Elko New Market church returns to its genesis for 150th birthday

A group of Minnesota pioneers sat down for its first mass at this farm in April 1858. Many of the farm’s descendents still live in the area, and the church’s anniversary planners expect as many as 30 people related to the original group to attend the upcoming service.

A Catholic church in Elko New Market is returning to the family farm where its first mass was held to celebrate its sesquicentennial.

By TOM MORAN, Star Tribune

Last update: April 22, 2008 - 7:14 PM

On a family farm -- when Minnesota was in its infancy and New Market did not yet exist -- several pioneer settlers sat down for the Church of St. Nicholas' first mass 150 years ago this spring. They laid the foundation for a close-knit Catholic farming community that is still thriving today.

On Sunday, the church will return to the site of that original mass -- a family farm that is largely unchanged -- for its sesquicentennial celebration.

The Rev. Daniel Haugan said about five families originally settled the church and that many of their descendents still live in the area. The church's membership is now about more than 400 families, he said.

"People put their blood, their sweat and their tears into cultivating this land for so many years," he said.

Leander Wagner, chairman of the anniversary committee planning the event and a lifelong New Market resident, is a descendent of a family that took part in the original service. He said he expects as many as 30 people related to the original group to attend the service at the farm, which has been owned by only two families in 150 years.

Wagner said the celebration is a chance for the people of Elko New Market to reflect on how they are connected and the importance of the church in their history. Wagner, 73, said he has seen the town evolve during his life and grow significantly over the last 10 years, but St. Nicholas has always been a constant.

"You know, with a church being here for the people for 150 years, the church doesn't owe much but the parishioners owe the church a whole bunch," he said. "So if we're going to do it we should do it right."

Wagner said they plan to demonstrate the community's intimacy by color-coding gravestones in the cemetery, reflecting how people are related and demonstrate the genealogy of the community.

"We've got family trees we can trace all the way back to Europe," he said. "We pretty much know who's who and from where."

In 1858, when the original Mass was held, the farm was owned by Martin and Elizabeth Eischen. In the 150 years since, three generations of the Eischen family and three generations of the Chlan family have owned the farm.

Sue Moosbrugger -- a Chlan descendant who owns the family farm with her six siblings -- said she had no idea about its history until the planning committee from the church approached her about holding the service there. She said she is excited to host the service and has been compiling the property's history ever since.

Moosbrugger said the farm, now home for two of her brothers and a small amount of cattle for personal use, has not changed too much. She said the structures on the property have changed over time, but the landscape has remained much the same.

The outdoor service will be held on the north end of the property, she said, under a massive tent. To accommodate transportation needs, she said guests will park at the church and take a bus to the farm.

Haugan said he was going to try to keep the service similar to what might have taken place in 1858 through hymn selections and his liturgy.

Wagner said the 10 a.m. service was only the kickoff to many more events in the sesquicentennial celebration. He said after the service, attendees can head to a reception at the church in Elko-New Market. There will also be a volleyball tournament, an adult dance, a kiddy pull (similar to a tractor pull but for children) and a second celebratory event in September to commemorate their first service in a church building, he said.

Tom Moran is a University of Minnesota student on assignment with the Star Tribune.

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