I'm Here
We, the Church of Saint Boniface, as a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Saint Cloud that has been served by Benedictine monks and Sisters since its founding in 1878, participate in the mission of the Church given by the Lord Jesus to proclaim His Gospel and make disciples of all nations, to welcome these new disciples in praying and hospitable community, and to provide on-going formation in the discipleship of Jesus Christ. As a community of faith, we look to Saint Boniface as a model for how to live our mission. Boniface, a Benedictine monk, became the missionary sent to proclaim the Gospel to the Germanic lands.
As a monk, Boniface would have taken the vows of conversatio, stability, and obedience. Conversatio reminds us that we must daily choose to follow Christ as His disciples. Stability challenges us to be rooted and centered in the person of Jesus Christ through His Church, founded on the rock of Saint Peter. Obedience calls us to listen to the voice of Jesus, even as He speaks through the poor, the immigrant, and the stranger.
As Saint Benedict reminds his followers, we seek to receive everyone who comes to us as though he or she is Christ Himself (RB 53).
As a missionary, Saint Boniface faced the challenge of making the Gospel relevant to the Germanic people. After some failed attempts at evangelization, he was finally able to preach the Gospel in a way that converted tribes and nations, and, through his leadership, was able to establish the Church in Germany. In his life as a missionary, we see ourselves who have been entrusted with this same Gospel to share it with all we encounter, taking heart when we fail, so that led by the Holy Spirit, we may bring others to Christ through His Church.
Centered on Christ
Catholic Community
Assumption Chapel
Cold Spring, MN
The Assumption Chapel on Grasshopper Hill is open.
Outdoor weddings for Catholics are now available.
Call 320-204-1111 for more information.
The following dates and times are for 2022
September
8th Nativity of Mary Rosary only TBD
HISTORY
Overlooking the town of Cold Spring, the Assumption Chapel is nestled among the towering trees. Each year, thousands of people revel in the tranquility, beauty, and mystique of the grounds. The history of the Assumption Chapel is legendary. It is the story of townspeople gathering together in efforts to rid the area of grasshoppers that were destroying farmers’ valuable crops.
The invasion happened within the course of 24 hours. One day the grain crops promised a bountiful harvest. By the next afternoon, they were blanketed by millions of Rocky Mountain grasshoppers. Farmers made every effort to stop the swarming insects but to no avail. The crops were destroyed, and, even worse, the grasshoppers honeycombed the countryside with eggs that would hatch next spring. Minnesota’s governor proclaimed April 26, 1877, a day of prayer, and throughout the next few months, the people of the Cold Spring area continued to pray. They vowed that if the Blessed Virgin would rid them of the grasshoppers, they would build a chapel and offer prayers to her for the next fifteen years. Construction of the chapel was the idea of Rev. Leo Winter, O.S.B., during the summer of 1876-1877.
The next day, the grasshoppers were gone. The people kept their promise and built the chapel on a hill halfway between the parish in Jacobs Prairie and the mission in Saint Nicholas. However, the first structure of the Assumption Chapel was made of wood and a tornado in 1894 destroyed the chapel. Not until 1951 was the chapel reconstructed by Father Victor Ronellenfitsch, O.S.B., and the parishioners of the Church of Saint Boniface. Granite was donated for the structure in addition to other supplies, and the Assumption Grasshopper Chapel remains in existence today.
Assumption Chapel is located in Cold Spring off of State Highway 23 and Chapel Hill Street, just off of Pilgrimage Road. A pamphlet detailing "The story of Mary and the Grasshoppers", written by Robert J. Voigt, is available at the chapel and at the Parish Office of the Church of Saint Boniface for a donation of $3.00.