The first priest who came through the southwest Minnesota territory was a Jesuit from Mankato, Father Richards. This was in 1874. He stopped at the Pawlitschek home in Heron Lake several times. It is not known for certain if he stopped in Windom.

A Catholic group in Madelia seems to be the first recalled by some pioneers. The priest was Father Pribel and he only remained a short time.

Father Ellshorst succeeded him and served from 1881 to 1884. He built a rectory at St. James and traveled to Madelia, Mountain Lake, Windom, and Heron Lake. (This is documented in the Catholic Directory of 1885. It was also in the writings of Father Durward in 1905.)

It was possible that Windom and Mountain Lake groups were served by the next priest, Father Yung, because he said Mass at Heron Lake regularly. He served from 1884 to 1887.

Mrs. R. E. Benson, nee Lahart, bore this out. She recalled that one of her sisters was baptized in the chapel in the Cooney home three miles north of Mountain Lake in 1881 by a priest from St. James. She also attended Mass at the home later.

Father Georgen, St. James said Mass in Windom from 1887 to 1890.

To the best of the pioneer recollections, Father James Durward was the last priest to come to Windom from St. James. We know he said Mass in Windom during 1896 and 1897 as the Dempsey family remembered him well. George Grimes also remembered meeting him at the train several times when he came to say Mass at the Grimes Hotel which was located where the Edward D. Jones office now stands. Records also tell us that in the fall of 1898, a year after the purchase of the first Catholic Church, Father Durward was appointed by the Bishop “to fish in all the lakes southwest of St. James.” This appointment appears to have been because of the increasing number of Catholics in the area, and only Father Von den Berg of Heron Lake to serve the area. Father Durward said Mass in Windom, and surrounding towns, for only a short time as an assistant was assigned to Heron Lake in 1899.

At times there were Heron Lake priests also serving the area. George Grimes recalled going to Mass and Catechism at the Dan Gallagher home from 1884 to 1886, which was led by a Heron Lake priest.

Father Von den Berg was the pastor of the Heron Lake congregation from 1893 to 1901. Windom became a mission under the Heron Lake church during this time. The number of Catholics grew in Windom, Brewster, Worthington, Lakefield, and Dundee during this time so Father Joseph Schneider came to Heron Lake as an assistant in 1899. Both priests were remembered by many of the local parishioners. Father Havlicek came as an Assistant Pastor for a number of months in 1901 and was succeeded in the same year by Father Emile Van Hoenackere. In that same year Father Jos. Sand came to Heron Lake as Pastor. He together with Father Van Hoenackere was responsible for building the second Church in Windom in 1902.

Emigration into the Windom area brought more Catholic families. It soon became obvious that private homes would no longer hold the group and a building would have to be procured. The East Side Lutheran Church near 10th Street and Prospect Avenue on the east hill was also suffering from growing pains. It needed a larger building. The church Board offered the small church for sale. It was just what the growing Catholic group needed, so under the guidance of Father Van den Berg of Heron Lake, the purchased the building.

Two lots were donated by Tom C. Collins, president of the Cottonwood County Bank. They were lots 6 and 7, Block 9, Hutton Collins Subdivision on the east hill, north west of the present Highland School. This land was surrounded by other empty lots, a few shanties, and farm buildings which housed farm machinery. There was nothing but a dirt cart way on 11th Street.

During the week of June 26, 1897, the building was moved to the lots. No mention has ever been made of any foundation being placed underneath. It was a wood frame building with plank seats, a pulpit, altar, and rail. Its dimensions were 20 feet wide by 36 feet long with a steeple. One can only guess that it had a heating stove and that it did not help much against the winds which blew off Cottonwood Lake in the winter. The closest good street was 10th Street which had been graded for the Civil War Reenactment in 1899. A priest could make his way from the train depot up the hill to the church on foot or by livery.

The first service was during the first week of July 1897. One can be certain that there was great rejoicing in the congregation over the fact that they were now united under one roof.

The St. Francis Xavier Catholic congregation continued to grow and by 1900, only three years after moving into the small church, the need for a larger church was apparent.

The Cottonwood County Citizen of January 13, 1900, printed the following comments:

“As the Catholic church of this place is composed of over fifty families, the little building on the east side is too small, and a new edifice will probably be erected in the spring.”

The new church was not started that spring, but the Windom Reporter of November 21, 1901, stated:

“The congregation of St. Francis Xavior Catholic Church has been increasing steadily and has outgrown by large numbers, the capacity of the building. A new one is a necessity. The ladies will give a fair Monday (Nov. 25), to lay the foundation for a building fund.”

The ladies of the church cleared $723 with their fair. Additional fund raising and donations followed, including about $600 contributed by the Windom businessmen. This was a sizable amount and would have had to include Protestant as well as Catholic business people.

There was a lot of dealing pertaining to the lots which were procured for the building. It almost resembled what would be called in that time, “horse trading.” The sequence seems to go in this manner.

The Catholic Church building on the east hill was offered for sale in January, 1902. Interested parties were to contact John Scaffer for particulars. It seemed there were no interested parties because John Schaffer purchased the building in April, 1902 and moved it to his property that he purchased from the church in the spring of 1902. His intent was to make a residence out of the little building, however, he did not immediately accomplish this feat, because the congregation still needed a meeting place. The church was later re-conditioned and converted into a rectory. Eventualy the church/rectory became part of the Jonas Moede property and that area was used for children’s day care. It was razed when Toro purchased the residence for a parking lot.

The two lots, lots 6 and 7, on the east hill where the Catholic Church building had stood, were transferred to Dan C. Davis.

Dan Davis sold Bishop Joseph B. Cotter of Winona, Lot 3, which contained contained 7 acres in County Auditors Sub-division number 4 in north Windom, for $1,000 in March 1902. This was about $145 an acre.

The north 1/2 of lot 3, or 3 1/2 acres, were then sold to John Schaffer.
The south 1/2 of the lot then became the site for the second building.

In November, 1902, the ownership of the parcel designated for the new church was transferred from Bishop Cotter to the St. Francis Xavior Catholic Church congregation for a sum of $5.00.

Later there were more transactions made on the property:

An easement was placed, with right to use and travel, on a strip of land one rod in width running along the east side of the church property. This made driving and parking possible on the east side of the church.

The church sold the north 50 feet of their church lot which was the south 1/2 of lot 3 in December, 1920, for $500. The lot was sold to August E. Sykora.

The church retained the rest of lot 3 until it was sold to the Toro-Whirlwind Company in 1957.

The contract for building the new church was given to F. C. Norlander of St. Paul. F. C. Norlander was also the contractor for the previously built Methodist Church, which was located where the current Post Office is. Construction of the second Catholic Church began in early May 1902. When the cornerstone was laid on June 5, 1902, the Cottonwood County Citizen of June 7, 1902 reported:

The cornerstone of St. Francis Xavior’s church, now being erected in the north part of town, was laid last Thursday at half past eleven, the blessing of the stone being performed by Bishop Cotter, of Winona, assisted by Reverends Sand and Van Hoenocker of Heron Lake, Schells of Adrian, Holper of Madelia, Zachman of St. James, Walsh of Luverne, and English of Winona.

The priests, robed in black and white, and followed by Bishop Cotter in his purple robe of office, descended to the basement, where, after a portion of the blessing was said, they marched around the interior and then the exterior of the church, the bishop sprinkling holy water on the foundation as they marched. Then all gathered about the cornerstone, on which the Bishop made three signs of the cross and sprinkled holy water, blessing it as it was so moved to its place in the corner.

Bishop, priests, and people again descended into the basement, where on a large stone, Father Hoenocker, who will be permanent priest, addressed his people in the French language on matters pertaining to the erection of the church. Bishop Cotter followed with an eloquent address in which he told the purpose of the church, which would be not only an abiding place of God, but the home of Windom Catholics where all the blessings of God would be received by the faithful. The rain falling at the time, yet all stayed and listened, the Bishop saying that the weather was inauspicious if not daunting. In one of Poland’s darkest hours, when it seemed as tho even God were against them, the heroic Poles looked to heavenward an said that, “tho the skies fall we will hold them up with our spears;” and so devout Christians could say today that tho the skies fall they would hold them up with their faith and hope and religious courage.

Down in the bottom of the basement was the congregation, and as they knelt in the sand beneath a symbol of the cross, the white surpliced priests at one end and the Bishop stretching out his hands over the uncovered heads, the pronouncement of the final blessing was very impressive indeed.

The following is the church document which with a copy of the Citizen and one or two other articles, will be enclosed in a copper box and sealed up in the corner stone:



St. Francis Xavier's Church
Windom, Minn

In the year of grace nineteen hundred and two, the twenty-fifth year of our Holy Father Pope Leo, the thirteenth pontificate, the Right Reverend J. B. Cotter, being Bishop of this diocese, having his see in Winona City, in the state of Minnesota, North America, and the Reverend Joseph Sand, pastor, the cornerstone of this church to built and dedicated in honor of St. Francis-Xavier was solemnly blessed by his Lordship, the Right Reverened Joseph B. Cotter, Bishop of aforesaid Winona diocese in the presence of the Reverends Joseph Sand, pastor, and Emile Joseph Von Hoenacker, assistant pastor, and Rev. Schels, pastor of Adrian, Rev. Holper of Madelia, Rev. Zackmann of St. James, Rev. Walsh of Luverne, and other visitors. May this remain as a testimony for those who in the future may come across this document. Madeand signed in Windom this fifth day of June nineteen hundred and two.
The Right Reverend Bishop,
Joseph B. Cotter.
Reverend Pastor, Joseph Sand.
Rev. Em. J. Van Hoenacker,
Assistant.
Rev. Sebastian Schels.
Rev. M. J. Holper.
Rev. R. Otto Zachman.
Rev. A. I. Walsh.
Rev. T. F. English.
Sec., Joseph Senesac.
Treas., Hugh Hammel, Jr.”

Construction on the church building continued and soon the congregation was able to hold services in the basement. St. Francis Xavier Church was dedicated November 27, 1902.

The cost of the second church was $12,000. Father Van Hoenackere was placed in charge as the first resident priest in Windom. (Father Sand was officially the Pastor in 1902 at the time of the dedication). Father Van Hoenackere left Windom in 1904 and was succeeded by Father Sherman, who stayed for eleven months. Windom returned to the status of a Mission until 1907, and was taken care of by Father Sand and his assistant.

Through the generosity of Mr. Nicholas Keffeler, Jr., three new altars of besco composition were built as a memorial to the late Mrs. Regina (Merges) Keffeler. This was thirteen years after the building of the church in February 1915. The Nicholas Keffeler family was an early farm family living east of Bingham Lake.

The altars were appropriately of Roman style architecture. The main altar contained the crucifixion group in the center over the tabernacle, with a depiction of the Last Supper in high relief under the altar table. One of the side altars was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose statue surmounted the altar. The other side altar was crowned with a beautiful statue of the Sorrowful Mother, holding inher arms the body of dead Savior as it was taken from the cross. These new altars added to the magnificent structure that the early families had constructed.