Transcription from Vol. 1, page 219 of Title: History of Stearns County Publisher: Chicago : H.C. Cooper, Jr., & Co. 1915 Author: William Bell Mitchell >From Chapter XVI titled " Catholic Churches in Stearns County" "Arban. Church of the Sacred Heart. A small congregation was organized in section 27 of the township of Holding, in what was known as Young's settlement in April, 1873, by Rev. Joseph Vill, O. S. B., of St. John's Abbey, and visited once a month from the Abbey. The First mass was celebrated in the house of Sebastian Wiedmann; here, too, the first child, Charles, son of Michael and Margaret Hartung, was baptized by Father Cornelius Wittmann, O. S. B., pastor of St. Joseph. A small church was built of logs in the winter of 1874-75. As all the land was still subject to homestead laws, none could be donated to the church. However, Francis Young promised ten acres, Denis Wiedmann and William Luckeroth, four acres and $25 each. When the township was surveyed it was found that the church was in section 27, and not, as was supposed in section 28. The land upon which the church stood was then leased of the owner. "The second church, 26 by 50, log and frame, was built n 1887 and dedicated in October of the same year. The present church, the cost of which was about $5,000, was dedicated by Bishop Trobec, November 16, 1904. "In 1893, there were 45 families in the parish; the present number is 40, all Germans. Arban has never had a resident priest. After the withdrawal of the Benedictines from Holdingford, Arban was attended by the secular priest stationed there. (See Holdingford.) "The following Benedictine Fathers visited Holding, or Arban, as it is now called, from 1873: Fathers Joseph Vill, 1873-1875; Aloys Hermanutz, 1875-1878; Alphonse Kuisle, to 1879; Simplicius Wimmer, to 1880; Vincent Schiffrer, to 1882; George Scherer, to 1883; Vincent Schiffrer, 1883-1887; Martin Schmitt, 1888; Stanislaus Preiser and others to 1890; Anthony Capser, 1890. Society: St. Joseph Society, organized 1913 by the present pastor Rev. E. Schuer, with a membership of 40. President, August Heitzmann; vice-president, Aloys Meyer; treasure, Henry Young." Elsewhere -- Chapter XLVII "Townships and Villages" in the section about Holding Township, Vol.2, page 1271 (Transcription). "The first church was built at Arban settlement as early as 1872, and was known as the Sacred Heart church. They had for its pastor Rev. Cornelius, O. S. B. The church structure was of logs and lasted for nearly twenty years." The USGS Mapping website <http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnis/web_query.gnis_web_query_form> lists the Church as Sacred Heart *Mission*, USGS does not list a cemetery for the same location. That is not say that there is no cemetery at that location. Phil Holm