On Friday, June 5, the Wilder Room at the Chanhassen Library was standing room only. Nearly 100 neighbors came together for a community conversation about the future of Old St. Hubert’s, the 139-year-old church and the most important historic landmark still standing in Chanhassen.
This is exactly what the SOS Save Old St Hubert Committee set out to do from the start: open a wider, honest conversation about what comes next, and make room for every voice in it.
Fr. Talbot, pastor of St. Hubert’s, and Jeff Burzinski, chair of the SOS Committee, opened the morning. A lively question and answer session followed, full of real exchange. From there, people moved between three stations to share what was on their minds: what Old St. Hubert’s means to them, the pros and cons of a community-led restoration, and how they might take part as a supporter or donor. Before leaving, each person marked the outcome they hope to see.
The photos of the room, and the jars filling up with everyone’s notes, say it better than we can.
So what’s next? The committee is finalizing a few details to support a feasibility study, and will keep talking with people who want to help make restoration and a lasting endowment possible. There is real hope here, both for saving this place and for imagining what it could mean for our whole community in the years ahead.
Thank you to everyone who showed up, spoke up, and dropped a note in a jar. If you believe Old St. Hubert’s is worth saving, share this post with someone who grew up with it.
