Engraved on a tombstone at Corpus Christi Cemetery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo March 2025)
THE SUN SHADOWED the tombstone, making photographing the words thereon a challenge no matter which way I angled my body and camera. So in the end, I settled on two images to share an Irish blessing with you on this, St. Patrick’s Day.
Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Deerfield Township. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2025)
I found this gravestone blessing in the cemetery of Corpus Christi Catholic Church, a shuttered country church in Deerfield Township, rural Steele County, Minnesota. The 1856 church closed in 2016, when it merged with Christ the King Catholic Church in nearby Medford. It opens now for special occasions and is clearly much beloved by those who once worshiped here.
Another view of the Irish blessing with the bottom lines more visible. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2025)
As I wandered among tombstones in the partially snow-covered cemetery, reading names and inscriptions a week before St. Patrick’s Day, I happened upon the familiar Irish blessing. I love the strong visuals the words create. The road. The sun. The fields. I can almost feel the road beneath my feet, the warm sun on my face, the soft rain on my skin, the wind at my back. The hand of God holding me securely.
While the blessing in this context is one of seeing a departed loved one again in heaven, the words fit the living, too. When we say goodbye to family and friends, especially those we won’t see for awhile, our love carries us until the next time we meet.
The message in this Irish blessing is so uplifting, so encouraging, so caring. Gentle words. Loving words. Words that carry us through the days of our lives, whether sunny or rainy. Always hopeful.
Blessed be your St. Patrick’s Day and every day thereafter…until we meet again.
Three among the many shamrocks placed in my yard 10 years ago on St. Patrick’s Day. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
IF YOU WANT to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day quietly without all the hype, I offer several suggestions. These center not on drinking green beer, listening to Irish music and such, but rather on simple, fun ideas that hold a bit of magic.
Friends planted shamrocks in my yard on a past St. Patrick’s Day. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
First off—and this one takes the most effort—is shamrocking. And, no, this isn’t anything party-related. Rather, this is a way to surprise a friend, a neighbor, a family member with a field of shamrocks planted in their yard. About a decade ago, I was the recipient of this St. Patrick’s Day surprise. And I gotta tell you, this act of kindness left me smiling all day.
This message on the largest shamrock explains shamrocking. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
Here’s how it works. Draw and cut about two dozen black magic marker-outlined shamrocks from green paper or tag board (or buy them, maybe at a dollar store), write a fun/uplifting message on them (this is optional), then tape to a short dowel (or whatever you can stick into the ground). Next, draw and cut one over-sized shamrock from green paper and write this message on it: “IVE BEEN SHAM ‘ROCK’ ED.”
Then, and this is the tricky part, you have to plant these shamrocks when the recipient isn’t watching, perhaps under the cover of darkness. The element of surprise, of awakening to a lawn growing shamrocks, is magical.
The leprechaun trap built by my grandkids last year. (Photo courtesy of Amber Schmidt)
Leprechauns, as we all know, are also magical. And especially mischievous. Last year, my two grandchildren built a leprechaun trap from Magna-Tiles, a plastic flower pot and a tissue box. They drew gold coins on paper to decorate the walls. They also placed fake coins inside the pot. The goal was to trap a leprechaun who would leave real, not fake, gold coins for them. A leprechaun (albeit paper) was, indeed, trapped in their contraption. He did not leave any gold, though. A quarter may have appeased the two of them. So if you have little people in your life, encourage them to craft a leprechaun trap. And then do your part to make some magic happen.
(Book cover sourced online)
My third suggestion—and this is because I love books—is to read a book about St. Patrick’s Day, Ireland or leprechauns. Read it to yourself or aloud to a little person. I typed “leprechaun” into my local library’s online catalog search engine and 14 books, mostly children’s picture books but also some nonfiction, popped up. How to Catch a Leprechaun written by Adam Wallace and illustrated by Andy Elkerton would be a good reference for the aforementioned trap project. And Pete the Cat:The Great Leprechaun Chase, a picture book written and illustrated by James Dean, would surely delight any child as Pete the Cat starts a leprechaun catching business. Even if you’re an adult without a kid to read to, read a book written for children. I love children’s picture books for their art, their stories and their messages.
Lucky Charms, photographed on a local grocery store shelf last March. There’s a collectible trap on the back of the box. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
Finally, channel your inner kid and enjoy a bowl of Lucky Charms cereal. Sure they’re sugary and all that. But, hey, occasionally we have to treat ourselves, so says she who eats fruit-laced oatmeal nearly every morning for breakfast. Lucky Charms is about more than eating something sugary. It’s also about feeling like a kid again, recapturing youthful magic in every bite of those lucky charm marshmallows and toasted oat pieces. Who doesn’t believe in the magic of unicorns, rainbows, horseshoes and five other lucky charms? I do. At least on St. Patrick’s Day.
The Irish national flag flies outside an Irish pub in Wabasha. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
I’VE NEVER ATTENDED a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. I’ve never eaten corned beef and cabbage. But I have eaten Irish stew at The Olde Triangle Pub in Wabasha, although not on St. Patty’s Day.
Green beer outside a bar in downtown La Crosse, Wisconsin. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
I once spotted a partially-filled cup of green beer sitting outside a bar in La Crosse, Wisconsin, the day after St Patrick’s Day. I’m quite certain I’ve consumed an Irish lager or ale, although the beer was not colored green.
The Church of St. Patrick in St. Patrick. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
I’ve never attended a St. Patrick’s Day Mass, although I’ve photographed the exterior of the Church of St. Patrick, Cedar Lake Township in the unincorporated village of St. Patrick.
A tombstone in the Church of St. Patrick Cemetery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
I am 100 percent German, although I had a full-blooded Irishman uncle (he died a year ago) from Belfast. He married into the family.
Now if any of this qualifies me to be an Irishwoman for a day, I will accept the luck of the Irish and don some green on March 17 or thereabouts.
We can all be Irish in mid-March as communities, churches, restaurants and bars, and more celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. In my region of southern Minnesota, you’ll find lots of ways to be Irish. Starting on Saturday, March 15, Sacred Heart Church in Waseca gets festivities underway with Irish music and Mass at 10:30 a.m. A Parade of Clans to The Mill Event Center follows at noon for an Irish rally. I take rally to mean a big party—food, including Mulligan Stew and corned beef and cabbage, served from a food truck; beer; music and entertainment; and more fun. At 7 p.m., Miss St. Patrick and Miss Irish Rose will be crowned. A dance follows. I should note here that Waseca is home to an Irish pub, Katie O’Leary’s Beef & Brew.
Signage on St. Patrick’s Tavern in St. Patrick. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
The tiny, unincorporated Scott County burg of St. Patrick, basically a church, cemetery, baseball field and tavern, is, of course, honoring the patron saint (and its name) via food and music at St. Patrick’s Tavern. The bar and restaurant along Old State Highway 13 northeast of New Prague will serve corned beef, cabbage and red potatoes on March 15 with a green beer on tap. Food and beer specials continue on March 17. There will be music both evenings.
Shamrocks in my yard, planted by friends. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
Over in Le Center, a full day of Irish-themed festivities begins at 11 a.m. March 15 with Mass at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Over at the American Legion, Mulligan Stew will be served from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. And then at 2 p.m., the big St. Patrick’s Day parade through downtown Le Center begins. Presiding over everything will be the newly-crowned royalty—Miss Shamrock, Miss Leprechaun and Miss Irish Rose. Dancing in the evening at the Legion wraps up the celebration.
A St. Pat’s Day decoration in a storefront window in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
In Owatonna, VFW Post 3723 is hosting a March 15 St. Paddy’s Day Dinner & Trivia party with dinner choices of corned beef and cabbage or Shepherd’s Pie, plus sides and dessert, served from 5-6:30 p.m. Irish Trivia follows at 7 p.m. with a chance to win a Pot of Gold. There will also be leprechaun races and other activities.
(Promo source: Paradise Center for the Arts Facebook page)
Music centers a high-energy show Saturday, March 15, at the Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault as Twin Cities-based The Northerly Gales brings its spin on Celtic Folk and Americana to the stage at 7:30 p.m. And, yes, you can enjoy a beer while enjoying the music.
Patrick’s on Third anchors the corner on the left of this block in downtown St. Peter. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
Over in St. Peter, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on the actual date, March 17. Paddlefish Brewing offers a special on its Leprechaun Lager. I expect the Irish and not-so-Irish will also gather at Patrick’s on Third for food and drink, including green beer. The Govenaires, the longest, continuously-operating drum and bugle corps in the U.S., performs in the 5:30 p.m. St. Patrick’s Day Parade and then briefly afterwards at Patrick’s on Third. The Governaires are traveling to Ireland in August to participate in the Rose of Tralee International Festival. They are encouraging donations of $17 on March 17 to help fund the trip.
Irish pride shows on the Kilkenny, Minnesota, water tower. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
So there you go, a sampling of St. Patrick’s Day activities happening in my region. But I must mention one more thing. If you want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Kilkenny, Minnesota, you’ll have to wait. The Le Sueur County town of some 150 with the Irish name shifted its annual Irish celebration to September. Halfway to St. Paddy’s Day is set this year for September 13 and 14. Mark your calendars for more Irish fun six months from now.
UNTIL RECENTLY, I didn’t realize trapping mischievous leprechauns on St. Patrick’s Day was a thing. But apparently it has been and this grandma needs to catch up with that trend.
The grandkids’ leprechaun trap. (Edited photo by Amber Schmidt)
On Saturday, my eldest daughter texted a photo of the leprechaun trap my grandchildren, Izzy and Isaac, created from Magna-Tiles, an empty tissue box, a plastic pot and something else I may have missed. They drew fake coins on paper to decorate the tiles, put fake coins in the pot and were good to go. Isaac is expecting the leprechaun to give them gold. Good luck with that one, grandson.
Lucky Charms cereal, complete with leprechaun trap. (Minnesota Prairie Roots photo March 2024)
All of this leprechaun talk got me thinking about Lucky Charms cereal. So I hit the cereal aisle of a local grocery store. There it was. On sale. Lucky me. Buy three 26.1-ounce General Mills Lucky Charms Giant Size boxes for $14.97, a savings of $2. All I could think was, “I’m sure glad I don’t have to buy cereal for kids.”
Marshmallow magic explained on the back of a Lucky Charms cereal box. (Minnesota Prairie Roots photo March 2024)
I looked at the boxes and, to my surprise, found all the trappings of constructing a leprechaun trap on the back of the large size box. I also found information about the magic held within each mini marshmallow shape. I noted that the shapes have changed since I was a kid. No unicorns back in the 1960s. Shapes have been updated, too. I wonder if the marshmallows taste the same. Chalky. Not all that good in my opinion, but none-the-less magical.
A snippet of the Leprechauns book cover.
Leprechauns are, after all, magical, sans the name “Lucky” for the Lucky Charms cereal rep. I learned more about these two-foot tall men from the book, Leprechauns in the “Curious About” series by Mankato, Minnesota-based publisher Amicus Publishing. It was a quick read with charming illustrations and photos.
In the storefront window of Under Haaland’s Hat Salon in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2024)
The book confirmed that leprechauns are, indeed, shoemakers, mischief makers and introverts who prefer to avoid human contact. And, yes, they are wealthy, preferring gold to 401Ks; wear green, including their signature hats; and hail from Ireland.
So my suggestion to any would-be leprechaun trappers: Book a flight to the Emerald Isle. Or buy some Lucky Charms cereal to bait your traps.
Only in Minnesota…a Vikings St. Patrick’s Day hat inside the display window of Under Haaland’s Hat Salon in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2024)
Chicken wild rice soup in a hand-thrown pottery bowl at the 2013 Souper Bowl. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo January 2013)
AS AN ART LOVER who also loves soup, the opportunity to buy a handcrafted bowl filled with soup proved a win-win in 2013. Today the annual Souper Bowl is still going strong at the Arts Center of Saint Peter.
Lots of handcrafted bowls to choose from in 2013. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo January 2013)
This Sunday from 3-6 pm, the Arts Center fundraiser takes place at The Capitol Room, an event venue at 419 South Minnesota Avenue in the heart of downtown St. Peter. Here attendees can choose from an array of artisan bowls hand-thrown by local potters and then filled with a serving of soup from local vendors. Cost for the soup and bowl, yours to keep, is $20.
My chosen bowl and soup. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo January 2013)
When I attended 11 years ago, I chose a simple green-with-traces-of-brown bowl for no other reason than I favor simplicity and green, nature’s hue. And I selected chicken wild rice soup because it, too, is a favorite.
Joel Moline and Thalia Taylor kneading clay during my visit to the arts center’s Clay Studio in March 2012. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo March 2012)
In the years that have passed since that pottery purchase, I have used my Saint Peter soup bowl hundreds of times. I love the shape, the feel, the heft of this original piece of usable art. This isn’t just any soup bowl, but rather one made and shaped by the hands of an artist. And that means something to me. I appreciate the work of creatives.
Diners line up for soup or chili at the 2013 Souper Bowl. The event is first-come, first-serve. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo January 2013)
And I value events like the Souper Bowl, which expose people to the arts, bring people together, build community. Sunday will be a busy day in St. Peter as this southern Minnesota city celebrates St. Patrick’s Day in a big way with a parade at 3 pm.
The Arts Center of Saint Peter, 315 South Minnesota Avenue, photographed on a visit there in March 2012. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo March 2012)
With a cooldown expected on Sunday along with gusty winds, afternoon temps in the 30s will feel like the 20s, according to local forecasters. Seems an ideal day to warm up with a bowl of soup served in an artisan bowl.
Appropriate signage for a tavern in St. Patrick, Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2015)
BEER, BASEBALL AND BLESSINGS. Those words define St. Patrick, an unincorporated place of bar, baseball field and Catholic church northeast of New Prague. With the approach of St. Patrick’s Day, now seems a fitting time to revisit this southern Minnesota burg, which I photographed in the summer of 2015.
St. Patrick Church of Cedar Lake Township. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2015)
St. Patrick’s Bonin Field, named after Father Leon Bonin, who brought baseball back to St. Patrick in the 1950s. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2015)
Across the road from the St. Patrick cemetery sits St. Patrick’s Tavern. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2015)
The stately church sits atop a hill, the ball field at the base on one side, the tavern on the other. Pray. Play. And then congregate over a beer and a burger basket at the tavern. Or, on St. Patrick’s Day weekend, corned beef and cabbage downed with on-tap green beer, while supplies last.
Born in Ireland, buried in the St. Patrick Church of Cedar Lake Township Cemetery in southern Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2015)
Bonin Field, home of the St. Patrick Irish. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2015)
The bar and restaurant in St. Patrick. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2015)
Even with the minimal time I spent in St. Patrick, I experienced its Irish heritage. It’s reflected on tombstones, in the very names of the church, ball field and bar. It’s reflected on signage. But mostly, it’s this feeling of sacredness, as if the patron saint of the Irish dwells here. In the pews. On the bleachers. Even, I expect, inside the bar. St. Patrick was, after all, a missionary.
St. Patrick’s steeple rises in the background, behind this cemetery angel. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2015)
And then there’s the sacred art. Crucifixes. An angel statue. Tombstones that hold names and history.
The Holy Family tucks into a corner of the grotto. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2015)
The beautiful face of Mary at the St. Patrick’s grotto. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2015)
The loving hand of Mary rests upon her son, Jesus, in this sculpture at St. Patrick’s. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2015)
Aside the church, a grotto welcomes with the most hauntingly beautiful sculptures.
St. Patrick may seem like nothing more than a country church, just another rural bar and a baseball diamond to passing motorists. But it’s much more, worth the stop for a close-up look at a place rooted in Irish heritage.
More signage on St. Patrick’s Tavern. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2015)
Next road trip back here, I’ll pop into the tavern, order a brew and maybe a burger, and raise my mug to the Irish who settled here, claimed this land as theirs. Here in St. Patrick, place of beer, baseball and blessings.
Photographed in Kilkenny, Minnesota, in January 2020, this pub no longer exists. I loved the name, the sign, the graphic in this Irish community. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo January 2020)
ENCLAVES OF IRISH scatter throughout Minnesota from unincorporated settlements to small towns to big cities.
Kilkenny, proud of its Irish heritage, maintains a twinship with Kilkenny County in the Old Country. And each September, the community celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with Half-Way to St. Paddy’s Day complete with parade and, in the past, toilet bowl races. I’ve never attended, but need to and document this event.
Irish pride on Kilkenny, Minnesota’s water tower. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo January 2020)
Three years ago while out and about on one of those rural drives I so enjoy, Randy and I passed through Kilkenny, marked by a signature silo style light green water tower decorated with a shamrock. There was no doubt we were in an Irish proud small town.
Murphy’s Pub was once Kilkenny’s gathering spot. It closed, replaced by The Toy Box Saloon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo January 2020)
At the time, Murphy’s Pub centered the core of Kilkenny, which, as I recall, is about a handful of businesses. Today that Irish-tagged pub with the memorable ale drinking leprechaun signage is closed, replaced by The Toy Box Saloon. That doesn’t quite hold the same Irish appeal as the name Murphy’s Pub. But you will still find Irish brew, like Finnegan’s Irish Amber.
St. Patrick’s Bonin Field. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo summer of 2015)
In Scott County to the north, in unincorporated St. Patrick, I discovered a strong Irish enclave centered around a church, cemetery, ballpark and tavern. St. Patrick of Cedar Lake Township Catholic Church and its surrounding cemetery sit high atop a hill across from St. Patrick’s Tavern and next to the ball field. The ballpark, St. Patrick’s Bonin Field, is named after Father Leon Bonin, a strong supporter of local baseball.
The appealing leprechaun signage on St. Patrick’s Tavern. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo summer of 2015)
That this rural place is proud of its Irish heritage is clear. I need to return to St Patrick, perhaps pop into the bar for a brew. Make that an Irish stout.
St. Patrick of Cedar Lake Township Catholic Church and cemetery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo summer of 2015)
During my one and only visit in the summer of 2015, I mostly wandered the cemetery. I find cemeteries historically and artistically interesting.
Irish immigrants buried in the St. Thomas Church Cemetery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo March 2018)
Back in Le Sueur County, I meandered through the St. Thomas Church Cemetery in the unincorporated settlement of St. Thomas. During my March 2018 visit, I found plenty of Irish buried here.
A closed Irish-named bar in St. Thomas, Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo March 2018)
Down the road a bit, I spotted an apparently abandoned Callahan’s Bar.
An appropriately-named township hall in an Irish enclave. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo March 2018)
And then I saw Derrynane Town Hall, Derrynane being a small village in County Kerry, Ireland. Ah, yes, Irish roots run deep in pockets of rural Minnesota.
This St. Patrick’s Day I celebrate Kilkenny, St. Thomas and St. Patrick. What a delight to have found these backroad places of Irish heritage in rural southern Minnesota.
In March 2015, friends posted shamrocks in my yard on St. Patrick’s Day. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.
IF LEPRECHAUNS REALLY EXISTED, perhaps we could dispatch them into the U.S. with their lucky charms. Oh, never mind. Travel bans went into effect at midnight March 16 keeping native leprechauns from entering the U.S. in efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.
My apologies to all you Irish readers. I forgot yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day. My mind has been elsewhere—on family indirectly affected by the coronavirus, on a work project, on anything but this day that honors St. Patrick.
Kilkenny, a community of around 130 in Le Sueur County, doesn’t celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Not on March 17 anyway. Rather, they celebrate Half-way to St. Paddy’s Day in September with a parade, car show, “World Famous Toilet Bowl Races” (don’t ask) and more.
A distant view of the Kilkenny, Minnesota water tower.
My recent drive through Kilkenny yielded minimal photos. I focused mostly on the Irish angle—the water tower and the local pub. I expect St. Patrick’s Day in Kilkenny was rather quiet this year given the state-mandated closure of all bars and restaurants by 5 pm Tuesday and continuing until March 27. Those establishments can still deliver and offer take-out, just not dine-in. But it’s not like you can order a mug of green beer or a shot of Irish whiskey and drive or walk away (which is a good thing).
Another view of Murphy’s Pub in Kilkenny.
It’s to the point where I can’t remember all the closures and cancellations that are happening. But, they are countless and, in Minnesota, include movie theaters, museums, craft breweries, bowling alleys and much more. Even the Mall of America has closed. Not that that affects me. I’ve never been there.
There he is. Now I see the leprechaun.
As I wrote this late Tuesday afternoon, the number of positive coronavirus cases in Minnesota stood at 60. None in my county yet. So perhaps a leprechaun did fly into Minnesota prior to the travel ban and passed through Rice County with his lucky charms while en route to Kilkenny.
Several years ago friends posted shamrocks in my yard on St. Patrick’s Day. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo March 2015.
BECAUSE ST. PATRICK’S DAY falls on a Sunday this year, I feel inclined to share with you a post I wrote for Indiana-based Christian publisher Warner Press. I’ve been blogging for Warner for nearly a year now and became the blog coordinator there in January.
This opportunity with Warner Press has blessed me in multiple ways by growing my writing ministry, faith family and personal faith and also financially.
As part of my job, I develop blog post ideas with the marketing team, then assign or write those posts. I assigned myself a St. Patrick’s Day blog post that emphasizes blessings over luck, a word often associated with this Irish celebration.
And to you, my dear readers, thank you for blessing me with your presence here, for appreciating my blog, for connecting and for creating a sense of community that I value. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
I APPROACHED THE BEAUTIFUL brick church with the full expectation that the doors would be locked. They were. There would be no getting inside St. Thomas Catholic Church on this St. Patrick’s Day. I felt disappointment, but not surprise.
A hot pink sign tacked onto the church sign notes an Easter vigil here on March 31.
Even though shut out, Randy and I still explored, circling this immense church with stained glass windows and with tower steepling to a cross.
We crunched across crusty snow to look at gravestones that bear the Irish history of this place in names like O’Malley, Shea, O’Connell and noted ancestral roots in Cork County, Ireland and elsewhere.
Driving into Saint Thomas, Minnesota.
This village lies in the middle of farmland with this farm site on the edge of Saint Thomas.
This ag business sits right next to the cemetery.
Then comes the town hall.
And, finally, Callahan’s, which appeared no longer in business.
Saint Thomas is through-and-through Irish, based on our observations of this unincorporated village along Le Sueur County Road 28 just north of Le Center in Derrynane Township. We found this settlement via an atlas that is our guidebook to mostly unknown places in Minnesota. With a name like St. Thomas, we expected a Catholic church and not much more.
I often wonder how long such mostly vacated churches will stand. St. Thomas appeared well-cared for still. At least on this St. Patrick’s Day in 2018. But when those who once worshiped weekly here are gone, will their descendants care? Will they still tend the cemetery, swing open the doors for an Easter vigil? I hope so.
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