St. Bartholomew Catholic Church is located at 451 Lincoln Avenue in Villard, Minnesota.
Father Joe Vandeberg is the pastor.
The times of Mass on Holy Days of Obligation and Daily Liturgies vary. Check the weekly bulletin or call the Parish Office (634-3813) for times.
History of our Church
The first Catholic church in Villard was built in 1883 and was known the Church of The Lady of the Lake. The name of the church was later changed to St. Bartholomew in 1893 or 1894. A new basement church was constructed in 1923 at the current location, and the super structure (upper level) of the present church was built in 1950. The first Mass was celebrated at midnight on Christmas Eve.
The parish has never had its own resident pastor. For the first 23 years of its existence, it was served with priests from Sauk Centre. Then, it shared a pastor with Glenwood for the next 66 years, before being twinned with West Union for 28 years. In 2001, it was once again joined with Sacred Heart in Glenwood.
St. Bartholomew’s has maintained its small size over the years and is proud of its many longstanding members. While the parish curreclty has about 90 families, it is the small size which often attracts members who like the small town atmosphere.
Parish Council:
Trustees – Dean Kleindl and Larry Olson
Regular Members – Dave Boogaard, Kari Douvier, Joe Heidelberger, Jim Jensen, JoAnn Kocher and Jayne Schwalbach
Cemetery Committee:
Reed Heidelberger, Jeff Meuelners, and Pat Pfeninger