Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore Visits the Minnesota State Fair

Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore visited the Minnesota State Fair for the first time on August 28, 2026, which saw a record-breaking turnout, toured various sections of the event grounds, and participated in a mass two days later.

Fair Visit and Record Crowds

Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore made his first visit to the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights on August 28, 2026. This visit coincided with the day the fair set an all-time single-day attendance record with 204,065 people.

Role of the Maryland Catholic Conference

Following persuasion by Jenny Kraska, executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, the archbishop returned to the fair two days later and took part in the event program.

Mass Service and Events

During his second visit to the fair, Archbishop Lori concelebrated mass alongside Father Robert Fitzpatrick, an Easter priest who has been leading fair masses since 2014.

Tours of the Fairgrounds

During his visit to the fair, Archbishop Lori sampled local foods, inspected farm animals at the Miracle of Birth Center, saw the Clydesdale horses, and then flew back to Baltimore.