St. Pius X in Glencoe to dedicate new building

Glencoe, MN - The parish of St. Pius X in Glencoe will dedicate their new building on Saturday February 26 at the 5:30 p.m. Mass presided by Bishop John C. Nienstedt. This addition will provide the parish with a gathering space for parishioners, an elevator and ramps for handicap accessibility, modern offices, extra meeting rooms and an indoor connection with the school. On Sunday February 27 from 1:30-5:00 p.m., there will be an open house of the new building, the refurbished church and the school, which is celebrating 126 years of continuous Catholic education.

The parish of St. Pius X has a long history in Glencoe. The original parish of Sts. Peter and Paul was founded in 1865. A church was completed in 1875. Unfortunately, this church burned soon after it opened and another had to be erected. This was completed in 1878 and used until 1889 when it too burned. The present brick building was erected in 1890.

As the town of Glencoe was growing, there was another small community of St. George to the north. By 1878, trains had become the main mode of transportion and freight delivery and bypassed St. George for Glencoe. The town dissolved and many parishioners joined the Glencoe church of Sts. Peter and Paul. During the 1880’s the Catholic church established parishes based on various immigrant cultures hoping to preserve their culture and languages. When the Sts. Peter and Paul church building burned in 1889, the people with French and Irish background requested permission to form their own parish of St. George and used English in their services. Those with German, Polish and Bohemian backgrounds stayed at Sts. Peter and Paul where German was used until the 1940’s. The Church of St. George was built in 1891. A fire destroyed the building in March of 1892. It was rebuilt in 1894 and remained a separate parish until 1981. At this time the parishes of St. George and Sts. Peter and Paul were yoked. In January of 1983 the parishes joined and took the name of the school, St. Pius X. The St. George church building was sold to the Berean Baptist congregation in 1989.

The children in Glencoe have had the opportunity to receive a Catholic education since 1877. That year the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet from St. Paul taught prior to the Third Order of St. Francis of Our Lady of Lourdes sisters from Rochester who arrived in 1878 and remained a part of the school until 1992. The first classes were taught in the church with a blanket separating the class from the sanctuary. A two room addition for students in grades 1- 8 was later added to the convent. These rooms were used until 1885 when a two-story, four room frame building was erected. In 1917 this building was moved to the current playground area, updated and brick veneered. By 1960 the building was overcrowded and the two parishes of St. George and Sts. Peter and Paul joined to build the school of St. Pius X. This current building was opened in 1962 to house grades 1-8. Through the years, population changes caused the school to drop grades 7 and 8. Kindergarten was added in 1980 and preschool in 1985.

St. Pius X has worked a number of years refurbishing the buildings on its property. Most noticeable are: bricks repaired, stain glass windows strengthened, the interior of the church repainted and the sanctuary area slightly redesigned. New side altars were built to compliment the hand made back altar. The communion rail was found in storage and parts of it have been used in various items around the sanctuary. The school has a new roof and an updated kitchen. The new building connection allows the parish to easily meet everyone’s needs.