Legacy
THE STORY OF THE BRYA FAMILY ENDOWMENT
Stanley Brya and Felicia Skorupska emigrated from Poland around 1912. They married and settled in Northeast Minneapolis and raised four children, Genevieve, Elizabeth, Raymond and Florence. Their life as a family centered around Holy Cross parish and school. Of the siblings only Genevieve and Raymond were married, but had no children.
The last descendants of the family were Raymond and Helen Brya who in their final years were residents of Catholic Eldercare and attended St. Anthony of Padua, though Holy Cross always remained home. Raymond passed in 2012 and Helen followed in 2016.
As part of the intentional stewardship of the Brya family, Holy Cross Catholic Church was named the sole beneficiary of an endowment established at the Catholic Community Foundation. Each year our parish receives a disbursement of the accumulated interest. The Brya family were a humble and unassuming people, and they wished that their substantial gift to their parish not be made public until their death. This is a true testament of their dedication to the Church and their deep faith in Christ. It is a heartwarming story that represents familiar stories of many other immigrant families who came to Northeast Minneapolis and lived their faith and life within a neighborhood parish. Mass intentions are regularly offered for the eternal repose of the members of the Byra family.
