46 New Prague Area Directory / June 2013 - New Prague Times

30 New Prague Area Directory / June 2013WorshipReligion has played an important role in the history of NewPrague. A group of Czech immigrants landed in St. Paul in1856, looking for land to settle on. They were given directionsto a settlement near St. Cloud by the bishop of St. Paul.However, they either misunderstood the directions or boardedthe wrong steamboat and ended up in Shakopee. Fromthere, they were directed south to an area recently settled bya Bavarian immigrant, Anton Philipp. Legend has it thatPhilipp was initially wary of the newcomers, but warmed upto them when he saw them make the sign of the cross beforea meal.Many of the early immigrants were Catholic, and the newcomersestablished St. Wenceslaus parish - named after thepatron saint of Czechoslovakia - in 1857. The parish grewrapidly and several buildings were erected to serve the growingpopulation. Finally, in 1907, the current church was built.It was one of the largest churches in the state at the time ofits construction, and the building is on the National Registerof Historic Places. A remodeling project in the 1990s helpedrestore many of the original features of the church.As the community has grown, many other churches havemoved into the New Prague community. Two of the oldest areCommunity Baptist Church and Holy Trinity LutheranChurch. More recently, other congregations have moved intothe area, helping to serve the faith needs of a growing community.Holy Trinity Lutheran Church1300 Main St ENew Prague Alliance Church830 4th Ave SWHeritage United Methodist Church200 E 280th StSpirit of Life Church530 W 280th StNew Day Church1201 1st St NEFaithPoint Lutheran ChurchCommunity Baptist Church500 Co Rd 37201 Central Ave NSt. WenceslausCatholic Church215 Main St EChurch ofJesus Christof Latter-DaySaints1001 1st St NWFriedensEvangelicalLutheran Church28982 181st Ave