Mission and History

The community churches of Sacred Heart and St. Stanislaus enjoy a rich mission and long-standing history.

The Churches' Mission

Sacred Heart and St. Stanislaus Catholic churches serve as a living witness to the Gospel of Christ, providing Christians with the fullness of truth for the salvation of souls.

The churches form a community committed to ministering to the people of God so that they may learn to generously know, love, and serve God our Father by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Both parishes offer the Sacraments, spiritual guidance and nourishment, community building, and a Christian way of life. As a parish family, they seek to know God our Father and enter more deeply into the eternal marriage feast made present in the Holy Eucharist by growing in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.

-Marcus Garvey

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is God's gift, that's why we call it the present.

-Joan Rivers

St. Stanislaus & Sacred Heart

Over 250 combined years of Catholic history

St. Stanislaus, established 1878

St. Stanislaus, located in Warsaw, ND, is listed on the National Historic Register and has merited the nickname "The Cathedral on the Prairie" due to its extraordinary grandeur and breathtaking ability to point the Christian heavenward.

In the 1870s, Polish immigrants flooded the grassy wilderness of southeast Walsh County, staking claims, breaking and plowing land, and seeding wheat, oats, potatoes, and rutabagas.

Warsaw, first named Pulaski after the great Polish patriot and hero of the American Revolution, became the new home to these deeply religious Roman Catholics. Naturally concerned about Sunday worship, a priest named Father Considine was summoned to pastor the people of St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Church, the original name of St. Stanislaus.

Sacred Heart, established 1905

As early as the 1870s, the faith and spirit of settlers stemmed from the religious life of the Old World, and the devout worshipers pursued Catholic community life. After several years of traveling to Warsaw for Mass, the Polish Catholics wanted to establish their own church in Minto.

On April 28, 1903, the Polish Catholics acquired an old Baptist church in Minto. Sacred Heart Catholic Church was founded in 1905. By 1912, the structure was far too small for the congregation, so a noble brick building was erected in the Byzantine style.

A few years after construction, the church was gutted by a fire that started in the tower. A few items were removed undamaged including the pews that remain almost one hundred years later. Rebuilding commenced immediately, and the same church has stood since 1916.

Priests of St. Stanislaus

1878-1882 - Rev. Klement Grynolc & Rev. John Considine
1883-1886 - Rev. Alexander Michanowski
1886-1888 - Rev. Damin Kolasinski
1889-1890 - Rev. Stanislaus Tokarski
1891-1893 - Rev. Mateusz Grochowski
1893-1895 - Rev. Roman Wawrzykowski
1896-1905 - Rev. Francis Gawlowicz
1905-1910 - Rev. Boleslaus Waldowski
1910-1911 - Rev. W. St. Majer
1911-1926 - Rev. Theodore Kupka
1926-1959 - Monsignor John Maluski
1959-1971 - Monsignor Petr Lekavy
1971-1975 - Rev. Michael McNamee
1975-1976 - Rev. Francis Kuttner, S.A.C.
1976-1994 - Rev. Stanislaus Duda
1994-1997 - Rev. Joseph Gregory
1997-2005 - Rev. Damian Hils
2005-2016 - Rev. John Kleinschmidt 
2016-present - Rev. Brian Moen

Priests of Sacred Heart

1905-1906 - Rev. Joseph Karpinski
1906-1908 - Rev. Wenceslaus Krzywonos
1908-1909 - Rev. Vincent S. Mayer
1909-1910 - Rev. Theodore Kupka
1910-1917 - Rev. Stanislaus W. Majer
1917-1922 - Rev. Francis Olzewski
1922-1923 - Rev. Stephen Bryalski
1923-1940 - Rev. Francis J. Slominski
1940-1957 - Rev. John J. Stempel
1957-1966 - Rev. Hilarion J. Mikalofsky
1967-1988 - Rev. Antonio J. Richard
1988-2002 - Rev. Feliks Lubas
2002-2004 - Rev. Timothy Schroeder
2004-2016 - Rev. John Kleinschmidt
2016-present - Rev. Brian Moen

The Fargo Diocese

Our two dynamic parishes, both over 100 years old, have striven to teach and uphold the Catholic faith for several generations. St. Stanislaus and Sacred Heart serve under the service of Most Rev. John Folda, the bishop of the Fargo Diocese. He has been entrusted with the authority of the diocesan bishop to teach, sanctify, and lead Catholics residing within Eastern North Dakota. The diocese, established in 1889, comprises 30 counties over more than 35,000 square miles in the eastern half of North Dakota.

Franciscans of Mary Immaculate

On May 31, 2011, the Franciscans of Mary Immaculate was founded and is based in Warsaw, ND, under the auspices of Most Reverend John T. Folda, Bishop of the Diocese of Fargo, ND. The men profess the Vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience and strive to live a life of simplicity, humility, and penance for God’s glory, for their own conversion and holiness and for the sake of the personal holiness of the whole world.

Fr. Joseph Christensen established FMI and serves as chaplain for St. Gianna's Maternity Home in Warsaw.

The community is dedicated to Jesus through the Blessed Virgin Mary, according to the teachings and writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish priest, Franciscan Friar, and Martyr for love of neighbor in Auschwitz Concentration Camp.

Website | www.fmifriars.com
Facebook | Franciscans of Mary Immaculate-Third Order
YouTube | Franciscans of Mary Immaculate

The Sisters of the Resurrection

A religious order founded in Rome, the Sisters of the Resurrection from Chicago, Illinois, were welcomed to the Diocese of Fargo in 1918. Bishop James O'Reilly selected Warsaw as a suitable location for the sisters to reside.

The sisters immediately began the construction of St. Anthony School and Convent which opened in 1921. In 1961 the school was renamed the St. Stanislaus Parochial School. However, in 1971 the school was closed due to low attendance. The building currently serves the community as the pro-life ministry Saint Gianna & Pietro Molla Maternity Home in honor of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla and her husband Pietro.

Saint Gianna & Pietro Molla Maternity Home

Since 2003, Saint Gianna & Pietro Molla Maternity Home (formerly known as Saint Gianna's Maternity Home) has served the Body of Christ as a pro-life home of formation for pregnant women and their children. The home offers a place for peaceful reflection and redirection as a woman determines a plan for herself and her baby.

St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, Warsaw, North Dakota

Saint Gianna & Pietro Molla provides women with access to medical, educational, and professional services. The home embodies a spiritual environment. Women of all faiths are welcome at SGPM Maternity Home.

For more information, visit www.sgpmollahome.com.
Facebook | Saint Gianna & Pietro Molla Maternity Home
Instagram | @sgpmollahome

Jesus is adored in Eucharistic Adoration in the beautiful chapel of Saint Gianna & Pietro Molla Maternity Home in Warsaw, ND.

St. Stanislaus' & Sacred Heart's treasures from the past

A picture is worth a thousand words.

 
 
 
 
 
 

God's grace is free!

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