Florian, Marshall County, MN

                                       ASSUMPTION CHURCH OF FLORIAN
                                                          Rt. 2 Box 110
                                                    Strandquist, MN 56758

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

                                        One Hundred Blessed Years

     One hundred years!  It's not a long time when compared to all the centuries which have gone to take their place in the great storehouse of time.  But what a long time it becomes when measured by the yardstick of man's and woman's deeds!

     This year of 1982, we at the Assumption Parish of Florian Joyously celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the founding of our church and parish community.  We gratefully recall the hardships, the sacrifices, the loyalties, the courage, and the perseverance of Faith of our pioneer parents and grandparents and other devoted souls who came from faraway Poland and settled in this area of Florian.

     First, "we do well always and everywhere to give thanks to God, our Heavenly Father,"  Who has showered bounteous graces and blessings through Our Lord, Jesus Christ, on we his children in this past century.

     Also, to the Blessed Virgin Mary, our patron saint under the title of the Assumption, we offer heartfelt thanks for her protection of us and intercession before God in our behalf in these 100 years.

     In this book, we recall the deeds of our beloved pioneers, our parents and grandparents, for they are an inspiration for the present and our hope for the future, and we do this to use them as a foundation on which to build for the future.  They came here a long time ago to this unknown land, and their first thoughts were of Christ and His Church, and their first acts were to build a Christian society and a church in which to worship God, participate in Holy Mass, and receive Holy Communion, Baptism, and the other Sacraments.

     We also want to pay tribute to all those bishops and priests, living and deceased, who so diligently labored in this parish and in its behalf, guiding its destinies through the many difficulties of the past.  We also owe a great debt of gratitude to those Reverand Sisters who, through the years, have given of themselves to their sacred tasks in this parish toward the religious education of our young people.

     Let us remember also our veterans of all wars.  May we never forget those who left the peace and security of our parish to go forth into the larger parish of the world, and who fought and died that all men everywhere might be free in mind, body, and soul.

     As we honor the past, we cannot forget the present and the zealous part our parishioners of today have played in the glorious progress of Assumption Parish.  Our parish property, valued at over $994,000.00, is a living testimonial to their Faith, their sacrifices, and their generosity.  But more than property, more than material gain, is that spirit of loyalty which has so blessed this growing parish.  Assumption Parish of Florian has grown only because of the whole-hearted and overflowing devotion of its people.

     May all the good work of our parishioners continue, and may God bless each one of you.  God love you.

                                                              Sto Lat!
                                                              (Signature)
                                                              Father Frank Kulhawik
                                                              Pastor