Mass, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, Reconciliation, faith formation for children and youth, and a strong Social Justice ministry with four neighboring parishes — offering the warmth and intimacy of a small-town parish backed by the resources of a five-parish cluster.
Mass times at St. Stanislaus Kostka
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday 7:30 a.m. – 7:50 a.m. (before the 8:00 a.m. Mass)
- Saturday 6:15 p.m. (before Vigil Mass when scheduled)
- Generally: 1/2 hour before every Mass across the ACC cluster
Adoration times
- Saturday 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (Eucharistic Adoration at St. Stanislaus, Bowlus)
- Monday 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. at All Saints-St. Mary's (cluster-wide)
- Hour of Eucharistic Adoration following daily Mass on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday (cancelled if a funeral occurs)
History of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish
St. Stanislaus Kostka traces its roots to the 1907 founding of the village of Bowlus by the Soo Line Railroad. Polish Catholic settlers organized the parish on May 20, 1909, and on May 8, 1910 Bishop James Trobec dedicated the new church under the patronage of the young Polish Jesuit St. Stanislaus Kostka. The original building seated about 400 and cost $12,475; the red-brick rectory followed in 1913. Over more than a century the parish has continued as a worshipping community, today sharing clergy and programs with four neighboring parishes in the Cross Rock Area Catholic Community.
- May 20, 1909: Catholic citizens meet and decide to build a church
- July 20, 1909: Construction contract awarded to Joseph Marsolek of St. Cloud for $12,475
- May 8, 1910: Church dedicated by Bishop James Trobec; nearly 80 founding families
- October 1910: Father Vincent J. Wotzka becomes the first resident pastor
- 1913: Two-story red-brick rectory built east of the church; still in use
Cross Rock Area Catholic Community (ACC)
St. Stanislaus Kostka is one of five parishes that together form the Cross Rock Area Catholic Community, a rural cluster in the Diocese of Saint Cloud. The ACC shares pastoral leadership — currently Father Gregory Sauer — and pools faith formation, liturgy, and administrative functions so that each small parish can keep its own identity while benefiting from shared resources.
- Immaculate Conception — Rice, MN
- St. Stanislaus — Bowlus, MN
- Holy Trinity — Royalton, MN
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel — Opole, MN
- Holy Cross — North Prairie, MN
- Central Office: 130 1st Ave NE, PO Box 189, Rice, MN 56367 — 320-393-2725
Pastoral Staff & Contacts
Day-to-day parish life at St. Stanislaus is supported by a pastor who serves the entire Cross Rock ACC, a parish secretary, a bookkeeper, a director of religious education, and many lay coordinators for ministries such as liturgical scheduling, prayer lines, and church cleaning.
- Pastor: Father Gregory Sauer (320-584-5484)
- Parish Secretary: Jean Skroch
- Bookkeeper: Patti Krystosek
- Director of Religious Education: Cindy Fussy (584-5982)
- Faith Formation Coordinator: Ann Borash (320-333-9145)
- Liturgical Ministry Scheduler (St. Stanislaus): Margie Benusa (584-5405)
- Prayer Line (St. Stanislaus): Arlene Beniek (584-5235)
- Parish Nurse: Janelle Maciej
- Confirmation Coordinator (ACC): Teresa LeBlanc (420-4576)
Faith Formation & Religious Education
St. Stanislaus offers parish-based religious education for children, with registration each fall for the 25–26 school year. The program is coordinated across the ACC, and Confirmation preparation is offered cluster-wide. The intergenerational GIFT (Generations In Faith Together) program brings families together for shared learning.
- Religious Education Coordinator: Ann Borash
- DRE: Cindy Fussy (584-5982)
- Confirmation preparation (ACC-wide): Teresa LeBlanc (420-4576)
- GIFT — Generations In Faith Together
Ministries & Outreach
Beyond liturgy, St. Stanislaus maintains a strong parish life through prayer, service, and social justice outreach. Volunteers run the parish prayer line, a parish nurse ministry, liturgical ministries (Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Servers), and a seasonal Social Justice fundraiser. The whole parish is invited to a fall Church Cleaning day that prepares the worship space for Advent and Christmas.
- Social Justice Ministry — annual Turkey Bingo fundraiser (November)
- Parish Prayer Line — Arlene Beniek, 584-5235
- Parish Nurse — Janelle Maciej
- Liturgical Ministries — Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Servers
- Church Cleaning — Bob & Jan Maciej, 584-5283
- Totus Tuus Summer Youth Program (June)
- Catholic Summer Book Study (e.g. 'In The School of the Holy Spirit')
Sacraments
Baptism and Marriage are arranged through the parish office; Reconciliation is offered weekly before Mass and on Saturday mornings; First Eucharist is received through the Faith Formation program; Confirmation is prepared cluster-wide. The Anointing of the Sick is available on request.
- Baptism — call the parish office to arrange preparation
- Marriage — call the parish office to arrange preparation
- Reconciliation — Friday 7:30–7:50 a.m.; Saturday 6:15 p.m.; before each Mass
- First Eucharist — through Faith Formation
- Confirmation — ACC-wide preparation
- Anointing of the Sick — available on request
Patron: St. Stanislaus Kostka
The parish takes its name from St. Stanislaus Kostka (1550–1568), a young Polish Jesuit novice of noble birth who died at age 18 in Rome. His purity and zeal for the Eucharist made him a beloved patron of Polish Catholic communities — a fitting spiritual patron for a parish built by Polish pioneers on the Minnesota prairie.
- Born 1550 in Rostkovo, Poland
- Died 1568 in Rome at age 18
- Feast day: November 13
- Patron of Poland, novices, and young people
Visit & Contact
St. Stanislaus Kostka welcomes visitors and newcomers. The church sits on the corner of Main Street and Highway 24 in Bowlus, and parishioners across the Cross Rock ACC can be reached through the central office in Rice or through their parish website.
- Address: 428 Main Street, Bowlus, MN 56314-0008
- Parish phone: (320) 573-2132
- Rectory: 320-584-5313
- Central Office (Rice): 320-393-2725
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.crossrockacc.org/
- Bulletin deadline: Tuesday afternoon, 4:00 p.m.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph C. Janski1909–1910
Organized the new parish from Holy Cross, North Prairie; also secretary to Bishop James Trobec; administered Bowlus until a resident pastor was named.
- Father Vincent J. WotzkaOct 1910 – Aug 1911
First resident pastor; served only ten months; officiated the parish's first burial (Albert Kleszcz) and first marriage.
- Rev. Peter Wollnick, OSBuntil 1914
Administrator of the parish in the early years.
- Rev. Leroy A. Mausappointed 1983
Past pastor at the time the parish history was published (mid-1980s).
- Father Gregory Sauerpresent
Current pastor of the Cross Rock Area Catholic Community that includes St. Stanislaus Kostka.