Diocese of New Ulm: A People and a Place

stablished in 1957, the Diocese of New Ulm is a community of 76 parishes and 4 oratories serving Catholics throughout 15 counties in Minnesota: Big Stone, Brown, Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac Qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, McLeod, Meeker, Nicollet, Redwood, Renville, Sibley, Swift, and Yellow Medicine. The Diocese of New Ulm is Minnesota's most rural diocese, home to a total population of 281,802 with a Catholic population of 63,011 according to the 2011 Official Catholic Directory. It is an area serving some 9,863 square miles of Southwestern Minnesota prairie.

Photo above: On Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011, Bishop John M. LeVoir joined the Latino faith community of Holy Redeemer in Marshall as they celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In keeping with Latino tradition, participants processed to the front of the church prior to the celebration of Mass to place a rose in front of a statue of Our Lady. (Read more in Jan. 2012 Prairie Catholic.)

Pope John Paul II, in his 1999 homily during the Solemn Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, entrusted the cause of life to Our Lady’s loving protection. He placed under her motherly care the innocent lives of children, especially those who are in danger of not being born. As we approach Jan. 22, the 39th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion (Roe v. Wade), Bishop John M. LeVoir of the Diocese of New Ulm reminds us that “we are called upon as Catholics to promote a culture of life, where all human life from conception to natural death is promoted, defended, and respected.”

For more than fifty years, no place has been more associated with diocesan leadership than the Pastoral Center in New Ulm. But due to the deterioration of the building, the original diocesan home needs to be replaced.

The current diocesan Pastoral Center was originally designed as a private residence for the Diocese of New Ulm’s first bishop, the Most Reverend Alphonse J. Schladweiler. Over the years, the structure slowly transitioned from a residence to office space. Today, it is no longer home to the bishop or other clergy; it houses the diocese’s main ministries, operations, and the bishop’s staff. The diocese has regularly maintained the building. However, no major and necessary updating of the heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical systems is possible without extensive demolition because the pipes and conduit that serve these systems are encased in the cement wall of the building. "From the outside the building looks good and solid," said Bishop LeVoir. "But they put all the utilities and everything in poured concrete. Now they're decayed and decaying, causing real problems. The building is deteriorating."

What: A reception in honor of Jan Crowe's ministry to the charismatic renewal for the Diocese of New Ulm. She is retiring as the diocesan liaison for the charismatic renewal.

When: Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. Bishop LeVoir will celebrate Mass at 5 p.m., and a reception will follow Mass with hors devours.

Not able to attend? You may send Jan a greeting at 21907 705th Ave., Dassel, Minn., 55325

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To Contact the Diocese of New Ulm:

1400 6th Street North

New Ulm, MN 56073-2099

(507) 359-2966

e-mail: dnu@dnu.org