Holy Family Church

Holy Family Church, the oldest parish in the Diocese of St. Cloud, dates back to the days of French-Canadian fur traders. In 1838, Father Lafleche of Three Rivers, Quebec, said Mass in Belle Prairie area and established a mission called Lacroix and the mission at Belle Prairie was established shortly after that, Lacroix, the French word for “The Cross”.  Father Francis Xavier Pierz arrived in the area in 1852, thus laying the foundation of the first parish in the Diocese of St. Cloud. In 1853 he celebrated Mass in the Martin Bisson home located 1/4 of a mile south of the Belle Prairie Rapids. In 1855 a small log chapel was erected in the area that is now the parish cemetery. In the 1856 issue of the Metropolitan Catholic Almanac it mentions that Father Pierz of St. Andrew’s Church at Belle Prairie was the priest in charge of 300 French-Canadian members. In June of 1861 the Martin Bisson family gave a portion of land to the church. This is now the site of   Holy    Family    Church   and cemetery. On August 12, 1861, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Thomas L. Grace left St. Paul and traveled to Belle Prairie Church where he confirmed 30 of the 300 members.
     In 1877 Father Joseph Buh and parishioners started building Holy Family Church. Farmers hauled the stone needed for the construction from the rapids of the nearby Mississippi  River.  The church is a good solid building with walls three feet thick. Originally, there was a chimney on each wall of the sacristies to provide outlets for smoke from the two church stoves. On October 10, 1880 the church was dedicated. The Church of the Holy Family of Belle Prairie, Morrison County, Minnesota, was registered as a corporation in 1898. In1916 Father Henri Pellet came to Belle Prairie and began keeping records in English. Previously they were kept in French and Latin. Fr. Pellet was pastor at Holy Family for 33 years. The Most Reverend Bishop Bartholome was the celebrant when Fr. Pellet was laid to rest in the parish cemetery in August 1955.
     During the early 1900’s, many improvements were completed on the church property. The current pews were added to the church about 1904.  A new organ was purchased in 1917 and used for the first time at midnight      Mass.     A covered step was added to the church in 1918. In 1924, the shingles of the church were replaced and a porch was added to the priest’s house. A new church ceiling was installed in 1943. Rubber cushions were added to the kneelers in 1947. The Pot-bellied stoves were replaced with a new oil furnace in 1954. In 1955, the stained glass windows dating back to the early 1900’s were cleaned and refinished. In 1956 a stainless steel cross was installed on the top of the bell tower. In the 1960s the church was painted, a new church floor was installed, and the Holy Name Society erected the Shrine to the Blessed Mother.  The old organ was replaced and a new heating system installed. The exterior of the church was repaired and the church was re-roofed. In 1962 the men of the parish spent the winter removing dirt from the church basement to expand the basement.
   On September 28, 1982 the church celebrated its 100 years with a celebration of Mass in Latin and French Hymns. Fr. Harold Kost, Fr. Fred Kampson and Fr. John Laky celebrated the Mass.  Parishioners were invited to wear costumes such as their ancestors might have worn at the time of the dedication of the church. A social hour followed the Mass.
            In 1999, while in the process of tearing down the old entry for the beginning of Project 2000, a sheaf of papers was discovered that had been written by “Pere LeMay” dated 1886. Some of the papers are displayed behind glass in the basement stairway. A summary of what the papers contain is as follows:
The first church building was built in 1854, under the direction of Missionary Fr. Pierz. The present church was built between 1877-1880. Leon Boisjoli was the carpenter. Over 100 parishioners are listed with monetary donations ranging from $2-$100. “Pere” Fortier was the first pastor. The cost of the building was $5,000. In 1885 a bazaar was held to raise money for the pews; total raised was $2,559.53. On the Feast of St. Philip, May 26, 1886, a celebration was held and attended by dignitaries from surrounding territories of the Dakotas: a bishop from Canada, Abbot Alexius Edelbrock, O.S.B. from St. John’s Abbey, Fr. Severin Gross, OSB and Fr. Joseph Buh. Fr. LeMay was pastor at the time.
     Project 2000 was the first major renovation and addition to Holy Family Church. This addition consists of a large 42x40 Gathering Room on the east end, with an elevator that provides access to the basement and main church as well as a handicapped accessible bathroom on the main floor. A 15x40 addition was also added to the west end of the church. Major repairs included in Project 2000 were restoration of the bell tower, refinishing the exterior of the entire church, new shingles on the church roof, resurfacing of the driveway and parking areas.
    In 2002 the church celebrated its 150 years on August 10 with a Mass celebrated by Bishop John Kinney, Fr. Nick Landsberger, Fr. Mark Innocenti and Deacon Bruce Geyer. A catered meal followed the Mass and displays with the history of the parish were set up.
     In 2006 the old parish garage was torn down and a new garage with storage space was built in its place. In the summer of 2006 Belle Prairie Memorial Garden was completed with many donations from the parishioners and people in the surrounding area. In July 2007 a granite directory was added near the entrance of the Church.
     On September 16, 2007 the parish hosted “the Gathering-Belle Prairie 2007”. The parish, family and community history was commemorated. Mass was celebrated by Fr. Nick Landsberger, pastor, under a tent, followed by a dedication-blessing of the Mother Mary Ignatius of Jesus Cabin along with the blessings of the Blessed Sacrament Monument, Academy Bell, Memorial Garden and Stations of the Cross, also from the Academy. The sisters from the Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, who taught at Our Lady of the Angels Academy, were present. After Mass the parishioners prepared authentic French Pancakes and Tourtiére LeBoutillier (French Canadian Meat Pies) for those in attendance.
     In 2008 air conditioning was added to the church and the furnace was replaced with an energy efficient one. In December 2008 the Parish was selected as a Local Landmark Designation by the Little Falls Heritage Preservation Commission. On March 25, 2009 the plaque was presented to the Parish and is displayed outside by the entrance of the church. In January, 2009 a Religious Artifact Display Cabinet was put into the gathering space of the church.
    In October 2009 we had a Parish Mission. In December 2009 the two Stain Glass Windows in the Sanctuary were repaired. In 2010 the tradition of parish bazaars was restarted with an outdoor Mass, live and silent auction, games and music. In 2013 the name was changed to a Parish Heritage Festival to celebrate the strong and deep heritage we have at Holy Family.
   On May 28, 2011 Joseph Backowski, a lifelong member of the parish, was ordained a Transitional Deaconate. Fr. Nick Landsberger, our pastor at the time, celebrated his 50^th years in the Priesthood. He had a special Mass at Holy Family and St. Mary’s with a reception in the church basement of St. Mary’s.
   In May 2012 the Sanctuary Floor Improvement, the floor was raised where the Altar is now sitting and new carpet was installed. May 2012 the Cemetery Fence was replaced with an iron rod fence to the front and a black link fence around the sides. In 2013 eight stone pillars were added to the entrances of the Cemetery. A new organ was purchased in December of 2012.
   On June 2, 2012 Fr. Joseph Backowski was ordained a priest.  Fr. Joe had his first Mass here at Holy Family on June 3, 2012 and after the Mass the Parish hosted a reception in the Opat Hall with over 300 people attending.
  In 2014 there were many improvements in the basement including replacing the old tile with carpet in the dining area, new tile in the kitchen, and a dishwasher was installed. In the summer of 2014 part of the garage was insulated and a heater was added.
  In 2013 in Memory of Norman Loidolt the family donated the Procession Cross and candle holders.
  In 2017 the Rosary Walkway was completed in the Memorial Garden.
  In 2018 we started the process of adding on a parish hall, restrooms and offices that would be attached to the church.  In July of 2018 the Parish House was torn down and the parish hall and offices were started.  On September 14, 2019 Bishop Donald Kettler dedicated the new Hall, Offices and the memorial Garden rosary walkway.
  In 2023 we were comblined with St. James, Randall, Sacred Heart, Flensburg and St. Stanislaus, Sobieski and the ACC was called Haven of Mercy Catholic Community.

In 2023 The roof and cedar shingles on the Cabin was replaced and many improvements to the outside, windows etc.

In 2024 the Cross in the Cemetery was repainted to represent the original look.
 

In 1872, Elizabeth Hayes, a young English woman, came to the American Frontier in Minnesota as Mother Mary Ignatius of Jesus and in 1873 built a convent and school near the Mississippi River in Belle Prairie. Her order, the Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, is the only religious congregation ever founded with the boundaries of the St. Cloud Diocese. The Missionary Franciscans opened a school for young girls called St. Anthony’s on January 1, 1873. A convent followed and by 1876 she had 8 Novices in her order. The convent burned on April 26, 1889, and the sisters left Belle Prairie. Some of the sisters returned to the east coast. Others, including Sister Mary Francis Beauchamp, located in Little Falls and established the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. Eventually the Missionary Franciscans returned to Belle Prairie and Mother Mary Columba (daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Elzear Doucet, later spelled Doucette) opened Our Lady of the Angels Academy on November 11, 1911.
Two wings were added to the building in 1930. A gymnasium was built in 1950 and in 1964 a new high school was erected. During the summer of 1969, the Franciscan Sisters left. With the help of the Diocese, the parish purchased the school property. In 1999, the property was sold to Central Minnesota Tec. At the present time, the parish continues to rent the new High School building for Faith Formation and other parish functions. TEC sold the Academy to Metro Plains Development in 2005. It has been converted in 24 beautiful apartments. The renovation was completed in December of 2006. The Academy is now called Riverwood Pines Apartments.