CHURCH OF THE RISEN SAVIOR - A BRIEF HISTORY
In the late sixties, the townships of Lebanon, now known as Apple Valley, grew very rapidly. A new parish, officially named Church of the Risen Savior, was founded on September 10, 1970, with 350 families from Apple Valley, Burnsville and Lakeville with Fr. Frederick Cussler serving as its first pastor.
A house in Apple Valley was purchased as a rectory. This became the focal point of the new community. It served as residence, office, and meeting place. The garage became the chapel for Mass, confessions and baptisms. It soon became evident that the residential garage could no longer accommodate the needs of the rapidly growing Risen Savior parish. A committee was formed to plan and implement the construction of a church and parish center on land in Burnsville, donated by a parishioner. In the interim, Sunday Masses were celebrated at various locations. This phase lasted seven years. The parish grew in numbers so that by 1976 membership had reached 1,000 families. By February 1977, the new church and parish center were ready for use. Professional staff was hired to coordinate the fast-developing ministries. A Parish Council was established in 1981. When the second pastor, Fr. Patrick Griffin, arrived in June 1983, the parish had grown to 1,300 families. This meant additional construction and expansion. Therefore, the current office wing was added and the parking lot was expanded. Plans for the enlargement of the worship area and landscaping were underway when our third pastor, Fr. Thomas Sieg, arrived in August 1988. At that time the parish had grown to 1,850 families. The next ten years saw more growth. Renovations of the administrative offices, completion of the lower level, and the additions of a youth room and a music room took place in 1996. By 1998 the parish census numbered 2,800 households. Our fourth pastor, Fr. Timothy Wozniak, served Risen Savior parish from July 1999 to June 2011. In 2004, a Sunday Mass in Spanish was added to the Mass schedule. On September 10, 2010, Risen Savior celebrated its 40th Anniversary. In July of 2011, Fr. Thomas Krenik came to Risen Savior as its fifth and current pastor. The parish community includes 400 Spanish speaking families. Fr. Roberto Banchs serves as associate pastor for this Latino ministry. In September 2014, the Verizon Wireless tower was added on the East side of the church property. |