Thank you to everyone who participated in our recent survey regarding the St. Hubert historic church. Every registered household was sent a letter that included the background and status of the historic church. Every parishioner 18 years of age and older was invited to participate. The invitation to participate was repeated at Mass on several weekends and through Flocknote. School families were encouraged to participate in the survey through electronic communications and at school Masses. In addition to St. Hubert parish and school families, we also sent postcards to every household in the City of Chanhassen inviting them to participate in the discernment process.  

Parish households receiving letters - 1988

Parishioners 18 years of age and older invited to participate - 4412

School Families - 445

Chanhassen households receiving postcards - 9000

We received 1289 total responses—785 from parishioners and 504 from non-parishioners.

Parishioner responses:

Non-parishioner responses:

Most everyone who recommended razing the church indicated that they would be sad to see it torn down. However, they wrote that the cost to renovate the church, the ongoing costs to maintain the church, the limited uses of the church, and the lack of parking around the church make it impractical and imprudent to spend any more money on the historic church, especially given the needs of our ministries and our current facility. Many in this category want to invest in saving, restoring, and repurposing sacred items from the historic church as a way of maintaining that connection between the past and present generations of the parish. 

Those in favor of restoring the church emphasized the historical significance of the church to our parish and to the City of Chanhassen and stressed that razing the church would be a spiritual and cultural loss to our community that cannot be undone.    

Those interested in restoring the church indicated financial support in the amount of $2.14 million—a generous amount, but an amount significantly below what would be required to restore the church and provide for its ongoing maintenance.  

Those interested in razing the church and saving/restoring/repurposing sacred items from the historic church indicated financial support of $530,000, which would cover the cost of razing the church and a substantial portion of the cost to restore and preserve the historic items.

This recent survey is one of the last steps of the discernment process.  We previously surveyed parishioners on the historic church in developing the strategic plan. We held town hall meetings and opened the historic church to visits. We formed a historic church committee to explore the costs of renovation, research grants and alternate funding arrangements, and discern uses of the church. The next step in the discernment process is to gather all of this data and consult with the members of the parish council and finance council. We will also consult again with the City of Chanhassen and with the Archdiocese.  

As we continue discerning the future of the historic church, please keep the process and those involved in the process in your prayers. We expect to reach a decision in the next few months.   

Please watch a newly created video highlighting the history of the church, the City of Chanhassen, and the discernment process. We hope you find the video informative and inspiring, regardless of your position on the future of the historic church.