Fr. Bernard Reiser

Father Bernard Reiser - Dec 29, 1924 - Dec 27, 2011 an American Roman Catholic priest known for his preaching and for his charitable giving, both locally and abroad. Father was ordained on June 4, 1949, by Archbishop John Gregory Murray. His first Solemn Mass was at Holy Name of Jesus, the parish where he attended as a child. He was assigned to St. Mary of the Lake parish in White Bear Lake, MN.

In 1964, Archbishop Leo Binz asked Father Reiser to start a parish in the quickly-growing Minneapolis suburb of Coon Rapids located in Anoka County. Seventy acres of farmland was acquired for the new church, which was named Epiphany after one of the great feast days of the Lord.

Under Father Reiser's leadership, Epiphany grew to become one of the largest Catholic communities in the state. In addition to a spacious sanctuary, the Epiphany campus includes an elementary school, a Perpetual Adoration chapel, a senior housing complex, an assisted living facility, a cemetery, and several outdoor shrines.

In 1996, Father Reiser traveled to Haiti. “I had seen slums in China, Egypt and Mexico City,” “he wrote. “None of them compare to the tragic realities of the slum outside Port au Prince.” In time, Father Reiser established Reiser Relief Inc., a non-profit organization that funds relief and development projects in Haiti. Father Reiser is now retired from Epiphany, but he remains actively involved in helping the world’s poorest citizens as chairman of Reiser Relief.. "I don’t intend to retire," he said. "As long as I can work I will. As long as you can work why sit around gathering dust."