Chapter Nine
MONSIGNOR RUDOLPH G. BANDAS
(1957-1969)

Rudolph George Bandas was born in Biscay near Silver Lake, Minnesota, April 18, 1896. He received his early education in the public school in Glencoe, Minnesota. He studied the classics at the University of Minnesota and at the College of Saint Thomas before entering the Saint Paul Seminary. He was ordained a priest by Archbishop Dowling, June 19, 1921. He did further studies at Cambridge and Oxford universities in England and in 1924 he was awarded the doctorate in philosophy at the Angelicum University in Rome. He studied at the University of Louvain in Belgium where he earned the degrees of S.T.D. et M. in 1925, before returning to Saint Paul to teach in the seminary as professor of dogmatic theology and catechetics. His theological specialty was Saint Paul's teaching on the Redemption which was contained chiefly in his book, The Master Idea of Saint Paul's Epistles. During his years as professor theology he organized the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine throughout the archdiocese and founded the Catholic Youth Centers in Saint Paul and Minneapolis. His published works include Contemporary Philosophy and Thomistic Principles in 1932, Biblical Questions in 1943, and Modern Questions in 1953. In 1945, he became rector of the seminary, a post he filled until his appointment to Saint Agnes in 1957. He was named a domestic prelate by Pope Pius XII, January 15, 1955. Internationally famous for his studies and publications in catechetics, his writings were translated into several European and oriental languages. His textbooks for the teaching of religion in grade and high schools, Faith of Our Fathers, published in 1968, were widely used. Monsignor Bandas was a member of two commissions during the Second Vatican Council, one on dogma and the other on seminaries. He was a member of the Pontifical Roman Academy and a consultor of the Sacred Congregation of Seminaries and Universities. He attended every session of the Second Vatican Council. He died on June 26, 1969.

With the appointment of Bishop Schladweiler to New Ulm, the parish of Saint Agnes was open. Archbishop Brady assumed the position of rector of the Saint Paul Seminary, an office he had held before he became the bishop of Sioux Falls. He transferred Monsignor Bandas, who was rector of the seminary, to Saint Agnes to succeed Bishop Schladweiler on February 11, 1958. A reception was held to welcome the new pastor on March 16. He began immediately to assess the needs of the parish, and on Easter Sunday he announced that the church needed a new roof, the interior had to be decorated, and three or four new classrooms were needed to accommodate the increased enrollment in the high school. It was estimated that a total of $80,000 was necessary to complete the three projects, but when all was completed it cost $26,500 to repair the roof, $23,500 to decorate the interior, and $78,000 to add four classrooms above the gym.

On May 12, 1958, Monsignor Bandas appointed a lay advisory board to assist him in administering the parish. Its first task would be to take up a census and then face the financial problems of a debt of $225,000 and the need for another $100,000 to carry out the repairs on the church and the addition of new classrooms above the gymnasium. Members of the board were: Roman Adam, Raymond Blacik, George Jungbauer, Gregory Keller, John O'Neill, John Pohl, William Saiko, Charles Schuman, Richard Seeger, Lawrence Steiner, Bernard Troje, Robert Ullman, Lelan Wheeler and Anthony Winkel.

Work on the church roof began on June 9 and continued until October. A new fence had been installed around the playground by the Parents and Faculty Organization, and a party on the new facility was held on May 25 to dedicate it. Outside band concerts, square-dancing in the gym and bingo were part of the summer events.

But June 1958 also saw the departure of Father Eugene Hackert who had been assistant for several years. He joined Bishop Schladweiler in the new Diocese of New Ulm on June 8. A month later the news of the sudden and tragic death of Father Joseph Warnemunde left the parishioners stunned. He had been on vacation in the East with two priest friends when he experienced weakness and a difficulty in breathing. He died on July 10, 1958, at Misericordia Hospital in Philadelphia. Archbishop Brady celebrated the funeral Mass at Saint Agnes, and burial was in Kilkenny, Minnesota, his home. Scaffolding filled the church for the funeral and all during the summer as the work of painting and decorating the church continued.

Two new assistants arrived that summer, Father Eugene Roden, who came from Saint Stephen's in Minneapolis, and Father Patrick J. Ryan, who had just been ordained after studies at the University of Louvain in Belgium. They entered into the life of the parish with calls on the parishioners, bringing communion to the homebound, teaching in the schools and meeting with the parish societies.

In the Fall, on October 5, the great Rosary Crusade brought together the largest assembly of people ever gathered for any event in the history of the State of Minnesota with the ceremonies on the capitol approach. Saint Agnes had a large delegation to hear Father Patrick Peyton preach and lead the Rosary. That same week Pope Pius XIII, whom many Saint Agnes people remembered for his visit to Saint Paul in 1936 as Cardinal Pacelli, died in Rome. Prayers and Masses were offered for him, and the parish began to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the selection of a new pontiff. The election of Pope John XXIII was received with great joy around the world. 

In April of 1959, Monsignor Bandas went to Rome to take part in meetings of the Sacred Congregation of Seminaries of which he was a member. A frequent visitor to Rome, as rector of the Saint Paul Seminary he had many responsible positions in the government of the universal Church which led in time to his appointment to commissions of the Second Vatican Council. Always concerned about vocations to the priesthood, he encouraged the people of Saint Agnes to support energetically Archbishop Brady's campaign for the major seminary and Nazareth Hall called Opus Sancti Petri, and he undertook to help poor seminarians in Europe by sending clothes and money to the Holy See for distribution in Italian seminaries.

On June 9, 1958, recitation of the Rosary before the Tuesday evening novena service began, with the parish societies assuming the leadership. The students of the high school took first place in hockey, basketball and debate that year, and the grade school students won the annual school police award in competition with all other parochial and public schools in the city. The decoration of the church was completed and a new red rug was laid in the sanctuary. Three wrought iron chairs with red upholstery were added to the sanctuary furniture, especially for use at pontifical Masses.

Sunday afternoon, December 13, was a day of celebration at which the parish honored its pastor and its week-end assistant, Father Walter H. Peters, with a tea in the church hall. Monsignor Bandas had been notified of his appointment as "non-resident professor" at the Lateran University in Rome, and Father Peters had recently published a full-length biography of Pope Benedict XV, released by Bruce Publishing Co. of Milwaukee. Long familiar with Saint Agnes, Father Peters had been assistant here from 1939 until 1944 when he was assigned to the staff of Nazareth Hall. He continued as a week-end assistant under Father Gruden, Bishop Schladweiler and Monsignor Bandas, both while he was at Nazareth Hall and later at the College of Saint Thomas. His Life of Benedict XV was very successful and went into a second printing. Many people had their copies autographed at the tea.

Another priest who became a familiar sight at Saint Agnes for several years was Monsignor Vincent Strelevics, a refugee from Communist tyranny in Latvia, who frequently preached in German at the eight o'clock Masses and took care of the Latvian people at special services in the chapel. He stayed at Saint Agnes for awhile and then at the Saint Paul Seminary before finding a residence on Churchill Street near Saint Andrew's. He died May 27, 1983, at the age of 94, and was buried from Saint Agnes.

1960 closed the decade of the 50's, a period of great growth for the Church, the country and the parish, years of optimism and pride in being a Catholic and an American. Many things were accomplished at Saint Agnes during the fifties, and life appeared to be calm and moving forward to even greater achievements. Little did anyone know of the difficulties in store for the Church and the country in the decades ahead. 1960 was a year for a mission at Saint Agnes, given by two Redemptorists priests, Father Francis Novak and Father Edward Nugent. The School Sisters of Notre Dame assigned a new principal to the grade school, Sister M. Irmina, and a new high school principal, Sister M. Rudolphia. The Men's Club celebrated its twenty-fifth jubilee with a banquet at which Bishop Schladweiler was the speaker and guest of honor. In November, Monsignor Bandas went to Rome to begin preparatory work on the forthcoming Second Vatican Council in the area of seminaries. While he was there, he was photographed with the Holy Father, Pope John XXIII, and on his return he gave each family a copy of the picture as a Christmas gift. That Christmas, through the generosity of the Altar and Rosary Society, a new set of figures for the Christmas crib was placed in the baptistry at the rear of the church. Connections between Saint Agnes and Rome continued as Monsignor Bandas returned to the Eternal City for more work on the forthcoming council, and Archbishop Pietro C. van Lierde, vicar general for Vatican City, came to Saint Agnes for a visit during which he celebrated pontifical Mass with great ceremony. Father Richard J. Schuler of the College of Saint Thomas directed the Twin Cities Catholic Chorale and instrumentalists in Ernst Tittel's Muttergottes Mass for the occasion. Also in Rome for the council preparations, Archbishop Brady was stricken and died there. His funeral was held at the Cathedral in Saint Paul on October 9, 1961, with the Archbishop of Dubuque, Leo Binz, as the celebrant. On February 28, 1962, Archbishop Binz became the new Archbishop of Saint Paul.

Several improvements were accomplished in 1962. New stained glass windows were installed in the Sisters' chapel. Seven in number, depicting thirty-five symbols of the Holy Eucharist, they were designed by Herman Widinoser and fabricated by the Tiroler Glasmalerei in Innsbruck, Austria, for the cost of $4,400. A new stained glass window was also put into the facade of the church, showing the Good Shepherd. It too was made in Innsbruck. New confessionals at the rear of the church, new vestibule doors, new furniture for the ushers and new paintings hung in the vestibule depicting Isaias and John the Baptist continued the work of beautifying the church.

The on-going discussion of a major expansion program for the high school raised many problems concerning where to put the new structure which would include a high school gymnasium. Some proposed that it be erected between the church and the convent on Thomas Avenue; others thought it should be east of the existing school, along Lafond; others thought a location on Mackubin Street would be good. The question of finance as well as the absence of Monsignor Bandas in Rome for so many months during the ecumenical council delayed decisions on beginning the project. The need was clearly recognized, since nearly 1500 students in two separate schools were taxing the existing facilities and even endangering the accreditation of the high school. By the end of 1962, the pastor was able to announce the complete liquidation of the parish indebtedness, and so the opportunity to begin building it grew as collections for the building fund began.

Father Peter's celebrated his silver jubilee of ordination with a Mass and a reception on May 13, 1962. Bishop Leonard Cowley preached the sermon. In June, Father Patrick Ryan was assigned by Archbishop Binz to Rome for further studies, and he was succeeded at Saint Agnes by Father John Iacono. Father Gruden, who had left Saint Agnes for retirement in California and Florida, died and was buried from Saint Agnes on November 2, 1962. The archbishop and the pastor were both in Rome for the council, so Monsignor John Cullinan, vicar general of the archdiocese, celebrated the Mass. As the council began its work, word was received from Rome that Monsignor Bandas had been appointed to two important commissions of the council, the one for seminaries, universities and education, and the other on bishops and the government of dioceses. The parish was highly honored in the recognition given its pastor in the greatest ecclesiastical gathering of this century.

Saint Agnes Convent has always been one of the largest communities of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and the sight of the Sisters in their distinctive habit with its great veil was long familiar to the people of Frogtown. On March 25, 1963, on the feast of Our Lady's Annunciation, the Sisters of Notre Dame in all parts of the world adopted a new religious habit, considerably simplified at the request of the Holy See and specially designed for them. At a prearranged moment, all the Sisters put on the new habit which was widely acclaimed.

In May, 1963, the Saint Anthony Benevolent Society celebrated its seventy-fifth anniversary. A campaign for expansion of the Academy of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Mankato was launched, and Saint Agnes parishioners contributed $86,000 to the project. In June, Pope John XXIII died and was succeeded by Pope Paul VI, who continued the sessions of the Second Vatican Council, summoning the second session for September. Monsignor Bandas was present in Rome for all the meetings until December.

The schools continued to be the major activity and the greatest problem for the parish, as plans were studied to invite an order of teaching Brothers to assume the instruction of the high school boys while the School Sisters of Notre Dame continued to teach the girls. For many reasons, no success was achieved in inviting either the Marist Brothers or the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Beginning a trend that would continue for at least two decades, the enrollment in the grade school began to decline. In September of 1963, it dropped by one hundred.

Efforts to implement the wishes of the Second Vatican Council in matters of the liturgy brought a vigorous effort to encourage more active participation in the Mass. Monsignor Bandas, who knew the wishes of the conciliar fathers by first-hand experience, was among the first pastors in the nation to put into effect the new liturgical changes. By 1964, the constitution on the sacred liturgy, issued at the close of the first session of the council, was already being studied and implemented at Saint Agnes The active spiritual life of the parish was further encouraged by a mission conducted by the Franciscan Fathers during March 1964.

On April 17, 1964, the parish celebrated the diamond jubilee of its founding. Archbishop Binz pontificated, and Bishop Pietro C. van Lierde, vicar general of Vatican City, preached. Present for the occasion were Bishop Alphonse J. Schladweiler, Monsignor Walter H. Peters, Fathers Benedict Peichel, Henry Geisenkoetter, Eugene Hackert, Monsignor Joseph Ettel, Monsignor George Ziskovsky, and Fathers Robert Merth and Wallace Hermes. Father James M. Lavin was master of ceremonies, and Father Richard J. Schuler directed the Twin Cities Catholic Chorale. Three Masses were celebrated for the jubilee, and many other social events were scheduled as well.

On June 16, the Archbishop assigned Father John Iacono to Saint Timothy's parish in Blaine. He was replaced by Father Raymond Zweber who came from Holy Trinity Parish in South Saint Paul. On June 21, 1964, Monsignor Bandas began a series of articles both in the parish bulletin and in the Wanderer commenting on the blindness of the Catholic press in this country concerning the developments at the Second Vatican Council. He had been accused of having a "Roman mentality!" This was the beginning of a continuing campaign against him by those who wished to have their own ideas rather than those of the council implemented in this country. Monsignor Bandas was present at every session of the council, and thus he knew clearly what the council decreed. In his writings and in his direction of the reforms introduced at Saint Agnes, he clearly called for the letter of the conciliar decrees, rather than the so-called "spirit of the council" which was so far removed from the actual wishes of the conciliar fathers. On the first Sunday of Advent, English was introduced into the celebration of Mass, and the office of Rector was likewise begun. In September, Monsignor Bandas returned to Rome for the third session of the council, returning to Saint Paul in time for Christmas to hear the new chimes sounding from the steeple, a gift of Anthony Podgorski.

The problem of a new school continued to be debated. The board of trustees decided in August, 1964, to build a new grade school, and Eugene Schaefer was engaged as architect. His plan projected a building that would cost $1,200,000. It would be erected to the east of the building now known as Gruden Hall, with the portion on Lafond Avenue to be completed first. Eight houses along Lafond and Mackubin were purchased and demolished at the cost of $131,800, but with Monsignor Bandas having to travel to Rome for the fourth and last session of the council, nothing was done on the building project for some time and eventually the plan to erect a new grade school was abandoned. A big event of 1965 was the purchase of a car for the Sisters in June, surely a reform long called for.

In August, Father Eugene Roden was transferred to Holy Cross Church in Minneapolis, and Father Martin Siebenaler came to Saint Agnes from the Church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Minneapolis. On August 19, 1965, Archbishop Binz pontificated in the cathedral to ask the guidance of the Holy Spirit on the last session of the Second Vatican Council soon to open in Rome. Monsignor Bandas preached the sermon during which he remarked that while Pope John XXIII had opened the windows of the Church through the calling of the council, unfortunately many strange birds had flown in through those windows, a reference to some of the false notions of the conciliar decrees that were already becoming widespread in the country through the ultra-liberal Catholic press. Shortly afterward, the archbishop, the auxiliary bishops and Monsignor Bandas left for Rome.

In October, Pope Paul VI visited the United States and celebrated Mass in Yankee Stadium in New York City, an event that stirred America because it was the first time a reigning pontiff had set foot on American soil. On June 30, 1966, the world celebrated the anniversary of the Holy Father's coronation, and the archdiocese celebrated its patronal feast the same day. 1966 saw the end of the obligatory abstinence from meat on Fridays for the Catholics of the United States, when the American bishops voted to dispense this country from the law of the universal Church which forbids the eating of meat on Fridays in memory of the death of Jesus Christ.

The parish bulletin continued to give the various changes introduced by the Second Vatican Council, and at the same time Monsignor Bandas continued to point out the errors and false interpretations of the council that were spreading through the country. Liturgical abuses and false moral concepts are noted and corrected. The truth about the requirements for the position of the altar, the use of statues, the practice of general absolution, kneeling for Holy Communion, frequent confession and fitting church music are all explained in the various issues of the bulletin during 1967.

The parish bulletin for August 20, 1967, has, this commentary by Monsignor Bandas:

In June 1968, Father Zweber moved to Saint John Vianney Parish in South Saint Paul as pastor, and Father Frederick Meyer came to Saint Agnes from Saint Vincent's. That same month, NBC produced a TV program on the changes in the Catholic Church stemming from the Vatican Council. Entitled "The New American Catholic," the hour-long program featured Monsignor Bandas, Cardinal McIntyre of Los Angeles and others with Bishop James P. Shannon as master of ceremonies. Very controversial in its viewpoint, it stirred up considerable reaction as the lines between the conservatives and the progressivists became more clearly drawn. The defection of Bishop Shannon followed later, and many have thought it was closely connected with this TV production. Part of the show was filmed in Saint Agnes rectory with Monsignor Bandas stating clearly what is meant by the "spirit of the council," but the editing of the film for showing made him appear to be a reactionary and an old man ignorant of the wave of the future. The parish bulletin for June 30, 1968, has Monsignor Bandas' analysis of the controversy:
 
A "spirit of the council" is genuine when it flows organically from, or is intrinsically connected with, a council decree or an official interpretation of the decree by the Holy See. A "spirit of the council" is spurious when it is opposed to a council decree or in no wise derives from it or is based upon it.

Here are a few practices now being introduced into parishes which have no basis in the council decrees and in some instances are in opposition to them. The council nowhere says:

With a clear understanding of the conciliar reforms, Monsignor Bandas implemented them at Saint Agnes, always careful to observe the directives as they were given by the Holy See in the gradual work of fulfilling the wishes of the council. As a result, the difficulties encountered in many parishes with an erroneous concept of the conciliar changes were avoided at Saint Agnes. Under the direction of their pastor, the people gladly accepted the decrees of the council, the post-conciliar commissions and the Holy Father. All the conciliar decrees were implemented, but none of the changes introduced so widely as a part of the "spirit of the council" found their way into the liturgical life of Saint Agnes. Credit for this must be given to Monsignor Bandas, his clear knowledge of the council and his foresight which was far beyond that of many other pastors.

By July 1968, the decision on an addition to the school had been reduced to erecting a new gym with a few classrooms for band, chorus and the commercial department. It was determined to raise $100,000 and to borrow an additional $250,000 from the Catholic Aid Association, supplementing the $300,000 already in the building fund. The archdiocesan plan for high schools complicated the matter, since in supporting its own high school, Saint Agnes re quested to be free from assessments for the diocesan schools, a request that the archbishop was not willing to grant. Two bids for the gym were submitted: Steenberg Construction of Saint Paul for $635,000, and Keller Construction of Hudson, Wisconsin, for $709,000. Later changes in the plans were ordered by the city architect who demanded the installation of a sprinkler system and additional exits, raising the costs by $20,000. Construction on the corner of Lafond and Mackubin continued through 1968 and into 1969. Costs continued to rise as the country was experiencing a period of inflation. In order to hold down additional costs, many things were eliminated from the original plans and construction slowed down. The building seemed to show little progress during the winter months. By spring of 1969, it was far from complete.

Meanwhile, Monsignor Bandas continued to be disturbed by the direction the implementation of the Vatican Council was taking across the country. He told Saint Agnes people that if they came upon Masses filled with abuses of the liturgy they should leave. In the bulletin for May 18, 1969, he complained bitterly about the high school students in his religion classes and their lack of docility in accepting the teachings of the Church, an echo of the general unrest among college and university students during the sixties and the seventies. It was a time of rebellion and its influences would be felt at Saint Agnes for a decade.

Monsignor Bandas died on June 26, 1969, after a few months bout with cancer. He remained relatively active up until his death with occasional periods of hospitalization. His columns in the Wanderer were published up until his death, and on the very day he died, the E. M. Lohmann Co. released the last of his catechetical publications. The archbishop appointed Father Frederick Meyer to be administrator of the parish until a new pastor would be appointed. A procession of over one hundred bishops and priests entered the church for the funeral Mass which was concelebrated in English by Archbishop Leo Binz at the high altar. Concelebrants were Bishop Alphonse J. Schladweiler of New Ulm, Monsignor George Ziskovsky, pastor of the Assumption parish, Father F. J. Poplawski of Delano, Father William Murphy of Cleveland, Minnesota, and Father Frederick Meyer of Saint Agnes. According to Monsignor Bandas' request, no sermon was preached but Archbishop Leo Byrne praised his long years of service to the archdiocese. He was buried in the cemetery at Silver Lake, Minnesota.

Saint Agnes has been blessed with pastors who have been nationally and internationally recognized in many fields of ecclesiastical knowledge. Surely not the least of them was Monsignor Bandas whose theological and catechetical writing were known around the world and translated into many languages, both western and oriental. His work in the Vatican Council and in the Congregation for Seminaries testifies to his ability. And yet, while he was so active in working for the Church universal, he was able to accomplish so much at Saint Agnes. The physical accomplishments and the various organizational achievements with the parish societies and the schools have all been noted. But the most significant contribution that Monsignor Bandas made to Saint Agnes was his guiding of the parish through the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. He knew what they were, having been at every session of the council himself, and when he returned he put into operation at Saint Agnes all that was decreed. He did not fall for the erroneous "spirit of the council" that brought about the disasters that the Church in the United States has experienced for the past twenty years since the closing of the council. For that reason there was little of the controversy at Saint Agnes that many parishes experienced. Aside from the criticisms that came from non-parishioners who may have been associated with the high school, the changes were introduced at Saint Agnes with relative ease and acceptance by all. Many parishes were split into factions, but the traditional unity that Saint Agnes long knew was maintained under the prudent direction of its pastor. A very kindly man, Monsignor Bandas loved children and especially the young people in the grade and high schools. His entire priestly life was spent in work for Catholic education. He was above all else a teacher, but primarily he was a priest, whether he was serving the great High Priest as professor, seminary rector, or pastor of Saint Agnes.

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