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Last weekend Mass

Bishop urges St. Paul congregation to ‘remember the past and look forward’ after merger

Photo submitted by Kathleen Brandt Bishop John LeVoir of the New Ulm Diocese gave the homily on moving forward as he joined the Rev. Robert Mraz in conducting the last weekend Mass at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Walnut Grove last Sunday.

WALNUT GROVE — The end of an era of weekend Masses at Walnut Grove’s St. Paul’s Catholic Church was observed with a visit from Bishop John LeVoir Sunday.

The small congregation is merging with St. Mary’s in Tracy, New Ulm Diocese announced a week ago.

The bishop’s homily talked about moving things forward, said Nancy Hewitt, event planner for St. Paul’s.

“He talked about remembering the past and looking forward to the future,” Hewitt said.

Hewitt also shared that there were 113 in attendance at the service and the catered meal following the service.

“We had planned for 120,” she said. “It was good to see so many people there, including former parishioners.”

St. Paul’s building will still be available for weddings and funerals, said Tom Keaveny, director of pastoral planning for the New Ulm Diocese. It would not be closing totally, unlike the church in Taunton had about eight years ago. Taunton’s stained glass windows and sacramental artifacts had been distributed to other area churches, and the building was razed, he said.

Other churches with newer buildings like the 1980s building in Nassau sometimes get donated to the city for use as community centers, he said.

“It’s up to the people from the (closing) church whether to keep it or sell it,” the Rev. Robert Mraz said. Mraz has been serving St. Paul’s for the past 11 years.

There would still be weekday services held at St. Paul’s and/or the assisted living facility in Walnut Grove, Keaveny said, as well as weddings and funerals.

“The parishioners have asked that the weekday services be held at the assisted living place four times a month now, instead of just once a month,” Mraz said.

“Most of the congregation has elected to become members at the Church of St. Mary in Tracy,” Keaveny said. “Some will be going to St. Joseph’s in Lamberton and St. Anthony’s in Westbrook. A few in the northwest end of the area might go to St. Michael’s in Milroy.”

Keaveny and Mraz said that the congregation at Walnut Grove had had more than eight years to contemplate the merger.

“They saw the writing on the wall,” Keaveny said.

Both Diocese members said that the congregation was down to just six children under the age of 18 and that the congregation didn’t see much of an influx of new members as did larger parishes.

“So, they were open to the changes and understood the need,” Keaveny said.

They said the reason for the mergers and even some church closings is because of the decline in the population of priests to serve the many parishes.

Mraz, ordained in 1974, said there were 98 active priests in the New Ulm Diocese at that time. Now there were only 28.

“Over the years, I went from serving one church to three churches; now I’m moving to a six-church service area,” Mraz said.

Mraz said his gifts were in the area of serving shut-ins and that by moving to Wabasso with its nursing home and assisted living facility, he would be able to use his gifts.

However, serving multiple parishes does put on the miles.

“I bought a brand new car on my birthday, October 25 (in 2017) and have put on 18,000 miles,” he said.

When Mraz leaves the Tracy/Walnut Grove parish, three new priests will be coming from Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Marshall to serve the area, he said.

In his new position as senior associate priest, Mraz will be working in a support position for the Rev. Tony Hesse, who will be moving to St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Redwood Falls.

At his next birthday, in October, Mraz will be turning 70 and retiring to his house in Silver Lake. Mraz is looking forward to pursuing his hobbies, including genealogy, as well as continuing in service to others as a substitute priest.

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