Fr. Allan Paul Eilen (Moderator, Pastor St. Mary of the Lake)
e-mail: [email protected]
Education: Grew-up in Delano, MN and attended St. Jospeh Catholic Church for Kindergarten and St. Peter Catholic Church for 1st through 6th Grades (Family was registered at St. Peter Catholic Church). NB: The two communities were merged about 10 years ago to become the St. Maximillian Kolbe Catholic Community. Attended Delano Jr. High School (7-9 Grades) and Sr. High School (10-12 Grades), graduating in 1978. Attended the College of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN), studying in the Pre-Med Program earning a BA in Biology (Minor in Chemistry). Also obtained my EMT Certification in 1978. I graduated from the CST in 1983.
Post College: I began working at Midwest MedKab-Olsen Ambulance in July 1983. I started as a Courier Driver, later coordinating, supervising, and managing the Courier Division for the HealthEast Hospital System, all told, for twenty years (1983-2003).
St. Paul Seminary: I entered St. Paul Seminary to study for the Priesthood for the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis in August of 2003. Two years of Pre-Theology (Philosophy) followed by four years of Theology. I was ordained as a Transitional Deacon on May 3, 2008, and a Priest of Jesus Christ on May 30, 2009. I was ordained for both by Archbishop John C. Nienstedt.
Clergy Assignments: I spent my Transitional Diaconate Summer at Epiphany Catholic Church in Coon Rapids, MN (2008). My first two years of Priesthood [Associate Pastor] were served at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Hastings, MN (2009-11). I was then moved to Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Edina, MN for my second [Associate Pastor] assignment (2011-12). After one year I was named the new Pastor of two rural parishes (Immaculate Conception of Marysburg [Madison Lake, MN] and Nativity of Mary of Cleveland, MN) and served these two parishes on the southwest border of the Archdiocese for three years before becoming the new Pastor of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Oak Grove, MN in 2015, serving this community for eight years. Asked by Archbishop Bernard A Hebda to become the new Pastor of St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church in WBL and Moderator of Frassati Catholic Academy. I was Chaplain for CURATIO (Healthcare Apostolate in the Archdicoese) for eight years and also the unofficial Chaplain for Grief to Grace, MN for about five years.
Frassati Catholic Academy: I was named Pastor of St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church and Moderator of Frassati Catholic Academy by Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda and began my new assignments on July 1, 2023.
Favorite Thing About Frassati: I’d say two things in particular – 1. Collaborating with our Principal and faculty in our Mission to live the beauty, goodness, and truths of our Catholic faith and getting to know and share this awesome gift with our Frassati families. 2. Seeing the children and youth each day and the little opportunities to help them know and believe in the love God has for them to become His beloved disciples and missionaries in their families, school, and community.
About Me: As mentioned, I grew up in Delano, MN (Born on June 23, 1959). My parents are both deceased (Father: Alphonse Joseph in 2000 and Mother: Genevieve Margaret in 2009). I have seven siblings (Michael, Linda, Duane, Judy, Thomas, Steven, Sharon) and eighteen nieces and nephews, who all pretty much live within an hour of one another in the twin cities area. I have two godchildren (Mary and Grace). And a few years before entering St. Paul Seminary (2003), I was engaged to be married in 1997. I have traveled extensively over the years (Europe, Mexico, Canada, Africa).
