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The History of Saint John the Apostle Catholic Church
Although the history of St. John the Apostle stretches back in time only 43 years, it is filled with great accomplishments, each spearheaded under the guidance of three wonderful pastors and Bishops along with numerous members of the Saint John the Apostle community.
Through the years, the community of St. John the Apostle has grown from approximately 290 charter members in 1963 to approximately 422 families at the time St. John's celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1986, to a current 642 families. The building was renovated in 2003 and is a tribute to our faith, our worship of the Sacraments and place for a community of believers to call home.
The Building that bears the name and houses the parish community of St. John the Apostle Catholic Church has its roots dating back to July 25, 1961 when Bishop Hilary Hacker announced the fourth Catholic parish in Minot was to be formed and appointed Fr. Donald J. Becwar the first pastor. Fr. Becwar was given permission from the Minot Board of Education to use Bel Air School for church services until the newly established parish could build a church in northwest Minot. The Bel Air School gymnasium, on Sunday, August 6, 1961, was the site of the first worship service. The first members of the Parish Board were elected August 19, 1961. St. John the Apostle Catholic Church had been born!
Bishop Hacker granted permission to build a church on July 21, 1962. The architectural firm of Brunner, Hoeffel, and Bohrer was commissioned to design the church. The church was originally designed with the intent of housing a grade school; however, due to the inability to secure the nuns as teachers, the school never became a reality. Members of the original Building Committee were: Clifford Jeffrey, Dr. Ward Robinson, Ervin Engel, Frank Montgomery, John O'Day, and Al Perius.
Ground was broken on June 9, 1963, by Father Becwar, and the first services were held in the new church building at Midnight Mass, Christmas 1963.
In 2002, the parish council and Fr. Dave and other parishioners began to assess the needs and areas that needed to be updated and improved and the renovation began to evolve. Discussions with many of our parishioners in many areas began and plans were drafted with the help of Don Wald. A Renovation committee was formed with members of the building and grounds committee and chaired by Leo Haider. Bishop Zipfel granted his approval of the project and the expenditure to make the improvements to our parish. The project had began and dust flew on February 7, 2003. With work being completed by many volunteers and the employment of many other skilled workers, progress was made each week.
Prior to the laying of the new carpet, parishioners were asked to sign the plywood on the newly constructed sanctuary floor before the new carpet was installed. Hundreds of signatures appeared to show their support of the project and their "ownership" of this new phase of parish history. The majority of the work was completed by Easter, 2003. The final phase of the project was the installation of the new lights and the construction of the "Children's Memorial Monument," which was dedicated on May 31, 2004 - Memorial Day.
The Church of St. John the Apostle you see today represents the hard work and dedication of many people over time. It is filled with specially selected artwork that not only makes our parish a beautiful place to worship but demonstrates our sense of community, service and commitment to a place that is important to us and hopefully all who enter our doors and visit us.
Related Information
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Bismarck Diocese
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