A welcoming environment is something Father Paul Jaroszeski, pastor of St. Katharine Drexel in Ramsey, wants to continue as the parish is to be formally established in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, per a decree issued Nov. 1.
“I think that is one of our hallmarks and one we’d have to keep working at,” said Father Jaroszeski, who has been a priest for 47 years and pastor of St. Katharine Drexel for 19 years.
Deacon Randy Bauer, who has served St. Katharine Drexel for roughly 18 of the 30 years he has been a deacon, agreed: “One of the comments that we frequently hear from people (who) join us is that we’re such a welcoming community.”
The decree establishing St. Katharine Drexel as a territorial parish (a parish that has a specific geographical designation of pastoral care, Chancellor for Canonical Affairs Susan Mulheron explained) assigned to Deanery 12 takes effect March 3, 2024 — the feast day of St. Katharine Drexel.
Father Jaroszeski said his reaction to the decree was “absolutely excited and grateful to the archbishop for that change in our status. It just means a whole lot not only to me personally, but to the community here.”
Receiving the decree on All Saints’ Day had special significance, Deacon Bauer said, “because we’ve been praying to practically every single one of them.”
St. Katharine Drexel has been temporarily housed in an office building along 143rd Avenue Northwest in Ramsey and counts over 500 registered households among its membership, Deacon Bauer said.
In 2004, then-Archbishop Harry Flynn of St. Paul and Minneapolis commissioned Father Jaroszeski to found a missionary parish in the growing Ramsey community. The parish in formation celebrated its first Mass in January 2005. Having the opportunity to help found the parish and to see its growth is “a wonderful gift from God,” Father Jaroszeski said. Meanwhile, Deacon Bauer said his April 2005 appointment to St. Katharine Drexel suited him: “I’ve always enjoyed being part of something new.”
To spread the word about the parish in formation, Deacon Bauer referenced a door-to-door ministry, during which members of St. Katharine Drexel would mention upcoming events — pancake breakfasts and Beer, Brats and Bingo among them.
“It was always enjoyable, an opportunity to meet people,” said Deacon Bauer, who also serves on Ramsey’s City and Planning Commission. “Doing the door-knocking, this chance to meet some people and talk to them about Ramsey and talk to them about their faith.”
Mulheron said challenges arose for the parish in formation. One was the Great Recession; its impact on Ramsey “had a significant effect on the development of this parish,” she said. Meanwhile, members of St. Katharine Drexel continued to work toward archdiocesan strategic planning process benchmarks for it to be formally established as a parish and for construction of a church to be approved.
In 2018, approval was given to begin a design-build process for a future church and in 2022, St. Katharine Drexel received approval to sell 18 of over 33 acres it had acquired through a donation, leaving over 15 acres for a future church construction site.
Father Jaroszeski said he has seen the parish in formation grow “in many ways,” but particularly in building a strong community committed to faith, to one another, and to the surrounding neighborhood.
“They’ve grown in terms of their ability to reach beyond the confines of the walls here to help in the community and to be of service to people,” he said, giving the example of a social justice committee that “has grown exponentially in our time.”
“Their focus is on trying to bring Christ’s presence to others,” Father Jaroszeski said.
Archbishop Bernard Hebda highlighted that mission in a Nov. 1 letter to Father Jaroszeski accompanying the decree.
“Your mission is to bring the Gospel to the north and western region of our Archdiocese, in Ramsey, in its time of high growth,” Archbishop Hebda wrote, in part. “Your patron did so by sharing the message of the Gospel and the life of the Eucharist with the poor and oppressed among the Native and African American people. Your parish continues her legacy as you strive to bring justice and peace to the earth by following Jesus Christ and seek ‘to see Christ in all and be Christ to all.’”
Moving forward, the archdiocesan College of Consultors and Finance Council are set to meet Nov. 21 to go over the finances and construction plan that St. Katharine Drexel has developed. Both entities must give their approval for the building process to move forward, Mulheron said. If approved, groundbreaking plans can take shape; if not approved, St. Katharine Drexel will receive feedback on what it would need to accomplish for approval, Mulheron said.
For the design-build concept, Deacon Bauer said the parish has been working with Station 19 Architects Inc., out of Minneapolis and Langer Construction out of West St. Paul. With the necessary approvals, Deacon Bauer said the hope would be to complete construction by Christmas 2024.
Father Jaroszeski views the construction of a church — “a permanent place where we can call home” — as a tangible sign for parishioners and Ramsey community members. “To see an actual building there will be, I think, a boost in terms of people coming and joining.”
