Our Staff | Catholic Churchs of St. Joseph's | Our Lady of Fatima

Our Staff

Pastoral & Parish Staff

Fr. Elias Gieske

Pastor of St. Joseph's, Our Lady of Fatima and Holy Family

Father Elias Gieske was ordained a priest in 2013. He served St. Joseph’s community from 2016-2020, the first two years with Deerwood and Crosby and the second two years with Deerwood, Crosby, Garrison and Hillman. During this time, Deerwood and Crosby parishes were combined and clustered with Garrison and Hillman. In April of 2022, he returned to our church cluster.

Father Eli grew up in Lindstrom, Minnesota. When he was eight years old, his family moved from town to the countryside. Living in the country appealed to him because he loved tractors and motorized vehicles. He attended Chisago Lakes High School. His parents still reside in Lindstrom. His mom works for the church, and his dad is a retired electrical engineer. Father Eli has an older sister and two younger brothers. Between them, he has seven nieces and nephews.

Father didn’t consider becoming a priest until he was in college. He attended the University of Minnesota, Duluth, where he obtained a degree in electrical and computer engineering. “My dad was an engineer, so I knew a little about it,” he said. “I liked math and science.”

During his final two years in Duluth, he started to think about the priesthood. “I visited the seminary and felt I should give it a try, so I decided to go after I graduated,” he said. He applied to the diocese, was accepted, and attended the minor seminary at St. Thomas University in St. Paul where he obtained a philosophy degree. He then went to Rome to study theology. “It wasn’t until after my first year in Rome that I felt pretty sure I was called to the priesthood,” he said. After four years in Rome, he was ordained on June 21, 2013. His first assignment was as the parochial vicar at the Cathedral in Duluth. After one year, two other parishes were added to the cathedral cluster (St. Mary Star of the Sea and Our Lady of Mercy). After three years in Duluth, he was assigned to the Crosby and Deerwood parishes.

In his free time, Father enjoys hiking and spending time in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. He also enjoys playing board games and card games—especially strategy games. “I enjoy reading many different kinds of books, but most often these days, I read things that have to do with my work as a priest,” he said. “One of the things I like about being a priest is meeting new people and learning about their stories.”