Grasshopper Chapel, Cold Spring, MN: a Symbol of Unwavering Faith, Resiliency, and a Sign of Hope in the Power of Prayer
- Leah Brix
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
It was the spring of 1877. The tough German farmers were preparing to face yet another year of devastation as the Rocky Mountain locust ravaged their fields.
The fertile fields of Central, MN, were a refuge for German Catholic immigrants who sought religious freedom and stability.
The stubborn Prussians clung to their faith, but were hanging on by a thread.
The newly ordained Benedictine, Father Leo Winter, pastor of St. James in Jacob’s Prairie and the St. Nicholas mission, urged his flock to pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary for her intercession.
But the modest farmers and brew makers along the banks of the frigid creek in what would become the town of Cold Spring weren’t alone in their petitions.
On April 26, 1877, Governor John S. Pillsbury declared a statewide day of prayer and fasting. He urged all Minnesotans to seek divine intervention to end the locust infestation.
An unusual weather pattern occurred: warm temperatures caused the larvae of the Rocky Mountain locust to hatch, but a sudden cold front brought snow and freezing temperatures, killing off the newly hatched insects.
This was the miracle that Minnesota had prayed for.
Father Leo and his parishioners vowed that they would build a chapel in her honor if Mary interceded for them. After the miracle, a chapel was built halfway between Jacob’s Prairie and St. Nicholas. It was named Maria Hilf, meaning Mary’s Help.
The chapel was consecrated on August 15, 1877, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
However, in 1854, a tornado ravaged the area and destroyed the original wooden structure. Miraculously, the statue of the Virgin Mary holding the Christ child, which Joseph Ambroziz, a Slovenian immigrant, carved, was unharmed.
For decades, the site was abandoned.
But in 1951, Benedictine priest Father Victor Ronellefitsch, along with the faithful parishioners of St. Boniface Church in Cold Spring, initiated the rebuilding efforts, which led to the chapel’s dedication on October 7, 1952, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. The new structure was built out of granite blocks from the local granite quarries. It was officially named Assumption Chapel, although many locals call it the Grasshopper Chapel.
What makes this story even more interesting is that by the early 1900s, the Rocky Mountain locust became officially extinct.
Scientists consider this to be a rare and remarkable case because insect species rarely go extinct on such a scale so quickly, especially one so populous.
Here we are, nearly 150 years later, and people still gather at the top of Marienberg Hill, near Cold Spring, MN, every spring, to celebrate the rosary and mass for 9 weeks, in thanksgiving for the miracle that occurred back in 1877.
My great-grandpa was a German immigrant to Central, MN, making my dad a third-generation dairy farmer. Relying on the land to feed eight young girls, we spent many spring and summer nights on our knees on top of the hill praying for rain and favorable weather during the growing season.
The Grasshopper Chapel is much more than a historical landmark off the hustle and bustle of busy Highway 23. It symbolizes the unwavering faith and resilience of the generations before us and is a sign of hope in the power of prayer.
