About St. Vincent de Paul Campus of Cathedral of St Paul · Saint Paul, Minnesota
The St. Vincent de Paul Campus of the Cathedral of Saint Paul is a historic Roman Catholic worship site in the Frogtown neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota, at 651 Virginia Street. Founded in 1888 as a working-class mission chapel for Irish Catholics, the parish building at Virginia and Blair served generations of immigrants before becoming, in recent decades, the spiritual home of the Twin Cities' Hmong Catholic community. In 2012 the parish was merged into the Cathedral of Saint Paul parish, with the church, rectory, and grounds continuing as a 'campus' of the Cathedral; the Cathedral of Saint Paul parish now administers the site.
- Established
- 1888
- Patron
- St. Vincent de Paul
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Why belong here
The St. Vincent de Paul campus carried on more than 130 years of immigrant Catholic life in Frogtown, from its 1888 Irish working-class roots to its decades as the spiritual home of the Twin Cities' Hmong Catholic community. Worshippers encountered a bilingual Hmong and English Sunday Mass, deep devotional traditions including the Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration, and a parish culture shaped by waves of refugees who rebuilt their faith lives in Minnesota. Today the site is administered by the Cathedral of Saint Paul parish, continuing a commitment to immigrant communities and to a Catholic worship life rooted in charity, hospitality, and cross-cultural fellowship.
Mass times at St. Vincent de Paul Campus of Cathedral of St Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday through Friday, 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
- Saturday, 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Adoration times
- Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (Cana Chapel)
- Wednesday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Cana Chapel)
Our Story: From Irish Mission to Hmong Catholic Home
St. Vincent de Paul began in 1888 as a small mission chapel near Blair Avenue and Virginia Street, opened by the local conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society to serve the Irish Catholic families of Frogtown. Father Laurence Cosgrove, the first resident pastor, shepherded the young congregation; the church was dedicated in May 1888 and a brick church replaced the original chapel in 1897. For nearly a century the parish was identified with Irish immigrant working-class life in Saint Paul, run for most of that time by Irish priests. That tradition ended in 1979, when Father Bernard C. Klein took charge.
- 1888: Mission chapel opens near Blair Avenue and Virginia Street
- 1888: First resident pastor, Father Laurence Cosgrove, takes charge
- 1897: Brick church built on the same Virginia Street site
- 1979: Father Bernard C. Klein ends the era of Irish priests
- Late 20th century: Parish becomes the home of the Twin Cities Hmong Catholic community
- October 2010: Merger with Cathedral of Saint Paul announced
- January 1, 2012: Officially becomes the St. Vincent de Paul Campus of the Cathedral of Saint Paul
The Hmong Catholic Community
Hmong refugees began resettling in the Twin Cities in the 1970s after the Vietnam War and time in refugee camps in Thailand, and many found a spiritual home at St. Vincent de Paul. The parish became the principal worship site for the Hmong Catholic community in Saint Paul, with a bilingual Hmong and English Sunday Mass and a parish brunch that became a cherished weekly gathering. Father Joseph Johnson, alongside religious sisters including the Missionaries of Charity and the Sisters of St. Peter Claver, ministered to the community for years. A statue of Mary dressed in Hmong attire, blessed by Pope Benedict XVI in Rome at Father Johnson's arrangement, became a symbol of the community's faith.
- Bilingual Hmong and English Sunday Mass at 9:00 a.m.
- Sunday brunch following Mass — a popular community gathering
- Father Joseph Johnson, longtime pastor and friend to the Hmong community
- Presence of the Missionaries of Charity and Sisters of St. Peter Claver
- Statue of Mary in Hmong attire, blessed by Pope Benedict XVI
Merger with the Cathedral of Saint Paul
On Saturday, October 16, 2010, parish leadership announced that St. Vincent de Paul would not close but would instead become a 'campus' of the Cathedral of Saint Paul parish, effective January 1, 2012. Father Joseph Johnson explained the change to a quiet, largely non-Hmong congregation during Saturday evening Mass. The popular Hmong and English Sunday service and brunch continued unchanged after the merger. Eventually the Hmong Catholic community was transferred to Presentation of the Virgin Mary in Maplewood, where a bilingual Hmong and English Mass continues to draw more than 100 worshippers each Sunday.
- Announcement: October 16, 2010, during Saturday evening Mass
- Effective date of merger: January 1, 2012
- Mass schedule and brunch preserved at the time of merger
- Hmong community later relocated to Presentation of the Virgin Mary, Maplewood
Frogtown and the Building
The church sits at 651 Virginia Street at the corner of Blair Avenue, in the heart of Frogtown (also called the Thomas-Dale neighborhood), one of Saint Paul's oldest working-class districts. The 1983 City of Saint Paul Survey noted that the church was constructed in 1889 and accompanied by the neighboring St. Vincent's School (later repurposed as the American Indian Movement's Red School House). A statue of St. Vincent de Paul, patron saint of charitable societies, stands on Virginia Street watching over the neighborhood.
- 651 Virginia Street at Blair Avenue, Frogtown / Thomas-Dale neighborhood
- Original 1888 mission chapel on the same site
- Brick church built on site in 1897
- Companion St. Vincent's School next door (now AIM Red School House)
- Statue of St. Vincent de Paul on Virginia Street
Cathedral Heritage Foundation and the Immigrants Exhibit
In 2019 the Cathedral of Saint Paul opened a museum exhibit titled 'Immigrants and the Cathedral: I was a stranger and you welcomed me,' curated by University of St. Thomas art history graduate student Marilyn Burnett. The exhibit highlighted the role immigrants played in constructing and supporting the Cathedral, including the Hmong Catholic community at St. Vincent de Paul. Featured items included a Hmong wedding dress worn in 1978 by Mai Jhoua Yang, wife of Deacon Nao Kao Yang; a statue of Mary in Hmong attire (the same one blessed by Pope Benedict XVI); and a short video about Hmong refugees who joined St. Vincent de Paul.
- Exhibit title: 'Immigrants and the Cathedral: I was a stranger and you welcomed me'
- Featured Hmong wedding dress of Mai Jhoua Yang and Deacon Nao Kao Yang
- Statue of Mary in Hmong attire blessed by Pope Benedict XVI
- Archbishop John Ireland's original Shrine of the Nations with six ethnic chapels
- Exhibit continued at least through spring 2020
Visiting the Campus Today
The phone line at 651 Virginia Street remains (651) 488-6737, and parish inquiries are handled under the Cathedral of Saint Paul parish email [email protected]. The Cathedral of Saint Paul website hosts the official SVDP campus page at https://www.cathedralsaintpaul.org/SVDP. Visitors can find the church in the Frogtown / Thomas-Dale neighborhood, an urban working-class area of Saint Paul close to University Avenue.
- Phone: (651) 488-6737
- Email: [email protected]
- Web: https://www.cathedralsaintpaul.org/SVDP
- Fax: (651) 487-6790
- Neighborhood: Frogtown / Thomas-Dale, Saint Paul, MN 55103
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Laurence CosgroveFirst resident pastor (1888–)
Credited with fostering Saint Vincent's early growth and development; first in a long line of Irish priests at the parish.
- Father Bernard C. Klein1979–
His appointment in 1979 ended the tradition of Irish priests at St. Vincent de Paul.
- Father Joseph Johnson
Served as pastor of St. Vincent de Paul through the 2010 announcement and 2012 merger into the Cathedral of Saint Paul parish; later became rector of the Cathedral of Saint Paul.
- Father Toulee Peter Ly
Pastor of Presentation of the Virgin Mary in Maplewood; led the Hmong Catholic community after the transfer from the SVDP campus.