Friday, February 13, 2026
Dear parishioners of our 5-parish Holy Saints ACC,
On December 15th the Holy Saints ACC had our CAP meeting with the Diocese of Saint Cloud. We presented our three proposals for the All Things New directive. At that meeting, the CAP also discussed other configurations for our ACC, including adding St. Anne’s to the Blue plan, and even the suppression (elimination) of all five parishes and the closure of their churches.
The Committee for Affirming Plans (CAP) has made their decision regarding our All Things New proposals. We are passing along what was shared with us by Brenda Kresky, the diocesan Director of Planning, quoting verbatim:
The CAP members have voted to affirm these major components of the Holy Saints Blue Plan:
- Merging the five parishes – Holy Cross (Pearl Lake/Marty), St. Anne (Kimball), St. Mary Help of Christians (St. Augusta) St. Nicholas (St. Nicholas), and St. Wendelin (Luxemburg) – into one parish and corporation
- Closing Holy Cross, St. Nicholas, and St. Anne.
I will be sending out a letter to all households in the ACC with the “diocesan plan” (probably sometime in the Spring) when all ACC plans have been affirmed by the CAP.
As you know, this is not Bishop Neary’s final decision; rather, it is the plan we intend to present to the Presbyteral Council for consideration.
Our Holy Saints ATN committee asked for further explanation and received this response:
There was sincere and even difficult personal discernment among CAP members, especially regarding this ACC. As your group has expressed many times, there is no easy or perfect solution here, and that reality weighed heavily.
Reasons that led to the CAP’s decision
- Merging into one corporation was seen as the most sustainable path
- The blue plan’s model of one priest serving the ACC aligns with diocesan realities.
- The declining Catholic population across the region—not just within our diocese—was also considered.
- The condition and suitability of some buildings also played a role.
Please know that the CAP members took their responsibility seriously and prayerfully. Their intention was not simply to evaluate buildings or structures, but to consider how best to support the spiritual life, mission, and long‑term health of the faith community.
We understand that this is profoundly difficult news. Thank you for the many prayers offered for our parishes and for the committee during the past few months. We have been in prayer for you as well, and have tried to be faithful to the mission with which we were tasked. However, we want to acknowledge the intense disagreement among our Holy Saints ATN representatives throughout this process as we attempted to form workable plans. Please know that the plan that the CAP selected to move forward does not express a vision of our committee as a whole, nor does it have unilateral support of our members, who remain deeply divided.
As a committee we do not know when these changes will be implemented. We anticipate at least some changes needing to be in place by July, since according to Brenda Kresky: it is very likely that as of July 1 there will be one priest to serve this ACC.
Please remain in prayer for Bishop Neary and all in our diocese. As the world and the Church shake, we pray that you find refuge and hope in Christ, who promises, “I will never leave you or forsake you” and “I am with you always, to the close of the age.”
Respectfully,
The Holy Saints All Things New Committee
Fr. Don Wagner Mike Lutgen Lee Bautch Matt Lindberg Robin Schiefelbein
Fr. Erik Lundgren Colby Faber Heather Gohmann John Wicker Donna Gregory Todd Hurrle Tracy Dombrovski Kelli Kleinschnitz