110 years of Catholic education coming to an end at St. Andrew's, Fairfax

by Sr. Betty Larson, OSB

After 110 years of “Making a Difference” in the Fairfax community, St. Andrew’s School will close its doors at the end of this school year.

The school was opened in 1893 under the parish leadership of Father Peter Rosen. Classes were held in the church building with Martin People as the teacher.

In 1900 a German School was established and classes were held in St. Andrew’s Hall. In 1906, the Benedictine Sisters from St. Joseph , MN came to teach in the grade school. During their early days in Fairfax , the sisters kept 14 boarders, all girls at the Convent. Most of the boarders were from Franklin .

With an increasing enrollment, there was a need for more space. Somehow, the sisters had managed to teach 250 students in the small quarters of St. Andrew’s Hall. A new school was built in 1927 with a new addition in 1958. The school enrolled students in grades 1-8 for many years. Grades 7 and 8 were closed in 1985.

The Benedictine Sisters served in the school until 1981. After that the school was served by the School Sisters of Notre Dame from Mankato , and lay teachers. Eventually the entire staff was made up of lay teachers.

In 1991, Father Jack Brunner came to Fairfax as pastor. He took on the role of principal of the school because he was certified to do so. He appointed a head teacher who was responsible for the daily running of the school. In a final effort at adding enrollment, a kindergarten was opened in 2000.

Another force in the longevity of the school was the very dedicated support of parents of students in the school and the parishioners of St. Andrew’s. The parent group was responsible for many new things in the school. One example is the new playground equipment that was installed three years ago. Parents are frequently present in the school and give many hours of assistance.

Father Gerald Hillesheim was appointed pastor in 2002. He was very supportive of the school and with the assistance of the education committee made many efforts to increase enrollment projections for the 2003-04 school year. These efforts were to no avail and the projected enrollment was 9 students. Father Hillesheim became very ill in February and God called him home in March. It now became the task of the Education Committee working with the Diocese of New Ulm to make the recommendation to the Parish Council and to the bishop to close the school. The reasons given were the declining population in the community and in the parish.

The very difficult decision to close the school this year was accepted by Bishop John C. Nienstedt in March. In the Bishop’s announcement to the diocese he said, “...The parish community should be praised for the generous sacrifices it has made these many years in fostering Catholic education in the school program. Through it, countless men and women have deepened their faith.”

In his letter to the members of St. Andrew’s Parish, Bishop Nienstedt expressed his gratitude to the parents and the teachers for their dedication and service to the school throughout the years. “I want to express my deep appreciation for the serious and laudable efforts that the parishioners of St. Andrew’s Parish and St. Andrew’s School parents have made to provide quality Catholic School formation for generations of young people and the many heroic efforts that have been made recently in order to continue the school program. I understand well the pain and sadness that all of you have experienced in coming to this difficult decision.”

Sr. Betty Larson, OSB is Director of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of New Ulm.