Holy Spirit Church History
It was a September Sunday in 1951. A faith-filled, determined, and relatively young Irish-born priest, John P. Smith, celebrated the first Mass for a new Catholic congregation on Fargo's growing north side. The Mass was celebrated in the cafeteria of Shanley High School, the Spirit filled the new pastor and his flock. Father Smith soon began the continuous task of raising money to provide structures for the new parish. Although individual giving played a large role in making the buildings a reality, fall bazaars and long hours by parishioners at the local Barnett Baseball Field and County Fairground concession stands also produced thousands of dollars for brick and mortar.
By the fall of 1953, children were attending classes in a new school. A rectory with offices and priests' residence was finished in 1958. It was not until 1962 that construction began on the church, which was dedicated in May 1963.
It seemed the varnish was barely dry on the church's beautiful oak woodwork, when the winds of Vatican II blew change into the sanctuary . Not only was the Mass now spoken in English, instead of the familiar Latin, and the Holy Eucharist could be received in the hand, the priest now faced the congregation. This called for a new altar and the de-emphasis and eventual covering of the original Camelian granite altar.
In 1976 the United States celebrated 200 years as a nation and Holy Spirit celebrated its silver anniversary with a new organ and a parish directory. Father Smith continued to grow his beloved flock until 1981 when he resigned, allowing the first new pastor in 30 years, Fr. Duane Cote, to lead what had become a large congregation of over 1,000 families. Fr. John Conway replaced Fr. Cote in 1983, serving until 1991 when Fr. Phil Ackerman assumed responsibility. During this time Holy Spirit purchased the remaining houses on the block for future parking and school playground space.
In 1995 the "Counting on the Spirit" campaign commenced, after a needs analysis was completed using extensive parishioner input. Phase I of the campaign not only produced funds for new church lights and air conditioning, but also a much needed office addition on the north side of the school, which was completed in 1997. A large, airy gathering space completed Phase I of the project in 1999.
The most notable Phase-II project was the renovation of the church sanctuary. This included a permanent altar extension and replacement of a temporary wooden extension, installed in the mid 1980's. In July 2001, the Camelian granite altar was uncovered and brought forward for celebration of Mass for the first time since the 1960's.
Monsignor Jeffrey L. Wald came to serve at Holy Spirit in 2002 and, during his time at the parish, the Courtyard and Grotto were constructed. They were dedicated on May 20, 2010. After his departure in 2012, Fr. Brian Moen served for two years before our current pastor, Fr. Ross Laframboise, came to Holy Spirit in 2016.
The Bazaars have changed to Fall Festivals and Church Dinners have changed to Knights of Columbus Breakfasts. The 21st century has brought an overall decline in registered parishioners. Despite this decline, parish faith education is very active. Holy Spirit Elementary is home to 123 students, from 3-yr-olds in the Little Deacons program through 5th grade. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd began in 2017 for 3-6 year olds, and the Holy Spirit parish middle- and high-school students have the opportunity to participate in Young Disciple groups, along with the Wednesday-night catechesis classes.
The year 2020 brought many changes with the coronavirus pandemic; in-person Mass was cancelled for a few months, so “live streaming” became a standard term and Father Laframboise found new ways to connect with his parishioners by producing a daily Video Blog.
Father Damien Schill’s quote of September 15, 1996 is still relevant today, “The future of Holy Spirit looks very bright. We cannot rest on our laurels, but must continue to look for the prompting of the Holy Spirit in our life as a parish, but even more so in our lives as individuals.”
Holy Spirit Pastors & Associates
Pastor: Rev John P Smith, Sept 1951-1981
Associates: