Him First: St. Francis rededicates new worship space

On July 14, 2026, congregants packed the newly renovated worship space at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church on East 10th Street in Merrill, despite the weather offering up a dose of intense heat and humidity. Those in attendance gathered for the official rededication Mass to mark the historic completion of a space that was decades in the making and made possible only through years of fervent prayer, financial contributions of the congregants, and the unity of a community directed by a mission.
The liturgy was graced by the presence of Bishop James Powers of the Diocese of Superior and Bishop Saginala Paul Prakash, traveling from the Diocese of Cuddapah in India, along with many of the priests who have pastored the congregation of St. Francis Xavier through the years as well as other priests and deacons from throughout the Diocese of Superior, members of the Diocesan Chorale, some of the Holy Cross Sisters, and many clergy and parishioners who had an integral part in the renovation process, as well as Andrew Halverson from Ellis Construction.
Parishioner Kevin Rell noted in his opening remarks that the gathering was not for a mere building renovation, but for the blessing and rededication of a sanctuary that serves as “the House of God, a house of prayer, and the gate of heaven.”
This milestone represented an extraordinary achievement for the Merrill Catholic community, framing the church as a sacred space where the “noise of the world” is left behind to encounter the divine.
“Our patron, Saint Francis Xavier, was a man of boundless missionary zeal, driven by the Holy Spirit to bring Christ to the ends of the earth,” Rell said. “Today, this parish answers that same call right here in the Diocese of Superior. Through this beautiful restoration, we have provided a worthy home for the Lord and a sacred space where future generations will encounter His mercy.”

“The vision from the start of this project was to ‘create a more prayerful worship space which will reflect more fully the sacredness of the Mass, where we celebrate the Eucharist, the source and summit of our Catholic faith,’” he said.
The celebration looked toward the future, but it marked an achievement built upon the solid rock of a faithful legacy that began in the late 19th century in Merrill.

The evolution of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Merrill
According to church history, a Catholic mission existed in Merrill as early as 1875, but it wasn’t until 1885 that St. Francis Xavier Church was officially established and a church was built. The original church was located on the northeast corner of the intersection of East Second and Blaine Streets and as of 1890 included a membership of 400 families. A school was added in 1898 and the parish continued to grow.
In the late 1950s, due to the size of the congregation and availability of clergy, St. Francis Xavier was divided into two separate parishes — the original St. Francis and a newly formed St. Robert Bellarmine parish. St. Robert’s built a new school in 1958-59 and used a space originally intended to be a gymnasium as their worship space. The goal was to build a new church at some point in the future.

In 1961 St. Francis Xavier built a new church and school in the area that is now the site of Kate Goodrich School. Due to financial difficulties, St. Francis Xavier school closed in 1969 and then re-opened eight years later for grades six, seven, and eight.
Due to the increasing shortage of priests, St. Francis Xavier and St. Robert Bellarmine parishes merged back into a single parish in 1995, opting to use the St. Robert Bellarmine facilities and the former St. Francis Xavier building and property was sold. However, the newly formed parish opted to take the name of Merrill’s original St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church.
Fast forward another 25 years or so. The leaders and parishioners at St. Francis Xavier longed for a more sacred space in which to worship, in lieu of the “gym-like” space in the modernist 1958 school building structure with its exposed brick, mid-century design, and the orange carpet that had outlived its useful life and style. However, it was equally apparent that building a new church was not feasible.
Parishioners collectively agreed: “We need a church, not a gym.”

“Him First” Campaign: Strategy and sacrifice

With a goal of transforming the modernist, “gym-like” aesthetic of the worship space into a prayerful environment that reflected the simple, traditional Catholic design necessary for the sacredness of the Mass, the “Him First” Campaign was born.
This desire for a more intentional architectural focus led directly to the launch of the parish’s most ambitious strategic effort in recent history.
After many discussions, presentations, and meetings that began in the summer of 2023, including a feasibility study, the “Him First” Campaign launched in April 2024.
Parishioners were asked to prayerfully consider making sacrifices in their own lives to enable them to pledge to the campaign, while also maintaining their core church support — necessary to keep the church and school operational.
“When we put Jesus Christ first, everything else falls into place,” Parish Life Coordinator Deacon Jim Arndt said of the campaign and the name for the campaign.
“Him First” was created as a four-year fundraising initiative set to conclude in April 2028. To ensure financial stability, Bishop Powers mandated that the parish have 50% of the projected $2.2 million costs in cash on hand before construction could begin. The community met that challenge quickly, bolstered by $500,000 already in the building fund and nearly $1.9 million in pledges, and some parishioners opted to complete payment on their pledges early.
This enabled the construction work to begin even sooner than anticipated. Though the campaign is ongoing, construction began a full year ahead of schedule. This was also made possible because Agra Industries, the local company that fabricated the structural steel for the space, had an unanticipated gap in their schedule and was ready to begin work.

Architectural planning: Prayer and priorities
The renovation addressed aesthetic, spiritual, and critical safety concerns. Members of the congregation also had input, voting on the priorities for the renovation.
Arndt used a baseball analogy to explain the spiritual architectural strategy for the space, noting that a team — and a church — must be “strong up the middle.” This required a physical, theological alignment of four key elements in a direct line: the baptismal font, crucifix, altar, and tabernacle. The renovations and redecorating would make this a priority.

“As we enter this sacred space, we first encounter the baptismal font, reminding us that our life in Christ begins with Baptism,” Rell said during the rededication as he pointed out the alignment. “Then our eyes are naturally drawn to the crucifix, where Christ gave His life for our salvation, to the altar where His sacrifice is made present in every Mass, and finally to the tabernacle, where He remains with us in the Blessed Sacrament.”
“Together, these sacred signs remind us that everything we do in this church begins and ends with Jesus Christ. He is, and always will be, at the center of our worship.”
Prior to the start of the project, the following safety and aesthetic goals were identified and prioritized:
1. Carpet removal: Remove the old orange carpet to improve safety and aesthetics and to clear the way for a fresh interior.
2. Window replacement: Upgrade the 1958 single-pane glass in the windows; the rotting wood frames posed a danger of failing during high winds.
3. Sanctuary expansion: Relocate the choir to the loft to create a larger altar area.
4. Wall insulation: Cover the exposed industrial brick blocks with insulation and drywall to improve temperature control, improve acoustics, and eliminate the “gym” feel.
5. Pew realignment: Shift seating forward to improve the worship flow and increase space in the back.
6. Lighting upgrades: Enhance the visual atmosphere of the space.
7. New pews: Originally the pews were set to be refinished, but ultimately the benefits and comfort associated with replacing the pews was prioritized.
8. Sound system: Upgrade the audio for clarity during the liturgy.
9. Air conditioning: Identified as the final priority, to be addressed as future funds allow once boiler issues are rectified. Though initial funding did not allow for the installation of air conditioning, HVAC upgrades were made to prepare the system for future air conditioning.
Arndt said the original budget projection for the project was $2.2 million; however, ultimately he expects the final numbers to come in at $2.5 million since the original estimates had not included replacing the pews and the original budget fell short of the cost of the actual sound and lighting system upgrades needed.

Preserving sacred history with treasures from the past
The “soul” of the project came from the integration of sacred items salvaged from the decommissioned Holy Cross Chapel that had been attached to the local hospital prior to its demolition. The new St. Francis Xavier worship space incorporates the Stations of the Cross (meticulously restored by a dedicated parishioner who wishes to remain anonymous), the altar (crafted from rare African wood according to the Holy Cross Sisters), and the round historic stained-glass window, all preserved from the Holy Cross Chapel.

The six-foot-diameter stained-glass window is a masterpiece of light. Its restoration began with a serendipitous meeting: Deacon Jim’s father-in-law was in the Adoration Chapel at St. Francis when Nathan Meyer of Medford stopped by to take photos of the stained-glass windows there, windows he had created. Meyer was asked if he might be interested in restoring the historic stained-glass window from the Holy Cross Chapel, and he was excited to work on the project. Meyer had completed six of the twelve panels before he died in April 2025. Mike White of Stevens Point was able to complete the restoration work, and Jim Bares of Merrill constructed a new wooden frame for the window. Arndt said a similar window would cost $60,000 to $80,000 today, but this window was restored and preserved for a fraction of that cost — approximately $10,000 — through community dedication.
The historic baptismal font now positioned at the entrance to the worship space is believed to be from the original 1885 Second Street church.
The large crucifix remains a focal point and was from the 1958 St. Francis Xavier church, and the statues of Mary and Joseph on either side at the front of the church are from what was originally St. Robert Bellarmine Church. (They had been located at the back of the worship space prior to the renovations.)
More traditional liturgical furnishings replace what was previously in the space. To ensure continuity of service, the old liturgical furniture was donated to the Extreme Faith Camp in Wisconsin.
Looking ahead, Arndt said the parish plans to install a public reliquary in the hallway. This will house 80 saint relics donated by the Holy Cross Sisters and Father Jim Horath, 28 of which carry formal documentation of authenticity. This reliquary will serve as a permanent devotional and educational tool for the parish.
Air conditioning is also still a possibility once the boiler issues have been resolved elsewhere in the building and funding is available.

Collaboration: People, partners, and prayer
The success of the project relied on a dedicated team focused on fundraising and overseeing the details of the renovation project. Parishioner volunteers put in many hours on committees focused on various aspects of the project.
Deacon Arndt managed the administrative and financial complexities, while Sacramental Minister Father John Long continued to oversee the sacramental life of the parish.
A notable moment of “parishioner-led” vision occurred when parishioner Kathy Casper, an interior designer by trade, stepped in to ensure a “distinctly Catholic” and timeless neutral palette was chosen to reflect the sacred intentions for the space.
Ellis Construction, with Merrill native Jerrod Ford acting as site manager, served as the general contractor for the project. Agra Industries of Merrill fabricated the vital structural steel components of the renovation. In The Lite of Merrill did the electrical work and lighting systems. Tweet Garrott managed the HVAC and ventilation work with parishioner John Deering serving as the local expert contact. And Davis Furnishings of Medford created the custom-made pews and kneelers.
A custom-created ambo — the lectern from which the sacred scriptures are read — will also be a focal point of the new sanctuary.
Of course, many parishioners made pledges and contributed to the $1.9 million pledged and needed in order to fulfill the vision, and they also contributed their prayers to the effort.
Beyond the stone and glass
The rededication of St. Francis Xavier is more than just the completion of a construction project; it is the opening of a “new chapter” in the life of this congregation. By moving away from a modernist aesthetic toward a simple, Eucharist-centered design, the parish has ensured that the focus remains entirely on the sacred Presence of Jesus. It is in all ways focused on putting “Him First.”
As Kevin Rell concluded in his presentation, the church stands now as a place where “Christ is encountered, lives are transformed, and generations yet to come [will] grow in faith.”

All are welcome
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church is located at 1708 E. 10th St. in Merrill. Parishioners invite all who are interested to view the new worship space, and all are welcome to attend Holy Mass, they said. Normal weekend Mass times are Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and Sunday at 8:30 a.m. For a full list of weekly Mass times, Confession, and Adoration Chapel hours, go to: stfrancismerrill.org/.