(KNSI) – Saturday is the annual St. Mary’s Cathedral block party.
The event will begin at 4:00 p.m. with mass inside the church. The Saturday evening service is usually at 5:00, but diocese rector Scott Pogatchnik says they are moving it up to accommodate festivities planned for later in the evening. The schedule is running out.
“Deuces Wild is the headliner…dueling pianos. So they’ll be playing for four hours from 6pm to 10pm. The event is free, so we have a silent auction and a series of ‘other ways people can support the cause.’
Pogatchnik says last year was more like a reunion after the disruptions of the pandemic. Saturday should look like a traditional holiday. There will also be bounce houses and other forms of family entertainment. Food is also provided.
Pogatchnik says the cathedral’s location is a blessing, but also presents challenges. Funds raised during the event help with day-to-day operations.
“Being the center of the city, we do a lot of outreach work. Provide a place for people to come and pray a little. Get some peace and quiet in the busy world.”
The annual tradition occurs in early September for a reason, Pogatchnik says. It’s a celebration of Saint Cloud the Man, something that’s done more discreetly throughout the year.
“So it is very close to the feast of Sant Núvol, which is always September 7. And so we only have one big event in the afternoon. You know, in the Catholic Church we really revere the saints. And so what we do is because their bodies were so sacred, we will have relics of their bodies. We have one of Sant Núvol’s vertebrae, one of his backbones, in one of our side altars.”
St. Cloud was born in AD 522, turning 1,500 on Wednesday. Pogatchnik says the anniversary is inspiring educational efforts this fall. Finally, about 40 parishioners and representatives of the diocese are crossing the Atlantic to mark the occasion.
“We’re going to have some kind of educational and prayerful events in the fall, culminating in a big pilgrimage trip to France to see the tomb of St. Cloud in the western suburbs of Paris. Kind of finding a way to shine a light on the man behind our city’s name.”
Although there are other towns and cities in America named after St. Cloud, there is only one diocese that enjoys the honor and that is here in central Minnesota.
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