The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-03-23
ST. PETER, MINNE'@
THE NEW cHURCH-A
SCHOOL.
Especial Correspondence to The
Catholic Bulletin.)


Archbishop was here to dedicate the
new Church and to put life into Catho-
lie interests generally i'm our commun-
| ity. Twice he preached, morning and
evening, dined in the splendid base
ment hall of the new church with the
members of the Building Committee,
visited the church and the convent
of the parish of the Immaculate Con-
ception and held long and numerous
conversations with old settlers and
old soldiers, many of whom he had
known for more than a half century.
The Archbishop's first visit to st.
Peter was as long ago as the year
1864, when he preached here a weeks
mission, and gathered around him for
the reception of the sacraments,
Catholics of the greater part of Nicol-
let and LIE Sueur Counties-to whom
in those early days the coming of a
priest was rather unusual occurrence,
none residing nearer to st. Peter than
one at Mankato to the southwest,
and one at Shakopee to the north
east.
| oAhSS AOOI IA1A50 hoNC SAdASCd'
There are now in St. Peter two Catho-
lie churches-that of St. Peter eng
lish-speaking) and that of the Immac-
u1ate Conception (German-speaking
that of st. Peter having just now
completed it's splendid new church
at a cost of $41,0000O, building and
appurtenances included-a wondrous
| oahiounronP9+ +hn
ton making up the parish, of which
they had long believed themselves
incapable.
New Church Artistic.
The Archbishop declared that of it's
size the new church is the most artis-
tic, the most beauteous of the church
es Of the Diocese OF St. Paul. The
architect, planning it and superintend-
ing it's construction, was E. l.. Mas
queray, of st. Paul, the architect of
the two Cathedrals of st. Paul and
of Minneapolis, and the people of St.
Peter only wish, for the honor of
religion, that the Cathedrals when
completed will be proportionately as
fair and as impressive as is today
their own Church of st. Peter
The new church, the architect tells
us, is to be rated as classical renais-
sance. The terms are new to us of
the Minnesota Valley; but we accept
them, as putting our church into a
line with architecture of the best type
in European countries Certainly the
edifice is new in form, and impressive
| in dignity. There is nothing in it of
the common Minnesota barn-like type
of church-four walls, a roof, an ad-
junct as vestry-room, long pointed
windows, the whole passing scott-free
under the label of modern Gothic.
But no further description of the
new Church of St. Peter will be
here given: suffice an invitation
to Catholics far and wide, pro-
posing to build churches i'm their own
communities, to visit ST. Peter and see
for themselves. The sole regret now
felt in ST. Peter is that we were too
economical, severely restricting the
architects expenditure for the edi-
fee itself to the sum of $35, 900. 90,
thereby compelling him to forego his
own plannings for greater height in
the tower and few additional orna-
mentations on walls outside and in
| side.
A Union School.
We have two parishes in ST. Peter,
and years ago each had it's separate
parish school. AS time went on, st.
Peters parish closed it's school, be-
lieving that for the number of chill
dren in attendance the expenditure
| to be made was not justified. The
parish of the Immaculate Conception
laudably held on to its school-but
under severe financial pressure. The
Most Reverend Archbishop has solved
the problem confronting both parish
es. There is to be a Union Catholic
School-under the direction of a.
Board, representative of both parish
es, with proportionate division of ex-
penses according to the number of
pupils from each parish. Priests and
people welcome the new idea: it will
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