Burr, St. Scholastica Parish

When they left Rosthern by ox team and wagon they took along a cow, some tools, the most necessary household goods and enough food to last at least a month. Upon arrival on their homestead, they had to sleep in tents or wagon boxes until a shelter was completed for the winter.

Since the trip one way is about 80 miles across country, it was impossible to haul lumber all that way to build a frame house. So it was the sod house that came up in a hurry. A shelter was needed for the livestock, and a well had to be dug. At that time the water table was very high, and a well 10 to 12 feet deep, near a slough or in a draw, provided plenty of good water.

But in true pioneer spirit, friends provided shelter until a new shack was built, and with help from other neighbors and the Salvation Army, those who had nothing a short time earlier managed to survive.

St. Scholastica Parish, along with Immaculate Conception Parish south of Carmel were first a part of the Humboldt Mission. On Oct. 15, 1905, Fr. Rudolph Palm celebrated the first mass in the house of Leo Scheiber, about a mile west of the present church. The new mission in the area was placed under the patronage of St. Scholastica, the twin sister of St. Benedict. The old telegraph line and the Carlton Trail passed just east of the present church site.

The next morning, the bishop blessed the church and celebrated mass in it, assisted by Prior Bruno Doerfler and Fr. Rudolph. Prior Bruno delivered the sermon and the bishop confirmed 19 members of the mission.

Some time before 1921 the church was moved kitty corner across the road that is now No. 20 highway. The first high mass was celebrated there by Fr. Matthew on Aug. 27, 1922. Fr. Ignatius Groll played the organ and three or four clerics from St. Peter's Abbey sang the mass. A number of children received their first holy communion that day. That afternoon the children were taken to Stoney Lake for a picnic.

The church soon proved to be too small for the 30 families in the mission. In 1923, while the "little black church" was being torn down and the new one was being built on its present site, mass was celebrated beneath the roof of the old church. For each service, Peter Klassen Sr., the organist and choir director, would bring the organ to church, a distance of eight miles one way.

All labor was volunteered except for two hired carpenters from Humboldt, Mr. Bysell and Alex Frederick. On Aug. 5, 1923, Fr. Joseph Sittenauer celebrated the first mass in the nearly finished church while Fr. Matthew was visiting his home in the United States.

Regular services were held in the new church from Nov. 4, 1923. It was blessed by Abbot Michael Ott on July 4, 1924, assisted by Fr. Charles Cannon and Fr. Matthew. After the high mass sung by Fr. Matthew, Abbot Michael administered confirmation. In his sermon he expressed joy at the co operation shown by the parishioners in erecting such a nice church. On Oct. 18, 1925, first holy communion was administered to 25 children. The church was filled to capacity.

In the summer of 1927 Fr. Leonard Benning was appointed pastor of St. Scholastica. He served for 35 years and endeared himself to his parishioners. From 1930 he held services every Sunday and holy day. By 1942, the church was becoming too small so it was enlarged and renovated and the basement was expanded. Four years later the church was overflowing again, and the neighboring parish of St. Gertrude was built. In 1946, St. Scholastica Parish donated $700 to St. Gertrude Parish, and in 1947 loaned a further $1,000. St. Gertrude Church opened in 1947. Fr. Leonard became pastor of both St. Scholastica and St. Gertrude in 1948, with Fr. Xavier Benning as his assistant.

In 1951, St. Scholastica Parish borrowed $3,000 from St. Augustine Parish in Humboldt.

In 1952 the basement in St. Scholastica was again expanded and a concrete floor poured. A group of men with pick and shovel loosened the dirt and threw it on to a conveyor belt which moved the dirt outside. This was hard, tiring work. An old style wind up alarm clock was always set to ring at 12 noon to signal the noon break.

One day, for an unknown reason, the alarm went off at 10 minutes before 12. The men decided to begin their noon break early, and just as they had cleared the work area, a section of wall caved in on the area they had just left. They all escaped injury.

And what of the future of this little parish seven miles south of Humboldt? From 30 families in 1923, to 1948 when St. Scholastica was bulging with 99 ratepayers and 367 parishioners. Thirty years later, this had dropped to 36 ratepayers and 142 parishioners. Today, in 1995, after much rural depopulation, there are 28 families and a total of 93 parishioners.