Pierz in Morrison County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Reverend Francis Xavier Pierz
"Father of the Diocese of St. Cloud"
— 1785-1880 —
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 31, 2022
1. Reverend Francis Xavier Pierz Marker
Reverend Francis Xavier Pierz
"Father of the Diocese of St. Cloud"
1785-1880
By assignment of Bishop Joseph Crétin of St. Paul he came to the Upper Mississippi and its tributaries in 1852 to convert the Indians and to minister to the needs of the Catholic immigrants. From a station at Crow Wing he labored among the various tribes and founded parishes at Belle Prairie, Sauk Rapids, St. Cloud, St. Augusta, Jacob’s Prairie and St. Joseph. He enlisted the help of the Benedictine Fathers, who came from Pennsylvania, and he introduced such pioneer Diocesan priests as Joseph Buh, Ignatius Tomazin and James Trobec, who with him founded the parishes and institutions that later (1889) became the Dioceses of St. Cloud and Duluth. His last charge was St. Joseph’s Parish at Rich Prairie. He returned to his native Carniola in 1873.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Immigration • Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1852.
Location. 45° 58.561′ N, 94° 6.187′ W. Marker is in Pierz, Minnesota, in Morrison County. Marker is on Main Street South (State Highway
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Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Pierz Veterans Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Pierz (approx. ¼ mile away).
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. Francis Xavier Pierz. Wikipedia entry:
Roman Catholic priest and missionary to the Ottawa and Ojibwe Indians in present-day Michigan, Wisconsin, Ontario, and Minnesota. In Spring 1852, he was recruited for the newly organized Diocese of Saint Paul, where Bishop Joseph Crétin urgently needed priests to serve his vast territory. Father Pierz was assigned a mission field, comprising the whole of Minnesota Territory north of the Twin Cities. He established his headquarters in the village of Crow Wing. Traveling on foot between his missions, Pierz carried on his back all that was necessary for saying Mass. The Ojibwa dubbed him, "Old Man, Black Gown." Because his letters convinced numerous Catholic German Americans to settle in Central Minnesota, he is referred to as the "Father of the Diocese of Saint Cloud."(Submitted on January 6, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
via Wikipedia, unknown
2. Reverend Francis Xavier Pierz
2. Monsignor Joseph Francis Buh. Find A Grave website entry:
Fr. Joseph Francis Buh was born March 17, 1833 in Austria. He sailed to the United States in 1865 and he was ordained a Catholic priest on January 25, 1865. Fr. Buh was a missionary in Minnesota for 18 years, until 1882. The next 20 years he was a pastor at various places in this state. Buh Township to the west of Lastrup, Morrison County, Minn was named in hour of Fr. Joseph Buh. He died November 30, 1889 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery in St. Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.(Submitted on January 6, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Fr Ignatius Tomazin. Find A Grave website entry:
Native of Ljubljana, Yugoslavia. Ordination to the Priesthood: November 5, 1865 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Priest of the Diocese of Saint Cloud, Minnesota(Submitted on January 6, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
4. James Trobec. Wikipedia entry:
James Trobec was a Slovenian-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. Trobec received his early education at the parochial school of Polhov Gradec and continued his studies at the Bežigrad Gymnasium in Ljubljana. In 1864 he and fifteen other seminarians were recruited by Rev. Francis Xavier Pierz to serve as missionaries in the United States. After his arrival in the spring(Submitted on January 6, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)of 1864, he finished his theological studies at Saint Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He served as the third Bishop of Saint Cloud from 1897 to 1914.Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 31, 20223. Reverend Francis Xavier Pierz Statuefrom Wikipedia:
A statue of Fr. Pierz, which celebrates his role as a missionary and peacemaker by showing an Ojibwe warrior and a German-American settler kneeling before him, was dedicated in front of St. Cloud Hospital in 1952. During the early 21st century, however, the statue was removed following protests by the St. Cloud chapter of the American Indian Movement. The statue was erected instead in nearby Pierz, Minnesota.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 31, 2022
4. Reverend Francis Xavier Pierz Monument
Credits. This page was last revised on March 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 6, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 166 times since then and 71 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 6, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2. submitted on March 1, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3, 4. submitted on January 6, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
