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History of the Parish

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clergy emeritus
- Fr. Bill Duffert
  
  Parochial Vicar 2021-2024
  
  frbduffertnativitystpaul.org
- Father Patrick Hipwell
  
  Pastor 2008-2023
- Rev. Mr. Russ Kocemba
  
  Deacon Emeritus
- Father Nick Hagen
  
  Parochial Vicar 2018-2021

Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church has a rich history as a faith community serving the Macalester-Groveland area. The parish began more than 80 years ago with construction of a brick school/church and rectory in the midst of the farmland that once dominated the neighborhood. Sixteen years later, a beautiful Gothic church with seating for more than 800 worshipers constructed adjacent to the school. Since that time, thousands of parishioners have relied upon Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church and School as a source of education, spiritual growth and liturgy. Here are some of the key events that form our parish history:

The 20s and 30s

September 7, 1922	Archbishop Dowling assigns Fr. Terrence Moore the daunting task of establishing a new parish amid the farmlands of the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood. Fr. Moore names the new parish Nativity of Our Lord.
August 1923	The first parish structures – Nativity of Our Lord School and the Rectory – are completed. Mass is celebrated in the new school building. Fr. Moore moves into the new Rectory.
September 14, 1923	Nativity of Our Lord School opens its doors with an enrollment of 311.
1927	With enrollment nearing 700, a new wing is added to the school building.
1930	Enrollment continues to grow and a second wing is added.
August 29, 1937	Ground is broken for the new church – almost fifteen years to the day that Fr. Moore was asked to start a new parish.
April 16, 1939	The new church structure is dedicated and 300 people are confirmed in the new facility. The parish now has more than 1,200 families and more than 900 children in the school.

The 40s and 50s

December 7, 1941	America enters World War II – 669 parishioners would eventually serve in the war.
April 1945	Fr. Clarence Steiner is assigned to Nativity as assistant pastor to Fr. Moore. He would serve Nativity for more than 50 years.
February 1948	Fr. Moore dies at the age of 78 from complications of a stroke suffered while kneeling in the sanctuary. Auxiliary Bishop James Byrnes is appointed pastor.
1952	The convent building is completed.
1954	The “baby boom” is in full swing and school enrollment continues to rise. Kindergarten classes are eliminated so that the classrooms can be used by the upper grades.
August 1956	Fr. Steiner is appointed parish administrator.
1958	Enrollment hits 1,040. Anticipating the need to educate an additional 200 students, the parish undertakes its first major capital campaign since the church was built. More than $1 million is raised, with $800,000 going to the school building fund and $200,000 supporting the Archdiocesan Catholic High School program.

The 60s and 70s

1960	Six lots adjacent to the school are purchased; ground is broken for an addition to the school and a larger playground is constructed.
1961	The new addition, housing 12 classrooms, school offices and a new gym, is completed.
1964	Fr. Steiner is appointed pastor.
1965	Vatican II brings many changes, including Masses said in English for the first time.
September 10, 1972	The parish celebrates its 50th anniversary.
1973	Following the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, Nativity parishioners rally behind right to life issues.
1975	Fr. Patrick Lannan joins the parish.
September 1975	The first Nativity County Fair is held, raising nearly $28,500.
June 1977	Fr. John Kelley joins Nativity.

The 80s and 90s

1980	The school’s partnership with Holy Rosary parish begins.
October 1982	Nativity begins its first Stewardship program, formalizing annual giving by parishioners.
1983	The stained glass windows are restored and the Nativity Scholarship and Endowment funds are established.
1985	Fr. Lannan is named parish administrator.
1986	Msgr. Steiner retires and Fr. Lannan is named pastor.
1988	The church building is 50 years old.
December 4, 1988	The church is officially paid for and consecrated.
September 1990	The Nativity Early Learning Center opens its doors.
1993	750 parishioners donate $825,000 to renovate the lower church and create Steiner Hall, a much-needed worship and social space.
1994	Females begin serving as acolytes.
April 1994	Nativity parish opens its Perpetual Adoration Chapel.
October 1994	The Nativity Parish Center opens its newly-renovated offices in the former convent.
June 1995	2,000 Nativity School graduates return for the first All-School Reunion.
1996	Fr. Bill Baer joins the parish as associate pastor.
1997	Msgr. Steiner moves to the Little Sisters of the Poor residence after 52 years.
September 1997	The parish celebrates 75 years.
November 1998	Fr. Lannan dies unexpectedly while traveling in the Holy Land . Fr. Baer assumes duties as interim pastor until a successor can be identified.
1999	The parish enters the information age with its first web site.
June 1999	Fr. Peter Christensen joins Nativity parish as its fifth pastor.

The New Millennium

May 2000	Nativity undertakes its first multi-million dollar capital campaign to raise funds to restore the aging church facility and make critical upgrades to the school building.
September 2000	Nativity County Fair celebrates its 25th year.
November 2000	The Pastoral Council meets for the first time.
July 2001	The stone monument on the corner of Stanford and Prior is erected.
September 11, 2001	Three airplanes are hijacked by terrorists and the twin towers of the World Trade Center are destroyed. Hundreds of parishioners gather at the church seeking solace and support.
August 2002	Fr. John Kelley dies of cancer after serving Nativity for more than 25 years.
June 2003	The first Taste for Learning wine-tasting event is held.
December 2003	Phase 1 of the Capital Campaign concludes with more than $X million is raised in three years.
December 2005	Members of Nativity's Pastoral Council, Finance Council, School Board and Early Learning Center Parent Council unanimously vote to support the estimated $15 million school renovation project.
Summer 2006	Renovation of the 1960s school addition begins and is completed by the start of school in the Fall.
April 2007	Archbishop Harry Flynn and Fr. Peter Christensen turn over a symbolic shovelful of dirt and initiate the excavation phase of the school renovation project.
June 2007	Inaugural Recital of the Sitzmann Organ.
July 2007	Fr. Peter Christensen announces that he has been named the Bishop of the Diocese of Superior, Wisconsin.
September 2007	Bishop Peter Christensen is ordained at the Cathedral of St. Paul and installed in Superior, Wisconsin.
December 2007	Fr. Patrick Hipwell joins Nativity as its sixth pastor.
August 2008	The $15 million school construction project is completed on time and on budget.
September 2008	Nativity of Our Lord School is rededicated, heralding a new chapter in Nativity history. Bishop Peter Christensen and Fr. Patrick Hipwell officiate. A Nativity School Marker, dedicated to Fr. Terence Moore, is installed outside the new school.
January 2009	More than 1,900 families are registered as parishioners. School enrollment holds steady with approximately 800 students registered in grades K through 8 and more than 300 students are educated and nurtured in the Nativity Early Learning Center . More than 300 individuals are committed adorers in the Perpetual Adoration chapel.
July 2023	Fr. Rolf Tollefson takes over as 7th pastor of Nativity of Our Lord