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Drone-flying priest is preserving Minnesota church history
Father Bechtold has documented 45 churches, about 35% of the 131 in the St. Cloud Diocese, creating a digital archive to preserve architectural and spiritual heritage.
- The Rev. Mitchell Bechtold flew a drone inside the Church of St. Augustine in St. Cloud on March 2, 2026, to document all 131 parish buildings in the diocese.
- The project began during the pandemic when closures prompted Bechtold to digitize parish communities in the diocese and preserve historic and architectural features for future generations.
- Using pro-sumer DJI equipment, he owns about three drones and controls them via a tablet/iPad after about 100 hours of flight experience, he said.
- The diocese's communications team says the archive will serve as a valuable digital resource for mapping, communication, planning, and future projects, as Bechtold plans to furnish the footage to individual parishes and the diocese.
- Since earning his license, Bechtold has documented 45 churches across 16 counties in the diocese, aiming to complete the project by summer's end.
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Duluth News Tribune+12 Reposted by 12 other sources
Drone-flying priest is preserving Minnesota church history
ST. CLOUD — The Rev. Mitchell Bechtold might not fit the perception of a traditional Catholic priest. Bechtold is taking advantage of new technology — specifically, drones — to preserve the history of the Catholic Diocese of St. Cloud. “We have these treasures — these absolute architectural and spiritual gems — all around the diocese,” said Bechtold, who serves the One in Faith Catholic community that includes parishes in Melrose, Greenwald, Mei…
·Cherokee County, United States
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Leaning Left0Leaning Right10Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution91% Right
Bias Distribution
- 91% of the sources lean Right
91% Right
R 91%
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