Archbishop Hebda issued a Decree dated June 4, 2026, declaring that the St. Hubert historic church will be relegated from divine to secular use, effective June 30, 2026. You can read the Decree which is attached below. The archbishop issued this Decree in response to my petition as pastor of the parish. I made the petition after having consulted with parishioners and the wider Chanhassen community. Archbishop Hebda conducted his own consultation as required by canon law before issuing the Decree.
Archbishop Hebda issued a separate document, authorizing the parish to raze the historic church building, anytime after June 30, 2026. Again, this permission was requested by me as pastor of the parish after having consulted with parishioners and the wider Chanhassen community. We must still apply to the City of Chanhassen for a permit to raze the building. Because the church building is listed on the National Register of Historic places, the City may require the parish to satisfy certain state and local conditions before issuing a permit.
As you know, a group of Chanhassen residents, including some parishioners from St. Hubert, are investigating the feasibility of saving the historic church building. Their group name is SOS. SOS is not associated with the parish or acting at the direction of the parish. Their mission is to determine whether the Chanhassen community is interested in restoring and maintaining the building for a community use that has not yet been identified and, if so, to raise the money necessary for restoring and maintaining the building. The SOS leaders know that the parish is moving forward with our process while they are doing their study. I have expressed a willingness to delay our razing of the church building while they conduct their study.
Click Here for More Information on SOS Facebook Page
Please contact me should you have any questions about the parish’s path toward razing the church building or the group’s efforts to save the building.
Peace, Fr. Talbot