The statue has arrived!

Vision of Fr. Berghold Memorial continues

by George Glotzbach

Berghold committee member

In early 2002, a Capital Campaign was officially launched to preserve the memory of Fr. Alexander Berghold, a missionary priest and a central figure in the building, development, and history of the New Ulm area and the Diocese of New Ulm in the late 1880’s to 1900’s.

To honor his tireless and lasting contributions, the dream of an Alexander Berghold Memorial, under the direction of Bishop John C. Nienstedt, continues to move forward. The memorial site is located in a triangle of land known as Loretto Park, near the entrance to the Way of the Cross in New Ulm. The most recent addition to the park is the striking new bronze statue of Father Berghold which was blessed Saturday, November 5, 2005 by Bishop Nienstedt.

The statue was created by noted sculptor, Paul Rieffer of St. Paul, under arrangements by Anderson Memorials, Inc. of Austin, MN. It was cast by Casting Creations, Inc. of Howard Lake. The bronze statue, weighing 1,000 pounds and standing 7 1/2 feet tall, is mounted on a cast stone pedestal. Inscribed on the pedestal are the names of the 19 parishes Fr. Berghold founded and served along with the inscription "Because He Was Here."

Born in Austria in 1838, Father Berghold immigrated to America to become a missionary arriving in May 1864. He was ordained by Bishop Thomas Langdon Grace in St. Paul in October of 1864. He was appointed a missionary priest and appointed to establish a church in New Ulm in December 1868. Father Berghold founded Holy Trinity Church and served St. George’s Church in Nicollet County. He simultaneously served several other churches in the area and founded numerous others.

Father Berghold built the convent for the Sisters of Christian Charity, and founded the Catholic school system in the New Ulm area in 1874. Nine years later he founded St. Alexander Hospital, now the New Ulm Medical Center. In 1890 he laid the plans for the present Romanesque Church, now the Cathedral of the diocese. He initiated the Way of the Cross Shrine built by the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ on the hillside next to the hospital in 1904. Father Berghold resigned as pastor of Holy Trinity in 1890. He traveled extensively and then held a number of priestly assignments in New York and Minnesota. He returned to his Austrian homeland in 1907 where he died in 1918.

Fundraising for the Berghold Memorial site continues. A brochure telling the story of Fr. Berghold’s life and explaining the fundraising efforts is available from the New Ulm Chamber of Commerce, 1 North Minnesota, Box 384, New Ulm, MN 56073; or the Diocese of New Ulm, 1400 6th Street North, New Ulm, MN 56073; dnu@dnu.org.