In the summer of 2017 I moved to NE Minneapolis and began the process of coming to know the good people entrusted to my care. I am humbled and grateful to be called upon by Archbishop Hebda to serve the good people of the campuses that make up Holy Cross Catholic Church in Northeast Minneapolis as well as our regional Catholic school, St. John Paul II. From before my priestly ordination in May 2013 I have understood that my priesthood would necessarily have a missionary bent as we live in a new apostolic age of challenge and opportunity.

I was raised in a family of strong faith and conviction and grew up as a charismatic, Evangelical Lutheran (at North Heights in Arden Hills). As a freshman in high school I made a decision to become Catholic, drawn by what I have come to describe a hunger for the Eucharist. In addition to my parents who taught me the importance of prayerfully seeking the God’s will in my daily life, my maternal grandmother and a few joyful priests and women religious that I came to know impelled me to delve into our rich Catholic patrimony. During high school I had an unquenchable desire to understand my faith. Inspired by Jesus’ parable of the wise man building his house on rock, I wanted to discover the solid ground upon which I would be able to found my life to stand even through the storms that I knew would inevitably come.

I grew up in the northern suburbs and attended Mounds View High School, graduating in 2005. I have one older sister, Kelsa, who is married and lives in Omaha, NE. My parents Jeffrey and Janette are active in the Catholic community around the Twin Cities. I should admit that like many Americans, my family ethnicity is mixed, but last I checked there was no Polish in it! I am something of a concoction of Flemish, Cuban, English and Irish ingredients.

Growing up I enjoyed baseball, football, hiking, camping and biking. I played drums in a few indie rock and folk basement bands. In high school I also managed a small landscaping business called ‘Know Howe’ and discovered the rewards of honest, hard work and time spent outside. Although I was previously interested in architecture or engineering, I let go of trying to control the course of my life and in the fall of 2005 I entered St. John Vianney Seminary at St. Thomas where I studied Philosophy, Catholic Studies and Classical Languages. I was particularly grateful to come under the influence of Fr. William Baer who was rector during that time. During those years I grew in my sense of being called into the apostolic mission of the priesthood. Ours is a missionary age and I wanted to take an active part in inviting people into true Christian discipleship. I could not ignore the zeal I felt welling up within my soul.

My adventure of preparing for priesthood continued on the other side of the ocean and at the heart of the Church. For five years I lived within the large English-speaking community of the Pontifical North American College in Rome. On 4 October 2012 I was ordained a Deacon in St. Peter’s Basilica and then on 25 May 2013, I was ordained a priest with nine other classmates from our Archdiocese. After ordination I returned to Rome for one final year of studies to finish a Licentiate degree in Church History and Ecclesiology. I wrote my thesis on the great English author, G.K. Chesterton’s conversion to Catholicism and his lifelong relationship with Italy. Beware as I am sometimes known to quote him! I am grateful to serve the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton as chaplain and board member as well as host of the Minneapolis Chesterton Society which meets monthly at St. Clement Church.

My priestly assignments have included Divine Mercy in Faribault, St. John Neumann in Eagan, and Holy Name of Jesus near Wayzata. These previous pastoral assignments and formative experiences led me to this assignment here in NE Minneapolis. I remain eager to continue learning. Along with the priests alongside whom I serve, I strive to dedicate myself to the ministry of the Word and Sacraments in Northeast at this phase of its history. I do my best to serve in the footsteps of many priests who have dedicated themselves—imperfectly but valiantly—to the care of souls in this neighborhood. Among those who I have been privileged to serve alongside are a trio of elderly priests who have gone to their reward: Fr. Don Schwalm, Fr. Earl Simonson and Fr. John Brandes. May they rest in peace!

As a relative newcomer to a truly unique part of Minneapolis with deep history and traditions and a strong work ethic and emphasis on family life, I am delighted to be a part of doing something beautiful for God here, not just looking back to the glory days but also looking ahead to new promises and opportunities to hope for spiritual renewal in our day, in which Catholicism is increasingly marginalized and considered irrelevant or narrow-minded. Exciting things are afoot, even though the challenges of drawing people of all ages and backgrounds to Christ and the Church are also real and abundant. I hope you will find a home within our parish and join us in this vital mission.I look forward to seeing you around the neighborhood and parish!

- Fr. Spencer Howe