ST. JA MES PA RISH
ALLAN SCH
W
Ca r r y i ng th e Torch o f Fait
hen Allan Schacherer was a young child, our Lord in the Eucharist came to his home in a remarkable way — one that left an unforgettable impression on his heart and soul. “My parents, Wayne and Gertrude, had Mass in their home for a couple of years in the early 1940s,” Allan says. “Soon after that, my grandfather, Albert, was instrumental in obtaining the new parish building on the north side of town, which is now St. James Parish. It was finally finished in 1956.” Looking back, he remembers how hard our parishioners worked to build up the church community. “They all worked very hard together to make the new parish a success and keep it going,” he says. “It took the dedication of many parishioners, and my family was quite involved. The sod for our new parish came from my grandfather’s land and the landscaping of the parish lawn was done by the parishioners. In the early days, we hosted chicken dinners to raise funds for our parish, and for many years, we have held a fall festival as well. We have always been a
close parish that did many things together.” Over the years, he has enjoyed watching our parish community flourish and become what it is today. “St. James has really grown over time, and now we are growing in numbers as well, with outsiders coming in and babies being born,” Allan says. “We have the youngest congregation of the tri-parish cluster. It is really nice to have so many children and young people around. They really need each other.” Looking back, Allan sees how extraordinary the devotion of his family really was, and how much their Catholic faith meant to them. “To them, everything revolved around their faith in God,” he says. “They were involved in all of the parish activities, and they were always helping out however they could. My mother took care of the church linens and surplices, and I served Mass from the time I was about 12 years old until I got married.” Allan and his wife, Donna, have six sons, 15 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. Following in the noble footsteps of his forefathers, Allan
The Allan and Donna Schacherer family
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