A Minnesota priest is using drones to digitally archive 131 parishes by summer 2026, preserving their architecture and history amid closures and access limits.

Rev. Mitchell Bechtold, a 40-year-old priest in Minnesota’s St. Cloud Diocese, is using drones to create a digital archive of all 131 parishes across 16 counties, capturing aerial and interior footage to preserve church architecture, cultural features, and community significance. Inspired by pandemic-related access restrictions and church closures, he collaborates with congregations to highlight meaningful elements like organs, statues, and the Stations of the Cross. Using upgraded equipment, including an iPad for better control, he aims to complete the project by summer 2026. Diocesan leaders praise the effort as a vital record of each parish’s spiritual and historical essence.