Welcome to your spiritual home! Church is many things to many people, but first and

foremost it is our spiritual home, our family of faith in which we journey together with

Jesus Christ and one another. St. Olaf’s is a vibrant, active community on the north side

of Eau Claire that has a long tradition of being a close-knit family of faith and service!

When I think of St. Olaf Parish, whether it be as it’s Pastor or my experience from

“outside looking in” as Chaplain of Regis Middle and High Schools, certain phrases

stand out in my mind that define the parish:

Vibrant Liturgies: Though it is true that the Mass has the same structure regardless of

what Catholic Church you attend, how that structure is expressed through song,

communal participation, proclamation of God’s Word, homilies from the Priest or

Deacon, and the overall ethos of the Parish can vary widely. 

If you are interested in being an active part of liturgical life as a musician, lector, or

hospitality minister, please call the office!

A Community of Love: After Mass, it is my custom to greet parishioners as they leave.

Some Saturdays and Sundays, I begin to laugh as I stand in solitude by the door with

the vast number of parishioners refusing to leave. Our gathering space when full has a

wonderful spirit of people who want to stay after Mass is done to be with one another,

get to know one another, and get to know you.

The Hands and Heart of Christ: The dismissal at the end of Mass, Go in Peace, is not

merely a tag line that ends the Mass, but is a commission to take what we receive at the

Eucharist into the world. Whether it be serving at Sojourner House, Eucharistic

Adoration, The Men’s Club’s, or the service of our women in the Parish Council of

Catholic Women (PCCW), St. Olaf Parish displays the hands of Christ that wish to serve

and the heart of Christ to rest in God’s presence through prayer and the celebration of

the Eucharist.

I pray that you find St. Olaf to be a welcoming, loving community, rooted in the love of

Jesus Christ. I look forward to walking with you on your journey of faith. Together, let us

open our hearts to the movements of the Holy Spirit, asking God to help us become the

person, the people, the parish, and the family God calls us to be.

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. James Kurzynski

Pastor, Saint Olaf Parish