Chapter Eleven
REtrOSPECT AND PROSPECT

Saint Agnes is one of the truly great parishes of the archdiocese. The past one hundred years have seen it distinguished by a number of developments and initiatives begun by its priests and parishioners that have brought the parish national and even international recognition. Not least among its achievements has been the dedication of the parish to the cause of Catholic education. It was (and continues) to be committed to the support of schools for the education of its youth and the youth from many other parishes in the city. From the very beginning, the parochial school was essential. Father Trobec, with the cooperation of the parishioners and the School Sisters of Notre Dame, opened the elementary school during the first year of the parish's existence. The first building to be erected was the school. Father Gruden founded the high school to provide for the secondary education of the youth of the parish and others from surrounding areas. Saint Agnes High School remains as one of only two parochial high schools in the archdiocese, and the support of education on the secondary level is the greatest expense of the parish. Two-thirds of the students presently enrolled come from outside the parish and are subsidized by the contributions of Saint Agnes parishioners. The facilities found in both Gruden Hall and Bandas Hall are the finest. The faculties of both institutions are excellent.

The care and reverence with which the liturgy is carried out at Saint Agnes is historic. The Sunday solemn Masses have been broadcast across he country, and descriptions of the liturgy have appeared in many journals. The altar boys are trained and are knowledgeable of their duties. The music provided by the Twin Cities Catholic Chorale attracts visitors from all parts of the state and the nation. In every way, what is done at Saint Agnes is in perfect accord with the directives of the Holy See and the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Liturgy at Saint Agnes is not a home-made activity. Rather it is the action of the Church, which is the Mystical Christ; and therefore, the liturgy is the very action of the Redeemer Himself. Only the Church, the Mystical Christ, can determine what that is to be. It remains for the priest and the people to carry it out as the Church prescribes it with as much care, reverence and solemnity as possible. From the beginning of the parish this was the intention of the pastors, and nothing was spared to make the Eucharistic Sacrifice noble and beautiful, fully in accord with the ritual of the Roman Catholic Church.

The religious life and the priesthood have flourished among the parishioners of Saint Agnes. Nearly one hundred young women have embraced the consecrated life of poverty, chastity and obedience in several communities. Their apostolic work has spread the influence of this parish across the Midwest. The number of vocations to the priesthood has likewise been great, with nearly forty newly ordained priests celebrating their first solemn Masses at Saint Agnes in the past one hundred years. Concern for vocations to the priesthood and the religious life has found expression in prayer. For the past thirty years, at every Mass on every Sunday, a  prayer for vocations has been said. God has heard the prayer and blessed this parish.

Saint Agnes has always been in the vanguard of new life and activity in the Church, locally and on a wider scope. The influence of its priests and laymen has extended far beyond the boundaries of the parish. Its pastors have been nationally and internationally known in a variety of areas of ecclesiastical sciences and art. Its laymen have founded and directed many activities in the lay apostolate and fields of social action.

Two of its pastors became bishops: Bishop Trobec governed the Diocese of Saint Cloud for seventeen years, and Bishop Schladweiler founded the Diocese of New Ulm and governed it for eighteen years. While he was assistant at Saint Agnes, Father Louis Gales established the Catechetical Guild which distributed materials for the teaching of religion all over the world. He organized and directed a radio program for the teaching of the faith to the young people of the state, and his Tower of Truth became a household word.

Father Francis Benz organized the Knights of the Altar, a society for Mass servers that spread across the country and is still flourishing in many parishes. It was promoted by the magazine, The Catholic Boy, with which he was associated for several years, and which later was published by the University of Notre Dame.

The Catholic Digest came into existence in Saint Agnes rectory with Father Louis Gales and his associates preparing and distributing the first issues while he was assistant at Saint Agnes. It grew to have the largest circulation of any Catholic magazine in the country, and at one time it appeared in several foreign language editions as well.

Among the many ideas of Father Gales and his friends was the Leaflet Missal. Long before the reforms of the Vatican Council introduced the handout prayer book for Sunday Mass, a small booklet with the texts of the Sunday liturgy was made available to people who had no hand missal or prayer book with them at church. The present Leaflet Missal Co. on Minnehaha Avenue near Saint Agnes is a continuation of the original organization begun at Saint Agnes in the 1930's, and it is fitting that it has returned to a close proximity of its beginnings.

The Matt Family for three generations has been associated with Saint Agnes. The Wanderer, now in its 120th year of publication, remains in that family. As the foremost journal of a conservative expression in this country, it serves the Church with a loyalty to the Holy See. With a deep analysis of developments within the Church, its weekly issue is read around the world and exerts considerable influence in clerical and lay circles. Joseph Matt was member of Saint Agnes, and the present editor, his grandson, Alphonse J. Matt, Jr., is also a member of the parish. For several years the annual Wanderer Forum, a national convention dedicated to the study of various social, theological and ecclesiastical questions, was held at Saint Agnes, bringing many distinguished lecturers to the parish.

Another journal has been published from Saint Agnes for the past ten years. Sacred Music, now in its 114th year of publication has a worldwide readership among church musicians. Monsignor Schuler is its editor. Begun in Milwaukee in 1874 as an organ for the Cecilian movement in sacred music, it is the journal of the Church Music Association of America.

Sacred Music, along with the Twin Cities Catholic Chorale, has carried the reputation of Saint Agnes as a center of liturgical music to all parts of the country. The Chorale, founded by Monsignor Schuler in 1955, is made up of singers from all parts of the Twin Cities area. The Sunday Masses at Saint Agnes, enhanced with the orchestral repertory of the Viennese School of composers, have become widely known, especially through broadcasts over national public radio stations and recordings.

The priests of Saint Agnes through the years have been known for their publications. Father Gruden's book on the theology of the Church, The Mystical Christ, had a wide circulation, and it remains a classic in its field, especially in light of the present Holy Father's teachings on the nature of the Church. Monsignor Bandas' many writings continue to be read and quoted. His catechetical works were translated into many languages, both European and Oriental. His reputation as a teacher, theologian and author carried the name of Saint Agnes parish around the world. Monsignor Peters' Life of Benedict XV likewise redounded to the scholarship of the clergy of Saint Agnes. As theologians, catechists, church musicians, authors, publishers or editors, the pastors of Saint Agnes have brought credit and honor on themselves and on their parish.

But what of the future? Who can know it? God in His mercy keeps it from us. But one cannot help wondering. We have looked backwards through a hundred years, years of greatness and success, sacrifice and achievement, joy and sorrow, life and death. Surely those same human events will continue and characterize the next one hundred years. But how?

A hundred years from now, the land north and west of the downtown will still be here. With God's grace, Saint Agnes will be. The great church with its baroque onion tower and red tile roof will stand. With greater and greater sacrifices demanded, the schools will continue, since the education of the youth will always remain the most important work of any generation. Will the parish societies flourish? Will the School Sisters of Notre Dame and Saint Agnes Convent survive the years? Will the technology of the next one hundred years exceed the phenomenal developments of the past one hundred? Who will be living in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 2087? Only God knows, and we should thank Him that He alone does. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. "For tomorrow and its needs, I do not pray. Keep me, Lord, from stain of sin, just for today."

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