Thursday, October 18, 2012

Volume 97; Number 17

www.bladepublishing.net

A community newspaper serving Browerville, MN and surrounding areas. USPS 067-560

Browerville School Board/City Council Elections are Nov. 6th

The residents of Browerville and the Browerville School District will take to the polls on Tuesday, November 6th to fill the seats of two city council persons, three school board members, and the position of Mayor of the City of Browerville. We asked the candidates for each to answer a series of questions regarding their interest in the positions they have filed for. The following are their answeres. No response was given to our questions for the Mayor of the City of Browerville. Mike Aksamit was the only candidate to file for this position. Browerville School Board: Browerville with my husband Dan Gaida and our three sons, Joey, Jake and James. Both my husband and myself are Alumni graduates from Browerville High School. Our children attend BHS Joey graduated in 2011, Jake is currently a junior and James is a freshman. I am running for School board because I have a vested interest in my childrens future and I want to be involved in the success of our school. Why are you running for a seat on the Browerville School Board? I am seeking this position on the school board because I want to be more involved in the future of our school. With our children still attending BHS, I feel it is very important for parents to be involved in helping build for our future. I feel Browerville has been in the forefront of being very active in keeping our school financially stable and surviving the never ending State Mandates and the ongoing battle over lower enrollment, and I would like to be a part of that continued success. I think I bring a new voice of experience to the table and that would be beneficial in the future decisions of the school board. How many school board meetings did you attend this year? Over the past year I believe I have attended three or four school board meetings, and in attending these meetings, I Continued on page 16

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History of Christ the King Cemetery and the founding of the parishes of St. Joseph, St. Peter, and Christ the King
The Vicar gave permission for the church to be built, and promised to send a priest when the building was ready. Community meetings were held in Browerville, a building committee was elected, and a church society was formed to be the foundation of the newly organized parish. Both Polish and German families donated a total of $1,304.35 (a very large sum in those days) to the building fund, and were recognized as the founders of the parish of St Joseph. A wood frame building was constructed without a steeple and painted white. It was completed in 1883 and dedicated and proclaimed to be under the patronage of St Joseph. The building cost $1,500, and thus there was a debt of just under $200 remaining to be paid. The parish consisted of 57 families 30 were Polish and 27 were German. (Guzdek, p. 1). Regular services were first conducted in 1884, but since there was no Polish-speaking priest available, a Slavonian, the Rev. Ignatius Tomazin was appointed. This disappointed the Poles, and after a few months, the Vicar removed Fr. Tomazin and reduced the parish to a mission. In 1885, and in following years, priest after priest was appointed, and then left for one reason or another, until eight different men had served in just three years. After the death in 1887 of the eighth priest to serve, the Vicar appointed Rev. Methodius Slatinsky, who, although a Bohemian, knew enough Polish to administer to the people. His pastorate was of most notable importance to the history of the church of St. Joseph at Browerville. It was due to his energy that the first Polish parochial school was built in the St Cloud diocese. (Guzdek, p. 1) In 1890, the question of building a parochial school was brought up and two parish committees appointed: one to collect bills due and pay off the church debt, and another to create a fund for the building of a school. The financial situation was difficult because the Polish and German immigrants seemed not to be aware that the church and school were not supported by the taxes they paid to the city, county, state, and federal government of the United States. In the kingdoms and provinces from which the immigrants came, churches and schools were supported by taxes paid to the kings, princes, and/or emperors under whose rule people lived. Once in America, the immigrants didnt realize that things were different here, and the church had to support itself through donations from its members. No government money was given to churches in the U.S. Continued on page 16

Walt Lucas displays the record book of Christ the King Cemetery. By Rin Porter At the southeast corner of the city of Browerville is a piece of land that serves as the final resting place for over 3,000 members of the Catholic churches of Browerville who have passed away since 1882, when the first Catholic church was organized here. Today the former farm field is known as Christ the King Cemetery. The story of the three parishes that have existed during the past 130 years and laid their members to rest at the cemetery is briefly told here. ST JOSEPHS CHURCH In 1882, the Vicar Apostolic of St Cloud, Rt. Rev. Rupert Seidenbusch, O.S.B., met with a delegation of Polish and German immigrants who had settled in central Todd County, in the area of Browerville. These men petitioned Rev. Seidenbusch for advice and permission to build a church to serve their community as a place of worship. (A History of St. Josephs Catholic Church at Browerville, The Long Prairie Leader, Sept. 1, 1932 by Father J. S. Guzdek. Much of the material in Father Guzdeks article can be found in Clara K. Fullers A History of Morrison and Todd Counties, Minnesota. Published in 1915).)

Denise Gaida. Hello my name is Denise Gaida, and I am running for a position on the Browerville School Board. I live in Hartford Township one mile east of

Browerville High School Marching Band Homecoming Show

The Browerville High School Marching Band, under the direction of Tarissa Host, provided half time entertainment during the Homecoming football game against New York Mills on October 12th. See photos and story on pages 8, 9, 10.

WEEKLY WEATHER REPORT

Tue. Oct. 16 Clouds/Sun 70/52 Wed. Oct. 17 Showers/Wind 56/40 Thur. Oct. 18 Showers/Wind 45/35 Fri. Oct. 19 Mostly Cloudy 46/34 Sat. Oct. 20 Partly Cloudy 54/36 Sun. Oct. 21 Partly Cloudy 51/33