Holy Name of Jesus on County Road 24
Tucked along County Road 24 in the lakeside town of Wayzata, Minnesota, Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church anchors a parish community of more than 2,700 families. The parish has called this stretch of western Hennepin County home since 1864, when a small group of founding families began gathering for Mass and laying the spiritual groundwork that still shapes parish life today. Across more than a century and a half, the buildings have changed and the congregation has grown, but the parish's central identity has not: Holy Name of Jesus is a Catholic community gathered around the Eucharist, committed to knowing the heart of Christ, seeing the face of Christ, and being the hands of Christ.
What visitors find today is a parish that runs at full tilt. Daily Mass is offered every morning of the week, weekend Masses fill the church three times on Saturday and Sunday, an Adoration Chapel is open three days a week, and a Catholic grade school educates children from preschool through sixth grade in the same parish complex. Add in faith formation programs for every stage from toddlers through high school seniors, a music ministry that fills the liturgy with adult choir, handbells, cantors and festival ensembles, women's, men's and senior ministries, and a stable of outreach partnerships that span the Twin Cities and reach as far as a children's home in Mexico, and the picture of an active parish comes into focus.
Rooted in Christ Since 1864
Holy Name of Jesus traces its roots to 1864, when Catholic families in the Wayzata area first organized a worshipping community. Generations of parishioners have deepened that foundation, and the parish today frames its mission around three phrases borrowed from Scripture and Catholic tradition: Know the heart of Christ, See the face of Christ, and Be the hands of Christ. The parish draws on the Benedictine call of hospitality captured in the phrase "Welcome all as you would welcome Christ," and a 150th anniversary photo book preserves the long arc of parish history for anyone curious about its earlier chapters.
The parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and is led by a Pastoral Council, a Finance Council and a series of Ministry Commissions that include Stewardship, Faith Formation, Liturgy, Pastoral Care and Outreach, and School. Pastoral Council members, drawn from registered parishioners age 18 and older, serve three-year terms and partner with the pastor and staff in setting parish priorities. Membership on these bodies, like so much of parish life, is open to anyone who wants to share their gifts.
A Week at HNOJ: Daily Mass, Sunday Worship
The Mass schedule at Holy Name of Jesus is built to accommodate people whose work, school and family lives pull in different directions. Daily Mass is celebrated Monday through Saturday at 8:00 am in the church. On Saturday evening a Vigil Mass is offered at 5:00 pm. Sunday brings three Masses: 8:30 am, 10:30 am and 5:30 pm. The Saturday Vigil and Sunday Masses together form the regular weekend worship rhythm.
The Sunday morning Masses come with a few practical details that visitors and parents will want to know. Nursery care is offered during the 8:30 and 10:30 am Sunday Masses during the school year for children from nine months old through preschool. Low-gluten hosts are available for those with celiac concerns; people who need one are invited to use the principal celebrant's line (the left center aisle) and inform him as they come up. Large-print worship aids sit on a table near the main church doors, and hearing aids can be requested at the front desk just to the right as visitors enter through those same doors. After the 8:30 and 10:30 am Sunday Masses, coffee, donuts and conversation await in the Good Samaritan Center across from the worship space.
Confession is offered two scheduled times each week. On Saturday mornings from 8:30 to 9:30 am, and on Wednesday evenings from 5:15 to 6:15 pm, priests hear confessions inside the church in a confessional located just inside the main church doors. Reconciliation is also available by appointment through the parish office. The Sunday bulletin and online calendar make it easy to find the current schedule.
The Adoration Chapel: A Quiet Corner of the Parish
For three days a week, a different kind of prayer is on offer at Holy Name of Jesus. The parish's Adoration Chapel is open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 am to 9:00 pm, with the goal of having at least two registered adorers for each hour of those days. Parishioners can simply stop in when the building is open to spend a quiet moment with the Blessed Sacrament, or they can sign up for a committed weekly hour through the parish's Adoration sign-up system.
Adoration is treated as a foundational rather than ornamental part of parish life. The parish describes it as "a place of peace in the midst of a hectic world, a time of silence in the midst of ceaseless noise, and a chance for reflection in the midst of daily life," and frames it as preparation for a deeper experience of the Mass. Those who come are encouraged to adore, look, pray, read, listen and rest. Those who cannot commit to a regular hour can join a substitute list, and walk-ins are always welcome.
A Catholic School from Preschool Through Sixth Grade
Holy Name of Jesus Catholic School sits on the parish campus and welcomes children from preschool through sixth grade. The school combines a rigorous academic program with a faith-centered environment, small class sizes and a faculty that prides itself on knowing every child by name. Students of any faith background are welcome.
Principal Martha Laurent leads the school, supported by office manager Carla Durand and a faculty who guide students in both the academic and social skills that shape a Catholic education. Because the school shares its campus and its liturgical life with the parish, students have natural opportunities to participate in school Masses, the parish nursery, Christmas and Easter pageants, and parish-wide service projects. The school follows the same Word of Life catechetical curriculum from the Augustine Institute that is used in the parish's Wednesday evening Faith Formation program, so families whose children attend either the day school or the parish's religious education classes share a common foundation.
Faith Formation from the Nursery Through High School
Faith formation at Holy Name of Jesus is described by the parish as a lifelong journey, and the breadth of programs on offer is meant to reflect that. From toddlers through high school seniors, every age finds a place.
For the littlest parishioners, the Sunday School program gathers children ages three through kindergarten during the 8:30 and 10:30 am Sunday Masses. Children must be three years old and toilet-trained to enroll. Preschoolers new to Sunday School begin in a Level One class; those with prior experience move up to Level Two, and kindergarteners have their own class. Lessons are tied to the weekly Mass readings and follow the rhythms of the liturgical year.
Wednesday night is the backbone of the children's faith formation program. Children in preschool through fifth grade meet on Wednesday evenings, with class times of 4:45 to 6:00 pm or 6:15 to 7:30 pm. Catechists use the Word of Life curriculum from the Augustine Institute, which is the same curriculum used in the parish school. First Reconciliation and First Communion are typically celebrated in second grade, with parent meetings in the fall, a retreat in January, and First Communion Masses in the spring.
For middle schoolers in grades six through eight, THE CREW is the parish's flagship youth ministry. CREW meets on Wednesday evenings from 6:15 to 7:30 pm in small groups of about ten teens, using a curriculum that draws from EDGE by Life Teen, the Bible, the Catechism and FORMED.org. Each group is led by an adult Small Group Leader and focuses on faith, Scripture and community. The middle school calendar is also studded with Friday Night Alive, a monthly evening of open gym, games, prayer and a talk from the high school Core Team, as well as retreats like Luke 18 (for sixth through eighth graders) and Psalm 78, both held on the parish campus, and Extreme Faith Camp at Trinity Woods in Wisconsin.
High schoolers in grades nine through twelve belong to SH CREW, which gathers all Confirmation preparation, retreats, the Teen Core Team, weekly gatherings and special events under one umbrella. Confirmation is a two-year process beginning the summer after eighth grade and culminating in the spring of tenth grade, with candidates attending Formation Sundays, choosing a sponsor and Confirmation saint, writing a letter of intent to the pastor, attending an overnight retreat, and completing a one-day Confirmation retreat led in partnership with NET Ministries. Retreats include Fall Retreat at Koronis Ministries in Paynesville, Winter Faith Camp in Wisconsin, the Steubenville Youth Conference at the University of St. Thomas, and a Spring Retreat at Koronis. Post-Confirmation small groups continue through eleventh and twelfth grade.
For adults, OCIA - the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults, formerly known as RCIA - guides those who wish to become Catholic, those baptized in another Christian tradition who seek full communion, and Catholics who want to deepen their understanding of the faith. Weekly OCIA sessions begin in late September and run through the Easter Vigil, when participants receive the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism (for the unbaptized), Confirmation and Eucharist. Adult OCIA is complemented by an ongoing program of small groups, speaker events and retreats listed on the parish's Adult Faith Formation page. The parish also subscribes to FORMED, an online Catholic content platform, with parishioners able to sign in using the parish's zip code (55391).
Special Needs Ministry
Holy Name of Jesus welcomes individuals of all ages and abilities through its Special Needs Ministry. Special Needs Faith Sharing sessions meet on the third Sunday of each month from 9:30 to 10:20 am in Emmaus A, running from September through May. Each session includes prayer, a discussion rooted in Scripture or a biblical figure, and an activity connected to the lesson or liturgical season. Lessons are differentiated and adapted to individual needs. The parish also welcomes inquiries about First Communion and Confirmation preparation for individuals with special needs.
Music, Liturgy and the Arts
Sacred music at Holy Name of Jesus is led by Director of Sacred Music Kraig Windschitl, a native of New Ulm whose mother was director of music and liturgy at his home parish. Windschitl holds a Master's of Sacred Music from Indiana University and is a Benedictine Oblate of Saint John's Abbey. He oversees an ensemble of choirs that includes the Adult Choir, which sings at the 10:30 am Sunday Mass; the Handbell Choir, which rehearses on Thursday evenings and rings roughly once a month; Women's and Men's Combined Choirs for singers who can't commit to a weekly rehearsal; Festival Choirs that gather for Christmas and Easter; and a Cantor program that leads the assembly's music at Mass. A November Men's Choir invites teenage and adult men to sing for one Sunday each November with no prior commitment.
The parish's Liturgical Ministries extend well beyond music. Altar Servers assist the priest and deacon at weekend Masses, and the ministry is open to Catholic children in fourth grade through high school senior year. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion distribute the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass. Lectors proclaim the Word of God, with a rehearsal required the Monday evening before a scheduled Sunday lector assignment. Ushers greet and seat the assembly, Sacristans prepare the vessels, linens and vestments behind the scenes, Sunday Hospitality teams serve coffee and donuts after Mass, and a team of volunteers runs the sound board for weekend liturgies. Wedding Coordinators assist couples through rehearsal and celebration.
Women's, Men's and Senior Ministries
Holy Name of Jesus organizes separate tracks for adults at different life stages and in different circumstances.
For women, two flagship programs anchor the parish's women's ministry. Women's Wisdom on Wednesdays, known as WWW, meets on Wednesday mornings throughout the year for fellowship, learning and small-group faith sharing. Women's Night at HNOJ gathers women on the first Thursday of most months for a speaker, small group discussion, snacks and optional Adoration, with the year featuring parish staff and outside presenters.
For men, Men's Night at HNOJ is a monthly evening for men twenty-one and older that combines a rosary, dinner, a talk and small-group discussion. The Friday before, the First Friday Rosary draws the Parish Grief Committee, the Soul Sisters widows' ministry, the Pastoral Care and Outreach Commission, and the Knights of Columbus together at 7:30 am, followed by 8:00 am Mass and a breakfast social.
For seniors, the Senior Bible Study meets on Monday mornings from 10:00 to 11:30 am for parishioners age 55 and older. No registration or homework is required; attendees simply show up ready to talk about the upcoming Sunday Scripture readings. The Soul Sisters - Widows Walking Together ministry is a newer community of women navigating widowhood, with meetings for prayer, friendship and mutual support.
Other parish groups include the Knights of Columbus and the KC Ladies Auxiliary, the Northwest Hennepin Serra Club (which fosters vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and religious life), and MomCo (formerly MOPS), a community for mothers of young children that meets on Friday mornings twice a month.
Hands and Feet: Outreach and Mission
The parish's outreach portfolio is unusually deep for a parish of its size. Long-standing partnerships include Interfaith Outreach (IOCP), which the parish has supported since its founding in 1979 and which serves residents of Medina, Hamel, Wayzata, Long Lake, Minnetonka Beach, Plymouth, Medicine Lake and Orono with housing, food, child care, transportation and emergency assistance. The parish also collects food at every weekend Mass for the IOCP food shelf and conducts an annual Sleep Out second collection and a major food drive each year.
Ascension Catholic School in North Minneapolis has been a partner for more than thirty years, with HNOJ parishioners serving as tutors, providing financial support, mentoring students, and helping make tuition possible for families who could not otherwise afford a Catholic education.
Farther afield, Holy Name of Jesus supports Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH), which provides homes, food, education and medical care to children in nine Latin American and Caribbean countries. The parish has sent mission teams to the NPH home in Mexico for more than thirty years, with a 2026 mission trip scheduled for June 12-18. Parishioners have also become sponsors to individual children at the home.
Other outreach ministries include A Community Caring for Life (ACCL), the parish's pro-life committee, which sponsors a baby shower for local pregnancy centers, a January cinnamon roll bake, a Mother\'s Day rose sale and the Walk for Life at French Park, and connects parishioners to a network of local pro-life resources; Mary's Place, where volunteers tutor homeless children; Meals on Wheels, with HNOJ parishioners delivering meals in April, August and December; Sharing and Caring Hands, the parish supports through donated household goods; Help At Your Door, supporting older adults living independently; and the Communion Outreach ministry, which brings the Eucharist to parishioners who are homebound or recovering from illness.
Pastoral Care: Walking Through Endings and Beginnings
Holy Name of Jesus takes seriously the sacramental and human moments that fall outside the regular Sunday rhythm. Funeral planning begins with a call to the parish office. Funerals at the parish typically include the Vigil (wake) service, a Funeral Mass or Funeral Liturgy, and the Rite of Committal (burial), with the parish's priests, deacons and Funeral Coordinator Linda Corrigan walking families through each step.
For families with infants and young children, Baptisms are celebrated on Sundays after Mass and are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Parents are asked to attend a monthly Baptism preparation gathering held on Tuesday evenings, and a registration form lists the available dates for the coming year. Children with siblings are welcome at the gatherings.
The parish also offers Anointing of the Sick to those who are seriously ill or near death. To schedule, parishioners call the parish office at 763-473-7901 or, in an emergency, 763-233-0259. For couples preparing for marriage, meetings with a priest or deacon begin at least six months before the desired wedding date and include a Prepare inventory, an engaged-couple retreat and a $200 wedding deposit to reserve the date.
Becoming a Parishioner
Anyone interested in joining Holy Name of Jesus can complete a parish registration form online or download a printable copy from the website. New parishioners are invited to the parish's biannual Big Small Dinners, a casual evening to share a meal with the priests and meet fellow parishioners, with childcare available. More than 80 ministries are open for involvement, and small groups make it easy to start building friendships quickly. A monthly print newsletter, a weekly bulletin, parish e-news and social media channels (Facebook, X and Instagram) keep newcomers in the loop.
Joining the Parish Family
Holy Name of Jesus is a parish that takes seriously both the everyday rhythms of Catholic life and the unexpected moments that come with it. From the 8:00 am weekday Mass to the Saturday evening Vigil, from the Adoration Chapel to the Good Samaritan Center where coffee and donuts flow on Sunday mornings, from Sunday School through Confirmation, from the parish school to the retreat house in Wisconsin, from food shelf donations to mission trips to Mexico, the parish offers a place for nearly every kind of engagement a Catholic family might want. With more than 2,700 families and a history stretching back to 1864, Holy Name of Jesus continues to make the case that a large parish can still feel like a community where people know one another and where, as the parish mission puts it, everyone is welcomed as you would welcome Christ.