Church of St. Thomas (Jessenland Township, Minnesota)

The Church of St. Thomas is a former Roman Catholic church complex in Jessenland Township, Minnesota, United States. It consists of an 1870 church, 1878 rectory, and a hillside cemetery whose oldest tombstone is dated 1856. Together they are remnants of the very first agricultural settlement established by Irish Americans in Minnesota, founded here along the Minnesota River in 1852. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 for its local significance in the theme of European ethnic heritage. It was nominated for its association with Minnesota's first Irish-American farming settlement and one of the first agricultural communities in Sibley County. In 2023, the Diocese of New Ulm closed the oratory and sold the building to a non-profit organization named Friends of Jessenland. Their mission is to create an Irish cultural center. The cemetery remains in perpetual care of the Diocese.