Originally posted on April 19th, 2021:
The Sacred Heart of Jesus Polish National Catholic Church has been sharing the spiritual word of God with its congregation for over 100 years. Many families whose ancestors helped build this church still are active today. This small church has always held its doors open for anyone and everyone, regardless of faith. My father (Rev John Kutek) has been the residing pastor here for over 25 years.
On April 19th, 2021, the church unexpectedly started on fire. The fire quickly grew out of control.
Original Breaking Story from KSTP
Video Detailing Fire from KARE 11
Video Detailing Fire from PM Breaking News
The fire spread to multiple parts of the church and parts of the roof collapsed. We were able to recover a bit more than we originally expected, but the majority of the contents within the church were ruined beyond saving. Part of the donations from our gofundme campaign will certainly go towards replacing these items, and if not replacing, trying to restore what we still have.
This church has already been heavily impacted due to COVID-19. We are hoping that the community of Minneapolis can help us come together and quickly recover from this loss. Please consider donating to our gofundme in order to help us with cleaning costs, various short-terms costs to keep things running right now, and whatever is necessary to get this church back up and running as soon as possible.
My father and my mother immigrated to the US from Poland in 1991 and have poured their hearts into this church ever since. (Because many people have asked: pastors can indeed get married under the Polish National Catholic Church. This is one of the ways that the PNCC differs from traditional Catholicism under the Roman Catholic Church.) Along my sister, myself, and the other parishioners, we have poured lots of love, time, and effort into this lovely church many call home. We encourage all parishioners (both past and present) to comment on this post with your favorite memories associated with this church!
– Michael Kutek, son of Father John Kutek (the Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish)