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Welcome toChurch of the Ascension

The Ascension ProjectChurch of the Ascension

Jay Phillips Center for Jewish-Christian LearningJewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest

University of Saint Thomas

February 13 & 14, 2003

Ascension Highlights• Ascension Parish was

established in 1890• This area was then the

northern-most edge of the city of Minneapolis

• At it’s peak, the parish had 1,500 families and 1,200 students

• Today Ascension is one of the most ethnically diverse parishes in the Upper Midwest.

Where is Ascension?

Around Ascension

Ascension’s Original Church

• Original church was a wooden structure

• The church and the land cost $19,000

• The building was later used as the first Ascension Club building

Ascension’s First Pastor1890-1894

• Ascension’s first Pastor was Fr. Alexander Christie

• Archbishop Ireland declared, “You have built a cathedral in the wilderness!”

• He later became the fourth Archbishop of Portland, Oregon

Ascension’s Second Pastor1894-1924

• Ascension’s second Pastor was Fr. Jeremiah Harrington

• He was the first of three 30 year pastors at Ascension

• Harrington’s era was a time of building and construction

Photos from the Harrington Era

Ascension’s Third Pastor1924-1955

• Ascension’s third Pastor was Rev. John Dunphy from St Thomas

• Believed in faith, education, & athletics

• Led parish during Ascension’s peak

• Was known as‘The King’

Athletics at Ascension

The Ascension Block

The Ascension Block

The Ascension Club

The Old Neighborhood

Ascension’s Fourth Pastor1956-1985

• Ascension’s fourth Pastor, Rev. P. William Coates, was assigned in 1940

• Served as a Chaplain in WWII and Korea

• Saw neighborhood change, parishioners move, 1960’s unrest, and building of I-94

Sports and Activities

Song and Dance Man

The Sixties

• The 1960s brought change to North Mpls an to Ascension

• Houses were bought to make room for I-94

• Families moved away to the suburbs

• Plymouth Ave rioting, burning, and looting

Ascension’s Fifth and Sixth Pastors

Rev. Bob Hazel1993-1999

Rev. Ray Monsour1981-1993

Ascension Today

• Rev. Michael O’Connell assigned to Ascension in 1999

• He is also Rector at the Basilica of Saint Mary

• His Jeremiah vision ‘seeks the well-being of the city’ and offers ‘a future full of hope’

Ascension School

• “Center of Success” in North Minneapolis

• 95% are not Catholic, 90% are not white, and most are from are lower-income or single-parent home

• Exceptional 8th grade standardized test scores

Ascension ParishParishioners of Hispanic, African-American, and African immigrant backgrounds along with many long time members of European descent

The Neighborhood Today

• West Broadway was a vital shopping area for decades• Most north side residents are low- income people of

color with young children • One of the few areas in the metro area with no

economic revitalization

Why is this Important?

• We need to experience, and ultimately improve, the forgotten areas of our city

• Learning… …doesn’t happen only in a

classroom, and…isn’t just for learning’s sake

• We all have the power to make a difference for others

Ascension Contact Info

Church of the Ascension1723 Bryant Ave NMinneapolis, MN 55411

ph 612.529.9684fax 612-529.7618

Melissa [email protected]