About St. Thomas · Kent, Minnesota
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church is a small rural parish in Kent, Minnesota, in the heart of the Red River Valley's Wilkin County, part of the Diocese of Saint Cloud. Founded in 1891, the parish serves about 90 households and shares a pastor with nearby St. Mary of the Presentation in Breckenridge and St. Gall in Tintah under a tri-parish arrangement. The present brick church was built in 1916 after the original wooden church burned in a dramatic 1915 fire, and is celebrated for its four altars (three originally from the E. Hackner Company of La Crosse, Wisconsin, plus a fourth built from the old Communion rail) and its stained-glass windows.
- Established
- 1891
- Patron
- St. Thomas Aquinas
- Rector
- Father Leo Moenkedick
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saint Cloud
Why belong here
St. Thomas Aquinas is a small, deeply traditional rural Catholic parish in the heart of Wilkin County's farming community, where families know one another and Mass is celebrated in a historic 1916 brick church with beautiful altars and stained glass. Beyond weekend and weekday Mass, the parish comes alive each fall for its famous Fall Bazaar — a turkey-and-ham dinner tradition that draws visitors from miles around — and it offers a warm, family-friendly Catholic life just 12 miles north of Breckenridge, served alongside neighboring parishes by a dedicated priest.
Mass times at St. Thomas
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity & History
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Kent, Minnesota was founded in 1891 and has served the Catholics of Wilkin County for over 130 years. The first church was destroyed by fire on September 24, 1915, when pastor Father John A. Schritz heroically removed the Blessed Sacrament from the burning building. The current brick church was completed in 1916 at a cost of $23,729.25, with Bishop Joseph F. Busch laying the cornerstone on June 18, 1916. The parish now serves roughly 90 households and is part of a tri-parish cluster with St. Mary of the Presentation in Breckenridge and St. Gall in Tintah.
- Founded: 1891
- Current households: 90
- Cornerstone laid: June 18, 1916 by Bishop Joseph F. Busch
- Original church lost to fire: September 24, 1915
- Pastor at time of fire: Father John A. Schritz
The Church Building & Sanctuary
The 1916 brick church is notable for its sanctuary of four altars and its stained-glass windows. Three of the altars — the main altar with a central crucifix flanked by Mary and St. John, and two side altars dedicated to Mary and St. Joseph — were purchased from the E. Hackner Company of La Crosse, Wisconsin, a leading Catholic furnishings firm of the era that also crafted the matching Communion rail. After Vatican II, when the Communion rail was removed, a local carpenter built a fourth altar from its wood, finished in butternut and natural wood with gold trim; this is the altar at which Sunday Mass is now celebrated. The stained-glass windows include a depiction of St. Cecilia, patron saint of music.
- Style: Brick rural Catholic church (1916)
- Construction cost: $23,729.25
- Altars: Four total (3 from E. Hackner Co., La Crosse; 1 built from old Communion rail)
- Side altars: Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph
- Stained-glass windows include St. Cecilia
Mass & Worship Schedule
St. Thomas Aquinas Church celebrates Mass on Tuesday afternoons at 4:00 p.m. and Sunday mornings at 8:00 a.m. The parish shares its pastor and staff with St. Mary of the Presentation in Breckenridge and St. Gall in Tintah under a tri-parish arrangement, so parishioners are encouraged to watch the bulletin for any changes in Mass times. Weekday Masses for the tri-parish are celebrated at St. Mary's (Wed & Fri 8:00 a.m.) and St. Gall's (Thu 8:00 a.m.).
- Sunday Mass: 8:00 a.m.
- Tuesday Mass: 4:00 p.m.
- Watch bulletin for changes
Parish Staff
Beyond the pastor, the parish and its Breckenridge partner parish share several lay staff members. The office is based out of Breckenridge and is open Monday–Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Father Leo Moenkedick — Pastor
- Nancy Grotluschen — Business Manager
- Kayla Mohs — Youth Group Director
- Tom Haire — Principal (associated with parish school)
- Tim Mohs — Plant Manager
Ministries & Community Life
Although a small parish of about 90 households, St. Thomas Aquinas maintains a robust community life centered on family, farming heritage, and its famous Fall Bazaar. The youth group, under Kayla Mohs, serves the next generation of parishioners, and parishioners pitch in across many volunteer roles — from liturgy to facility upkeep to the bazaar.
- Youth Group
- Fall Bazaar committee and volunteers
- Liturgical ministries
- Maintenance and grounds
The Annual Fall Bazaar
St. Thomas's signature community event is its annual Fall Bazaar, which draws visitors from many miles around. The parish serves 400 to 500 turkey-and-ham dinners with all the trimmings — including mashed potatoes made from up to 250 pounds of potatoes peeled by the men of the parish the day before. The bazaar also features children's games, a country store, and a basket auction, and relies on the entire parish for selling raffle tickets, advertising, shopping, and other preparation.
- Serves 400–500 turkey-and-ham dinners
- Up to 250 lbs of potatoes peeled by parish men the day before
- Children's games, country store, basket auction
- Long-standing rural fundraising tradition
Tri-Parish Cluster: Kent, Breckenridge, and Tintah
St. Thomas Aquinas is part of a tri-parish arrangement with St. Mary of the Presentation in Breckenridge (12 miles to the south) and St. Gall in Tintah (23 miles south of Breckenridge). The three parishes share one pastor — Father Leo Moenkedick — and share staff and bulletins. The parish office is located in Breckenridge. Weekend Masses rotate among the three: Saturday 4:30 p.m. at St. Mary's, Saturday 6:30 p.m. at St. Gall's, and Sunday 8:00 a.m. at St. Thomas.
- Tri-parish pastor: Father Leo Moenkedick
- Office address: 221 4th Street N., Breckenridge, MN 56520
- Office phone: 218-643-5173
- Parish phone (Kent): 218-557-8312
The Diocese & 'All Things New'
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish belongs to the Diocese of Saint Cloud, which covers sixteen counties in central Minnesota and is home to about 120,000 Catholics. Under Bishop Patrick Neary's 'All Things New' pastoral planning initiative, the diocese merged 131 parishes into 48 parish groups to address priest shortages and declining Mass attendance. St. Thomas Church in Kent was reported by EWTN News to be among churches 'used on an infrequent basis' as part of this restructuring, though regular Sunday Mass continues to be celebrated there.
- Diocese: Saint Cloud
- Bishop: Patrick Neary
- Parishes affected by 2024 'All Things New' merger: 131 → 48 parish groups
- Parish reported 'used on an infrequent basis' post-merger
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father John A. Schritzcirca 1915
Pastor during the devastating Sept. 24, 1915 fire; heroically removed the Blessed Sacrament from the burning church and was restrained from re-entering.
- Father Joseph Backowskicirca 2012–2019 (approx.)
Grew up in Little Falls attending Holy Family Parish in Belle Prairie; ordained June 2, 2012; served as parochial vicar for one year at St. Michael in St. Cloud and St. Joseph in Waite Park; then became pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Kent and St. Mary of the Presentation in Breckenridge; named in a 2019 federal lawsuit (State Farm v. Backowski) along with the parish and diocese.
- Father Leo Moenkedick2019–present (approx.)
Currently pastor of St. Mary of the Presentation in Breckenridge and St. Thomas Aquinas in Kent. Born in Perham, MN in 1957; one of eleven children; served in the Air Force 1975–1979; attended St. Thomas College, St. Paul (1979–1982); studied at St. John's Seminary (1982–1986); ordained May 30, 1986 for the Diocese of St. Cloud. Served at three parishes 1986–2001 including St. Thomas, Kent. Commissioned in MN Air National Guard Feb 2000, transferred to ND Air National Guard; retired from military Dec 1, 2017 as Chaplain, Lt. Col. Also previously pastored tri-parishes of Flensburg, Sobieski & Randall (2003–2011) and Gilman, Brennyville & Morril (2011–2019).