Minnesota Catholic Dioceses
Roman Catholic Dioceses
There are six Catholic Dioceses in Minnesota; click on each to learn more and to see which parishes are included.
- Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
- Diocese of Crookston
- Diocese of Duluth
- Diocese of New Ulm
- Diocese of St. Cloud
- Diocese of Winona-Rochester
An article providing an overview of the Polish Churches in the six dioceses is available. In 1996, Ray Marshall wrote the article entitled, Polish Churches in Minnesota before 1910.
Victor Cordella, Polish-Born Architect of Minnesota Churches
Victor Cordella was an architect who was born in Poland in 1872 and immigrated to St. Paul in 1896. He designed over two dozen Minnesota churches between 1903 and 1930 (about half of them were churches with a significant number of Polish parishioners). The following links provide more information about him and his work:
| Title | Link |
|---|---|
| Young Man’s Love of Historic Architecture Leads to National Award | Morrison County Record – January 31, 2020 |
| List of Minnesota Churches built by Victor Cordella | PACIM Newsletter – Spring 2021 (Scroll to page 6) |
| Anniversary pilgrimage highlights beauty of Minnesota churches designed by Victor Cordella | Central MN Catholic Magazine, June 2, 2023 |
| Victor Cordella and the Architecture of Polish and East-Slavic Identity in America Geoffrey M. Gyrisco | Polish American Studies, Vol. 54, No. 1 (Spring, 1997), pp. 33-52 (20 pages) Note: You can read this article online – set up a free account by clicking “Register” and read up to 6 articles/month. |
Books
Churches of Minnesota
by Doug Ohman and Jon Hassler
Minnesota Historical Society, 2005
Note about Print and Online Catholic Directory – no longer exists
Online Minnesota Catholic Church listing
Polish National Catholic Church
- Founded in March 1897 in Scranton, PA by Franciszek Hodur
- Separate from the Roman Catholic Church
- There are 5 dioceses in North America; Minnesota is part of the Western Diocese.
- There are currently two Polish National Catholic Churches in Minnesota: Sacred Heart of Jesus in Minneapolis (which had an extensive fire in April 2021, its future is unknown) and St. Josephat’s in Duluth.
Books
The Origin and Growth of the Polish National Church
by Rev. Stephen P. Wlodarski
Scranton, Pennsylvania, 1974
The Polish National Catholic Church
by Paul Fox, PhD
School of Christian Living, Scranton, Pennsylvania
PNCC Studies Index
Volumes 1 through 12, 1980-1991
by Theodore L. Zawistowski
Scranton, Pennsylvania, 1992
A History of the Parishes of the Western Diocese, Polish National Catholic Church
by Rev. Robert M. Nemkovich
Chancery of the Western Diocese, Park Ridge, Illinois, 1998
Growth of a Church: A Historical Documentary
by Robert Janowski
Straz Printery, Scranton, Pennsylvania, 1965
Synods of the Polish National Catholic Church, 1904-1958
by Casimir J. Grotnik
East European Monographs, Boulder, Colorado, 1993
All six books are available in the Hoffman Research Library at the Minnesota Genealogy Center.
Resources for the Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC)
In the Fall 2001 issue of the PGS-MN Newsletter, PGS-MN Member, Greg Kishel, wrote an article entitled, Mini-Collection on the Polish National Catholic Church for the PGS-MN Library, starting on page 10.
VIDEO – The October 2020 PGS-MN Program meeting was recorded and the speaker was Kevin Tuma, a member of the PNNC. He provided a history of the Minneapolis PNCC Church, Sacred Heart of Jesus.
VIDEO – Want to learn more about the history of the PNCC and it’s place in North America? Learn about the five dioceses and why the church split from the Roman Catholic Church.