Chapter Three
FATHER JAMES trOBEC
(1887-1897)

James Trobec was born on July 10, 1838, in Billichgratz in the Diocese of Laibach in the province of Carniola (Krain), Austria. He studied in the parish school, and in 1855 he entered the gymnasium in Laibach. In 1863, he began his theological studies in Laibach and with the encouragement of Father Franz Pierz he emigrated to the United States and studied for the priesthood at Saint Vincent's Abbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He was ordained on September 8, 1865, at the cathedral in Saint Paul by Bishop Thomas L. Grace. He offered his first Mass at the cathedral, and Father John Ireland preached the sermon. One of many young men from Carniola who came to Minnesota attracted by the work of Bishop Frederick Baraga and Father Pierz with the Indians, Father Trobec was a Slovenian. In the group who came with Trobec were men who later became well-known in Minnesota and the Midwest as pastors and bishops. Among them are numbered Archbishop Frederic X. Katzer of Milwaukee, Father Alexander Berghold of New Ulm, Father Alois Plut of Shakopee, Father John Tomazevic of Stillwater, and Monsignor Joseph F. Buh, vicar general of the Diocese of Duluth. Their trip was financed by the Leopoldine Society of Vienna and the Ludwig Mission Society of Munich, both of which did so much to establish the Church in Minnesota. While German was not Trobec's Muttersprache, he was fluent in that language as well as his native Slavic tongue, along with Polish and Bohemian.

Archbishop Ireland, in his dispute with the German priests of the diocese over the question of parochial schools, found in the Slovenians an opportunity to provide care for the German-speaking people without appointing German priests. For many years after the Faribault School Plan controversy not any of the German-speaking parishes in the City of Saint Paul had pastors who were German. Rather, the Archbishop provided for the needs of the people by appointing German-speaking Slovenians. Father Trobec served at Belle Prairie for a few months in 1865 and then became pastor of Saint Felix parish in Wabasha, Minnesota, from October 1866 until he was appointed to organize the new parish of Saint Agnes in Saint Paul. On September  21, 1897, he was consecrated the third Bishop of Saint Cloud, where he served until his resignation on April 15, 1914. He died on December 14, 1921, and is buried in the parish cemetery at St. Stephen in Stearns County among his countrymen, the Krainers, as the Slovenians were called in German.

From the beginning the pastor of Saint Agnes was actively and regularly assisted by the members of the parish, especially those appointed as trustees and advisors. The minutes of the meetings of the parish board, kept in English from the very beginning, indicate the many details necessary to set up a parish with its church, school, convent and rectory. The first meeting of the board was held on November 4, 1887, and the first action was to empower Father Trobec to obtain the necessary books to record the administration of the sacraments in the new parish. An expenditure of $16.10 was required. The meeting on November 7 records that the collection the previous Sunday brought in $111.82, but it also showed that the parishioners were paying their pledges of nearly $5,000, because the sum of $985 paid on them is also recorded. In order to proceed with the obligations necessary, a loan was secured from William Knell of Wabasha, probably a friend of Father Trobec, for $1,200 at 7% interest. The parish spent $25 to buy wood to heat the Polish church on Sundays since the Saint Agnes people worshipped at Saint Adalbert's from November 1887 until their new building was ready on August 15, 1888.

Almost immediately, the societies so important to life in the German parishes were begun. The Young Ladies Sodality was founded in 1888 with forty-six members. The Altar Society was organized in August of 1888 with 106 members. The Saint Anthony Benevolent Society began the same year, and the Saint Vincent de Paul Conference started in 1889.

A board of consultors was appointed, made up of Joseph Fischer of 611 Edmund, Charles Ubel of 551 Blair, August Seiber of 533 Como, Peter Redlinger of 619 Edmund, Frank Bergman who lived at Van Buren and Arundel, Philip Anfang of 434 Martin Street, P. Loskiel of 317 Carroll, John Brandl of 438 Aurora, Joseph Dusel of 466 Martin Street, and Hubert Mollers, M. Langer and Joseph Kohler, all of Rosetown.

In a characteristically German manner, on December 26, 1887, the trustees appointed two ushers "to show the people their seats in the Polish church and to maintain order at the door and on the gallery." In another action, also in a German tradition, in April of 1888, sixteen dollars were spent to buy music books for the choir.

The ladies of the parish were already busy collecting money to care for the needs of the pastor, and it was voted to buy the furniture necessary to furnish Father Trobec's modest house, a building which still stands today on the lot at 538 Blair, and to provide for the requirements of the altar and the liturgy. The first purchase of ground included three lots on the southeast corner of Lafond and Kent. $1,666.67 was paid in cash, and a mortgage for the balance of $3,333.34 was put against the land for two notes bearing 8% interest, payable in a year. It soon became apparent that the new building being planned would require more space, and so two additional lots to the east were acquired for $2,300, and a mortgage was placed on them for a three year note given to Hubert Mollers at 7% interest. A small frame house stood on the corner lot, and this became the first rectory where Father Trobec offered daily Mass during the week. A barn was also on the property and was later razed. In October of 1888, the Mother General of the School Sisters of Notre Dame donated $200 toward purchase of another lot east of the new building for $1,200. The new structure would be a combination church and school with the Sisters' convent also included. Plans were drawn by George Bergman, an architect who was a member of the parish. Herman Terlinde, also a member of the parish, received the contract for the foundation which was begun in November and finished for the sum of $1,845. The cornerstone was laid on November 15, 1887.

Winter prevented further construction, but work began again on March 1, 1888, and on April 2, the contract for the superstructure was given to Philip Anfang. The work was completed by July 1, 1888, for the sum of $8,744. It was built of lumber with iron reenforcement and brick veneer. Archbishop Ireland blessed the new building on September 23, 1888. It faced Lafond Street on the property now occupied by the rectory. Father Trobec at first lived with Archbishop Ireland in the bishop's residence but then he moved into the small frame house on the corner of Lafond and Kent where the church stands today.

Saint Agnes School, housed in the same structure as the church, opened its doors on September 5, 1888, under the direction of the School Sisters of Notre Dame who came from their motherhouse in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There were 160 pupils registered, and four Sisters began the work: Sister M. Reingardis Adams, superior, Novice Enhildis Ufheil, Novice Marcellina Geier and Candidate Maria Mueller who was housekeeper. Students continued to apply, so another classroom was opened under Candidate Mary Louisa Steinbrener who was sent for. The chronicle of Saint Agnes Convent, kept by Sister Reingardis, described the new school:
 

Many of the appurtenances for the new church were special gifts of the parishioners. The stations of the cross were given by Paul Reichelt, a Protestant, and were blessed on September 9, 1888. A statue of Saint Agnes was given by Mr. Hahn and a 1600 pound bell by John Schellinger, both members of the Assumption parish. The bell was blessed by Father Alois Plut on the same day. Karl Pusch donated vestments for Mass and Hubert Wallraff gave a statue of the Blessed Virgin along with a monetary gift.

The spiritual life of the parishioners was, of course, the chief concern of the pastor, and so a mission was arranged for Lent of 1889, preached by Jesuit priests. The children received their first holy communion on July 14, 1889, and just before the high Mass began, a fire broke out in the sacristy which caused minimal damage but Father Trobec burned his hands in trying to extinguish it. In August of 1889, the archbishop assigned Father Charles Mikula as assistant priest, and the trustees voted to add an additional room to the small rectory on the corner of Lafond and Kent. This may be the small dwelling that today is at the rear of the lot at 538 Blair Avenue.

Life in those years was never far removed from death, and sorrow struck the new community often. The first to die after the establishment of the parish was a young girl, only fifteen years old, Mina Pfeifer, who had typhoid fever. Many died of tuberculosis, pneumonia and the usual childhood diseases. Sixty-one people died in 1888, and of those, forty-four were children under two years of age who died of what was called "summer complaint." One of the trustees of the parish, Charles Schultz, also died in 1888, and Nicholas Pothen was elected to succeed him on the parish board. Father Trobec conducted all the funerals. Burials were in Calvary Cemetery. He himself wrote the records in the book of interments, as he indeed kept all the record books, including the minutes of the meetings of the board of trustees, which were written in English in a clear, somewhat flamboyant hand.

But there were occasions of joy also. The first marriage celebrated in the new parish was between Hermann Auer and Louise Schaubschlaeger on November 21, 1887. Both came from the Boehmerwald. There were forty-one marriages performed in 1888. The register includes many names that are still to be found among today's parishioners. Interestingly, a study of the marriage register for the first few years of the parish, 1887-1900, shows that nearly all those married were born in Europe. After 1900, nearly all who are listed are American born. The countries from which they came indicate that a vast majority were from various sections of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. 163 persons came from the Boehmerwald; 85 were from Burgenland; 67 came from the Rheinland; 30 from various sections of the German Empire; and 28 from such Austrian provinces as Silesien, Steiermark and Tirol.

At the end of its first year of existence, in December of 1888, the parish found itself with a new building that served as church, school and convent, a little frame house for the clergy, a debt of $11,054.58, and six city lots along Lafond Street. The year had seen expenditures of $20,005.61 and ended with a balance on hand of $18. Among the things acquired for the new building were furniture for the Sisters, an iron fence for the front yard, side walks, storm windows and furniture for the church sanctuary. Wood and coal, insurance premiums, wine, candles and choirbooks took small sums according to present standards. Money was collected for the seminary fund, and $30 was contributed to the missions. Money was sent to those suffering in Dakota and to victims of the Johnstown tragedy.

Growth of the parish and the school continued through 1890. During the summer, an addition was put on to the east side of the school, costing $969, and by December of the same year an addition had to be made to that for another $300. The enrollment was 532 pupils taught by eight Sisters. On September 8, Father Trobec celebrated the silver jubilee of his ordination to the priesthood with the archbishop and thirty-seven priests at Saint Agnes for the occasion. On October 5, Archbishop Ireland confirmed 103 children. The rapid growth in the area brought about the establishment of the sixth German-speaking parish in Saint Paul, when Saint Bernard's was founded for the district north and east of Saint Agnes.

Father Trobec had a great interest in music, and he himself directed the choir. Bishop Joseph Busch of Saint Cloud is said to have commented about the pastor of Saint Agnes: "When I was Archbishop Ireland's secretary, Father Trobec did not leave me in peace until I consented to chant the high Mass at Saint Agnes every Sunday. He would play the organ, direct the choir, and preach." New choir music was regularly on the list of expenditures, and in 1890 a new organ was acquired for about $450. Love of music and singing was characteristic of the Slovenian priests, a fact demonstrated by the work of such men as Father John C. Gruden and Father Francis A. Missia, both of whom often sang and directed music throughout the diocese. The large size of the choirloft in the present church indicates Father Solnce's interest in music and the choir. Father Trobec's hand can be seen in a resolution adapted by the parish board on April 4, 1892, to give a supper to the choir and pay for it out of the church treasury.

New parishioners joined the ranks of the board of consultation in 1890 and 1891. The minutes show the presence at meetings of George Thill, Joseph Schaaf, William Esch, Alois Poferl, M. Melchoir, Hermann Terlinde, John B. Wallraff, Michael Holonitsch and Nicholas Hermes. Jacob Louis and Nicholas Pothen continued as secretary and treasurer. In the post-Vatican II period the election of parish councils by the entire congregation has been thought to be very innovative, but the minutes of the board of trustees of Saint Agnes for April 4, 1892, contain this resolution:
 

Building of a new parish house was considered at the May 16, 1892, meeting of the trustees. The constantly increasing enrollment in the school had taxed the facilities so that one class was forced to meet in the basement, an unfortunate situation. It was proposed to take over the rectory, convert it into two classrooms and build a new house for the priests on land on the north side of Lafond. A lot was bought for $ 1,100 directly across from the present driveway between the grade school and the rectory. Discussions of the material for the house finally were resolved by a decision to build a frame building costing from $2,500 to $3,000. George Bergman drew the plans and the contract was let to George N. Gerlach for $2,848. Work was completed by October 1892, and the building served as the rectory until it was incorporated into a new convent erected on the north side of Lafond in 1902, called Kloster Maria Hilf. That convent building was demolished in 1953 when the present convent on Thomas Avenue was finished.

The school continued to grow in enrollment even after the separation of Saint Bernard's area from Saint Agnes. In 1892, there were 661 students under the direction of twelve Sisters, and by 1895 there were 738 pupils with fifteen Sisters. There was need for more school rooms, so in 1894 another small building, one story high, 24 by 32 feet, was erected at the cost of $400 along Kent Street south of Father Trobec's first house. It was called the girls' baby room, and the former rectory on the corner became the boys' baby room. An addition was made to the Sisters' house by adding a room above the kitchen.

A great tragedy occurred for the school and for the Sisters in 1894, when Sister M. Reingardis, superior of the convent and principal of the school, died of blood poisoning on August 17, 1894. She was only thirty-four years old and as first principal of the school did much to bring it into existence and guide it in its phenomenal growth in its first six years. As she was preparing to go to Hokah, Minnesota, for a spiritual retreat, she became ill. The doctors diagnosed a poison coming from a large carbuncle at the back of her neck. She died a very holy death with the Sisters surrounding her. It was a large funeral at which Archbishop Ireland preached the English sermon and Father Trobec spoke in German. She was buried in Calvary Cemetery.

While many members of the parish were employed in the Dale Street shops of the Great Northern Railway and in other industries in the area, many others were in business for themselves in various shops and stores in the neighborhood. The booklet prepared for the first parish fair, August 25-31,1901, entitled Andenken  an die erste deutsche Kirmess, has many advertisements of local stores as well as many from the downtown area and other parts of the city. Nicholas Weiler sold wine and cigars at 622 University; Lorenz Gerten provided horseshoes and repaired wagons and buggies at 618 University; Nicholas Gillen had a barbershop on Dale and University; and the Convenient Drug Store was on the same corner. George Adam sold furniture, framed pictures and was an undertaker at Edmund and Kent; F. M. Pothen ran his plumbing business at 585 Sherburne; Bussjaeger had a greenhouse on Dale and Charles; and A. J. Ries operated a grocery on Edmund and St. Albans. Frank Petschl dealt in fresh and salted meats and homemade sausage at 585 Dale Street; W. Weiss operated The Beer Cave at 365 Western Avenue; Nicholas Olsem had his pretzel and chip factory at 532 Sherburne; and Albert Radmann cleaned and repaired clothing at 611 University. Henry Juergensen operated the St. Louis Market at 558 Edmund; Hoppe Brothers offered choice meats and canned goods at 740 Edmund; Gustav Herrmann sold fresh and salt meats at 674 Blair; M. F. Gardner made and sold cigars at 619 Kent; H. Wesenberg sold groceries and also shoes at 564 Blair; William Rothbauer had a sample room on the corner of Kent and Charles for fine wine, liquors, beer and cigars. John Dornseiff's shoe store was at 559 University; J. Kieffer made sausages at 316 Rice Street; Reinhart Brandl contracted for plastering at 667 Edmund; John Winkler had a Deutsche Wirthschaft with beer (always fresh) and a pool-room at 673 Blair; and Andreas Mair was competition with his Tiroler Gastwirthschaft at 501 Blair, advertised as headquarters for the Tiroler Alpine-singing clubs. His ad promises North Star Bier, Musikalische Unterhaltungen, Schnadahüpfel und Zitherspiel, Hier wohnt die Gemüthlichkeit. In the tradition of Tirol, Spassvogel Yodeler Club performed there. And still another Wirthschaft was run by Johann Waldoch at 601 Western. M. Salzer's meat market was at 441 Lafond, and Miss Mary Tasadil operated a dry good store at 619 Blair. Michetschlaeger's Wirthschaft was at 615 Lafond, and Charles Plebuch had his at 436 Lafond. Nicholas Hermes sold insurance from his residence at 567 Thomas; Christ. Weiden sold boots and shoes at 429 University; Schwalen Co. had wood, coal, flour and feed at 591 Dale Street; and Andrew Rangitsch had his grocery at 561 Charles; Kohler Brothers were in business handling meat and provisions at the corner of Dale and Edmund. John Brandl contracted for stone and brick work at 499 Grotto; A. J. Albachten had Yoerg's and Pabst's beer on sale in his sample room at 599 Dale Street; Schleh Brothers had wood and coal for sale at 522 Thomas; and Charles Peisert ran a meat market on the corner of Thomas and Mackubin. There was another Deutsche Wirthschaft run by John Piringer at 736 Edmund near Grotto; Frank and Mathias Hafner operated their grocery at 659 Dale Street; D. N. Wagner had a store for men's wares and tobacco on Western and Charles; and G. A. Wolfrum was druggist at 372 Kent Street. George Ries and A. J. Ries had their office at 918 Thomas where they offered to build churches, schools and rectories; John J. Schaff sold tombstones on Front Street near Calvary Cemetery; Edward Jungbauer was agent for Germania fire insurance at 474 Carroll Street; George Michel operated a grocery at 391 Rice Street. Der Wanderer cost two dollars for subscription, and Joseph Matt, who lived at 675 Charles, and William Baumgaertner worked to produce it. With such a variety of business enterprises within walking distance, the inhabitants of Frogtown had little need to go beyond the confines of their neighborhood.

Close neighbors to Saint Agnes were the Sisters of the Good Shepherd who established their convent on Blair Street on a twenty-seven acres plot and in 1883 dedicated their new building with a large chapel under a dome that dominated the area. The Sisters supported themselves and their apostolate by their laundry which serviced the Pullman cars that came into Saint Paul, which was an important railroad center. Residents of Frogtown remember the wagons that hauled the linens to and from the convent laundry. Saint Agnes boys served Mass in the Sisters' chapel. The convent remained a holy place secure on its hill above the city until the Sisters moved to Shoreview and the property was taken over by the Wilder Foundation.

1897 was a year of great activity for the parish. Continued growth of the school demanded more and more space for classrooms. The need for a church of sufficient size for the ever increasing number of families with many children was pressing. The first requirement was to secure land for the new building. At first some property was considered on the southeast corner of Thomas and Kent, but the proposed building would have faced west and the main door would be exposed to cold west winds. Legal difficulties with title to the lots also appeared, and so the parish trustees voted to buy three lots on the northeast corner of Kent and Thomas for a total of $3,350 including a house on one lot. It was also noted that a better foundation could be made on that property than across the street. It was further decided not to let the new structure out to a contractor, but the trustees themselves would do the contracting. The minutes of their meetings for the summer of 1897 are filled with bids for stone, wood, plaster and labor costs. They agreed to pay the market wage. A stonemason received $1.75 per day, and the foreman of the carpentry work got $2.50 a day. Excavation began on April 20, and various buildings on the property were moved elsewhere. The house on the third lot east of Kent on Thomas was moved to a lot east of the school on Lafond; the long school house (Father Trobec's original rectory) was moved to a new lot west of the priests' house on the north side of Lafond; and the little school house (the girls' baby room) was pushed 20 feet farther north along Kent.

Plans by two architects were submitted for the building. One was the work of Herman Kretz which was the one preferred by Archbishop Ireland; the other was a plan by George Ries, who wanted less money and who got the approval but without a guarantee that his plan would be used for the superstructure when it would be undertaken. The new building would be 116 feet from the main door to the altar, 68 feet wide inside, and 80 feet across at the transept. The sanctuary area would be 25 by 25 feet. Kettle River stone was purchased for $690, and George Thill got the contract for the plastering for $430. It was agreed to extend gas lines into the new building and install nine double and twenty single gas lights as well as to put gas lights into the rectory and the convent. In September, when the new basement church was ready, the area on the second floor of the original brick school-church structure on Lafond until then used as a church (sometimes called  Saint Agnes Chapel) was converted into school rooms. Ten years after its founding, Saint Agnes now had a new church (for the time only a basement), sufficient school space, and a new rectory, but still lacking was an adequate convent for the Sisters.

However, the great news of 1897 was not the new basement church or any of the physical changes in the parish buildings. On July 28, about five-thirty in the afternoon, Archbishop Ireland came to Saint Agnes to inform Father Trobec that he had been appointed Bishop of Saint Cloud to replace Bishop Martin Marty, who died there less than two years after he was transferred to Saint Cloud from Sioux Falls, S. D. A farewell reception was held for the new bishop in the new basement structure on September 8. The place was beautifully decorated. It was the 32nd anniversary of Bishop Trobec's ordination to the priesthood. The parishioners gave him a handsome purse. On September 21 he was consecrated a bishop by Archbishop Ireland in the Saint Paul Cathedral on Sixth and St. Peter Streets, and on September 26 he blessed the new basement church at Saint Agnes and sang pontifical high Mass. Bishop Trobec was a frequent visitor at Saint Agnes while he was bishop, and many important events in the parish and in the archdiocese found him present, including the historic consecration of six bishops at one time on May 19, 1910, in Saint Mary's Chapel at the Saint Paul Seminary. Bishop Trobec was one of the co-consecrators.

Bishop Trobec was beloved of his people while he was pastor of Saint Agnes and while he was Bishop of Saint Cloud. He was a mild-mannered man, full of charity and the love of the poor. His flock, as he himself, were immigrants, and he never ceased to labor for them in their new land. He was with them in the sorrows of death and sickness, in the trials of poverty and the learning of new customs and laws. He comforted the afflicted and counselled the doubting and ignorant. He knew the necessity of education for the young and the value of prayer for everyone. He was loyal to the Church, kind in his relations with everyone, and above all dedicated to his vocation as a priest. Truly Saint Agnes can be proud of its founder.

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