When St. Patrick's Church was established in 1885, Grover Cleveland was the President of the United States; North Dakota was still a territory; the establishment of the Diocese of Bismarck was not to become a reality for another twenty-five years.
Back in 1885, there were fifty-two families, mostly of Irish decent, who attended what became known as "The Little White Church on the Hill." The parish enjoyed steady growth during the early years and in 1892, Father Henry Schmitz, the pastor at the time, had the vision to foresee the need for a larger Church area and he purchased five lots, priced at $962. These lots he donated to the parish which is now the site of the present St. Patrick's Church.
As the parish continued to grow, Father John Dignam, the pastor met with parishioners to discuss plans for a new church. There was great enthusiasm generated at this meeting and on October 16, 1904, the cornerstone was laid for the new St. Patrick's Church. Presently, this cornerstone is the base of the Blessed Mother Statue in the flower gardens at the parish.
It was on June 7, 1905, that the new St. Patrick's Church was dedicated by Bishop Shanley. The Bishop referred to the new church as the "Little Gem."
In 1948, the parish had grown to such an extent that it was deemed necessary to build a larger church. Father Michael Schmitt, pastor of the parish since 1923, called his parish together and said, "our church is too small, we need a resident assistant, another assistant to come from the Abbey on weekends, and more Masses on Sunday to accommodate the faithful." After discussion, a decision was reached to erect a combined church and rectory not to exceed the cost of $150,000. The total cost for the new church was $173,500 which was completely paid for on the day of the dedication, November 7, 1950.
When Father Schmitt built the church he didn't think the church was complete and would not be complete without the final touch of stained glass windows. On November 7, 1975, the parish was going to be 90 years old. It was decided that it would be very appropriate if the present priests and people of the St. Patrick's might complete the church with stained glass windows for the jubilee year, and thus fulfill Msgr. Schmitt's dream. And so it happened.
In 2002 Father Austin Vetter, pastor addressed parishioners of the parish with his homily entitled, "Where We Have Been, Where We Are and Where We Need To Go." He began his homily with these words, "In 1948, Father Michael Schmitt, pastor, called his people together and made the needs of the parish known to them. I would like to do the same. As our predecessors before us spent many long hours studying their church needs, so too, have we studied our current needs. I'd like to take a moment to look back over our church building, the renovations, and finally discuss the current needs we face today. Basically, where we have been, where we are and where we need to go..."
A groundbreaking ceremony was scheduled at noon on Easter Monday, April 12, 2004, on the east lawn of the property. That morning many parishioners gathered to help clear out the contents of the church. Several hundred parishioners were present for the ceremony and enjoyed an opportunity to take a last walk through the church prior to the start of construction.
During construction, Eucharistic Adoration was moved into the chapel at the Parish Center, daily Mass was held at St. Joseph's Hospital and Health Center's Chapel, and weekend Masses were held in the auditorium at Trinity High School. Queen of Peace, St. Joseph, and St. Wenceslaus Parishes opened their doors to St. Patrick's Parish as they allowed us to use their churches for all funerals and weddings that occurred during construction.
The Dedication Mass of the renovated Church of Saint Patrick was held on the Feast of St. Patrick, March 17, 2005 with Presider, the Most Reverend Paul A. Zipfel. A reception and social was held in Garvin Hall for the more than 700 people who attended the dedication of our present day church.