The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-04-30
HISTORY OF ST. cASIMIR's PAR
ISH, WELLS, MIMI.

: The history Of st. Casimir's is like
that of many of the parishes OF the
West, except that in its success it
stands as a model of completeness.
1t began with a few scattered FAM
lilies, without a spiritual director, and
within the lifetime of many of its
founders has risen to the status of a
finished organization. 1t has a church
which would do honor to a city par
ish, a resident pastor, a school, a
parochial residence, and a club house.
In 1881 it could count as members
twenty-five families; at the present
time it numbers one hundred and sew
enty-ffve.t g..
Among the early settlers whose
faith was the seed from which the
parish sprang are the names of P.
Forbes, Joseph Morris, Michael Han
ION, John A. Flynn, William Callahan,
Thomas Hynes, Ed. Hayes, P. Downes
and Others They used to gather at
the home of P. Forbes for Mass, on
The few occasions when priest Wis
tied them, and later they affiliated
themselves with the parish of Wisner
Grove, in whose quiet country GENE
terry many of them now sleep.
q In the early. seventies there began
an influx into the parish of sturdy
Poles, mostly from the province of
Silesia; among whom may be men,
toned Mr.. Yokiel, an earnest and sue
cessful worker, who still lives to enjoy
the fruits of his pious labors. Also
Felix Schultz, John Troske, Ignatius
Rathai, John Dulas, John Janski, Ma
thias Smolka, Michael Praiss, Frank
Staloch,, Frank Cierpich, John Kalis,
and John Kula2a noble band of pio-
neers, who turned the wild pfairies
Of their adopted country into fields of
golden corn, and Meld in prosperity
the faith that adversely was mot able
to wiring from them.
In the year of grace 1881 the Cath
olics of Wells, now numbering twenty
five families, called a meeting to de
wise ways and means for the erection
of a house of worship within their
own borders. A plan for a church
60x26 feet was decided upon, but they
soon saw that this size was far below
the wants of the rapidly growing par
,ish, and it was, never completed. Here
they worshipped until 1900, when the
present noble edifice was dedicated
In 1899 Rev Father Cieszynski, after
attending the parish for one year from
Minnesota Lake, took up his residence
in Wells, and from. that period the
progressive history of st. Casimirs
begins.
A few words on the life of this zeal
Gus priest, whose life was so closely
knit into the development of the par
ish, is not out of place. Father Cies-
zynski was born in the eastern part
of Pomerania in the year 1850, and
was baptized John Hieronymus in his
parish church. His youth was spent
in the hard grind of, poverty and per-
secution which has been the lot, for
many years, of the youths of his noble
but Inflated nation. He was twenty
years of age when his feet touched
the. soil of our, free country, and no
native-born American, no descendant
of the Pilgrim Fathers, ever more
keenly appreciated or made better use
of the advantages of our democratic.
institutions He asked no boons, and
he recognized no handicap. The Ian
guage of the country he soon acquired,
and spoke, with such proficiency that
we often wondered to what heights.
of eloquence he might have risen, had.
his education been 1 in his mother.
tongue. r5
In looking for work in a strange
country, he remembered the. text
THAT which thy hand findeth to do"
and the diversity of work In which he
engaged from time to time was no
small education to him i'm after life,
for there was hardly branch in the
ordinary line of the American work.
man of which he~ceufdpnot speak from
actual experience. He even went up
to the North Woods with the lumber
men, t6 earn the money necessary to
secure the education he desired, Be-
s..sss -