OUR LADY OF SEVEN DOLORS History

PARISH HISTORY

Our Lady of Seven Dolors was the first Church to be built out of all the Churches in the cluster. One day Father Pierz stopped to offer Mass at John Millers home. Father Pierz called this area Our Lady of the Prairie and wanted the people of this area to build a church. John Miller was the first settler in this area until a few weeks later other settlers started to join them and a year later  German, Polish and Irish settlers moved to the area. Fr. Pierz would continuously visit the area to offer Mass in the homes of John Miller, Frank Weber and Peter Lorsung.

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1868

The first Church was a log church, and the land was donated by Peter Lorsung in 1868. Father Ignatius Tomazin became the first priest in the parish. He continued to call the parish “The Prairie of St. Mary”. The Benedictine Fathers of St. John’s Abbey took care of the Church offering Mass after Fr. Ignatius left in 1873.

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1882–1891

Father Edward Ginther took over in January 1882. While Fr. Edward was pastor, a new frame church was built in 1882 and the Benedictine Sisters of St. Joseph began to teach school. In 1891 the parishioners built a new rectory.

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1902–1910

The people separated off and built St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Brandon a few years later Sacred Heart Catholic Church was built in Urbank.

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1910–1921

Father Ignatius Wippich was the pastor and started the project of building a new school. Bishop Trobec dedicated the new school on October 26th 1913.

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1923–1930

When Father Victor Siegler arrived and stayed from 1923-1930 two major building projects were happening. The basement church that seated 600 was built in 1923 and the new rectory in 1928. The old church was made into a church hall. All building projects were stopped during the Great Depression and the Second World War.

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1956–Today

The Church we now see today was dedicated on October 25th 1956 by Bishop Bartholome. The convent built for the sisters to live in was built in 1964.