This is a guide to places of worship and other topics related to faith, religion, and spirituality in the city of Virginia, Minnesota.
Churches, synagogues, temples, meeting places, mosques or other places of worship in the city are appropriate for this category, along with sites whose topics relate primarily to religion in Virginia.
Virginia, Minnesota is home to several congregations, including but not necessarily limited to the following:
Situated across from the Virginia Public Library in downtown Virginia, Hope Community Presbyterian Church was founded in 1893, making it the oldest church in the city.
The Catholic parishes of Virginia and Mountain Iron grew out of the work of Catholic missionaries in the late 1800s. Services were held in the homes of members in the early 1890s, with Fathers Joseph Buh and John Mevel officiating from their home parishes in Tower and Cloquet. The first Catholic church building was constructed in 1895, the year Virginia was incorporated as a city. The Virginia parish is known as the Holy Spirit Catholic Church.
Gethsemane Lutheran Church is the result of a 1962 merger of a Finnish and a Swedish Lutheran church, both of which were created in 1894. Today, the congregation is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and meets at its facilities on South Fourth Street in Virginia, Minnesota.
Affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Our Savior's Lutheran Church was organized primarily by Norwegian immigrants in 1897, although its first building was constructed in 1903.
Formed as a Unitarian Church in 1911, the Mesabi Unitarian Universalist Church was originally known as the Free Christian Church of Virginia, with services in Finnish until the 1940s. Still meeting in its original church building in Virginia, the congregation meets each Sunday between Labor Day and Memorial Day.
North Star Church is a non-denominational congregation that began in 2011 and 2012.
The Peace United Methodist Church congregation meets at its facilities on Ninth Avenue South.
Affiliated with the Episcopal Church in Minnesota and the Episcopal Church, a member of the Anglican Community, Saint Paul's Episcopal Church is located on Third Street South.
Built in 1910 and 1911. the B'nai Abraham Synagogue was the last remaining active Jewish synagogue on the Iron Range until its membership decreased to the point where it could no longer maintain the building, closing in the mid-1990s. Today, the building and grounds are owned by the not-for-profit organization, Friends of B'nai Abraham, whose members restored the building as a museum and cultural center.
Websites representing these and any other places of worship in Virginia, Minnesota are appropriate for this category.
Recommended Resources
At the time of its closure in the mid-1990s, the B’nai Abraham Synagogue, in Virginia, Minnesota, was the last remaining active Jewish synagogue on the Iron Range. Built in 1909 and 1910, it was acquired by the not-for-profit organization in 2004 and currently serves as a museum and cultural center for the people of Virginia, Minnesota. Its history, a photo gallery, and a schedule of summer events and historic tours are featured.
https://ironrangejewishheritage.org/
Meeting at its facilities on South Fourth Street, the Virginia, Minnesota congregation is highlighted. Program and activity schedules are posted to the site, a calendar of upcoming ministries and events, and links to other Lutheran resources are included. Sunday and holiday worship services are featured, and its programs for children, youth, adults, and the community are discussed. A daily devotion is included.
http://www.gelc.info/
Situated in Virginia, Minnesota, the Catholic Parishes of Virginia and Mountain Iron are affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. New parishioner registration forms, church bulletins, and a history of the parish are put forth, along with its policies and schedules for funerals, baptisms, weddings, funerals, first reconciliation, and first communion, and confirmation. Its ministries, educational programs, and programs are included.
https://www.holyspiritvirginia.com/
Hope Community Presbyterian Church
Located in downtown Virginia, Minnesota, the church meets each Sunday morning and at other times as scheduled here, along with a calendar of upcoming programs and events, contact information, office hours, and a history of the church, the oldest in the city. Its membership policies, educational programs, and ministries to children, youth, adults, and the community. Directions to the church are given.
https://hopecommunitypc.org/
Mesabi Unitarian Universalist Church of Virginia, Minnesota
Associated with the Church of the Larger Fellowship and the Mid America Region of the UUA, the congregation meets on Sundays, between Labor Day and Memorial Day, at its facilities on South Seventh Street. A guide for newcomers is presented, along with a service and program schedule, an introduction to its children and youth programs, and to the community. A brief history of the church is related.
http://www.mesabiuu.org/
Planted from North Star Church of Hibbing, Minnesota, the Virginia, Minnesota congregation was formed in 2011 and 2012. A brief history of the non-denominational church is given, and an introduction to the church’s pastor is included. Other resources include a statement of beliefs, an overview of its membership policies and ministries, and a guide to what guest might expect at its pre-service, service, and post-service. A sermon archive is included.
https://www.northstarvirginia.org/
OSLC was founded by Norwegian immigrants on the Iron Range. Its first building was constructed in 1903 and a larger church was built on the current site in 1960. Its worship services are described, and its affiliations are listed. Directions and a map show the location of the church, and its member ministries, youth Christian education programs, and outreach services are outlined.
http://www.oslcmn.com/
The UMC congregation meets at its facilities on North Avenue South in the city of Virginia, Minnesota. Its Sunday and ongoing programs schedules are published to the site, as well as a calendar of events, a visitor guide, staff contacts, office hours, and a column by the church’s pastor. Recent services may be viewed online, and its children’s, youth, and adult, and small group ministries are outlined.
http://peaceumc.us/
