Bowling at the church

I found this in the St Paul Pioneer Press column called Bulletin Board this week:

Writes Grandpa Dave: "Subject: Since when is bowling a church sport? "Last weekend, our family celebrated my oldest son's 50th birthday by piling into the basement of St. Francis [de Sales] Catholic Church in St. Paul's West Seventh neighborhood. We spend the next several hours enjoying a delightful time at bowling: grandma, grandpa, sons and daughters and seven delightful grandkids. The facility was small, modern and moderately priced. Check it out!

"Then I started to wonder about the idea of bowling alleys in church facilities — especially in older Catholic churches. I remember, growing up, that there were bowling alleys at Nativity, St. James, St. Francis, St. Bernard's and I believe St. Agnes. I assume I am forgetting some.

"But why? What was the motivation that made these lanes such an integral part of Catholic communities? Anyone have an answer — and the names of any other churches that had bowling lanes?

And this today....

Used To Curl of Rice Lake, Wis.: "Reading about bowling alleys in church basements brought back memories of the bowling alley in the basement of the Catholic school in Waite Park. My grandma lived right across the street from the school. My mom bowled there, and on very special nights — about once during the bowling season — my sister and I were allowed to go with her while she bowled. I was expected to be on my best behavior and was sure to get a special treat or two.

"When I was older — a freshman in high school, 1958 — I bowled in an after-school league in St. Cloud at the Granite Bowl. They still had human pin-setters at that time. I hit it off with one of the young men who had this job. He would send me notes back down the return ramp — in my bowling ball......"

LOL...we know of another Catholic Church with a bowling alley, right?  It's no longer there, in the Hall in Buckman, but it was when I was a kid.
------------------------------

St Michaels Catholic Church in Buckman was built in our grandparents' generation.  I've seen 1902 and 1910 for when it was built, replacing the little white church that was there earlier.  The Hall, on the other hand, was built later (I think the cornerstone says 1920, but I could easily be wrong).  Most of our folks were here by the 1870-80s, and they were certainly involved; in fact, the family story about it says that Grandpa Janson hauled rocks and helped build those buildings, but that Great grandpa Michael Sand won the honor of naming the parish.

Anyway, I've often wondered myself, WHY Bowling?  Many immigrants who came to Minnesota were members or followers of the Turnverein Movement, "to work for the unity of the German people and to uplift the brotherhood and the physical and spiritual power of the people".

Did they cast about for some physical activity that'd draw people without building an entire gymnasium? 

Planning and building the Hall would have been shortly after the German-baiting in the U.S., when people who spoke German were accused of being spys (or worse) during WWI.  Maybe bowling seemed more "American"?

BTW, Mary at the Morrison County Historical Society is researching the subject, too, so we'll see what she comes up with!

..............................

Later:  Heres an answer about WHY...BLUE LAWS & BOWLING !