Preserving a piece of Catholic history

Many of the Bismarck Diocese’s earliest churches still stand today. Catholic German homesteaders whose ancestors had immigrated to Russia, left for North Dakota beginning in the late 1800’s when the Homesteading Act offered individuals 160 acres of free farmland. Alongside the German immigration, Benedictine missionaries from Europe came to spread the Gospel and serve Catholic homesteaders.
 
Although most of the homesteaders lived in sod homes at the beginning of the 1900’s, they erected magnificent churches similar to the ones they had left behind in Europe. Half-a-dozen Bavarian Romanesque-style churches with elaborate interiors were built here desiring that people would feel the presence of God when they entered.
 
After Vatican II, churches were simplified, deemphasizing interiors and focusing more on the congregations. But in the Old World, people had worshiped alongside a multitude of angels and saints, captured in stained-glass windows, statues, and paintings.  
 
The early settlers imagined that God would be worshiped in those churches for many years to come. But one thing they did not imagine in future generations was that their villages would suffer from dramatic out-migration. Three of the largest and most striking churches in the diocese—St. Mary’s in Richardton, Sts. Peter and Paul in Strasburg, and St. Mary’s in Hague— all have dwindling numbers of parishioners. Their populations are 548, 392, and 67 respectively, according to the 2014 census poll.  
 
Despite the changing demographics, the churches are still valued by their communities and beyond. Tourists and pilgrim-filled buses come long distances to see these treasures and relics of the past. 
 
At St. Mary’s in Hague, Fr. Jason Signalness, is hoping that enough people will value the historic church to help preserve it. One of the first things the German Russian settlers did when they arrived in Hague in the late 1880’s was to erect a small wooden church. They quickly outgrew that one and built another brick church but it burned down on Ash Wednesday in 1929. Despite difficult economic times, in 1930, they immediately began building an even bigger, more ornate church.
 
Father Signalness explained that his parish needs help now to preserve that church.  A leaky roof is threatening the beauty and integrity of this historic structure. The parish has turned to crowd funding; starting a “Go Fund Me” page to save St. Mary’s.
 
A new roof is expensive at $212,000. A shrinking parish of only 74 registered families supports the Hague church, built to hold 400; add to that a dry summer and low crop prices. “The rain just kept missing us last summer so the first crops didn’t do so well,” Fr. Signalness explained. “Now they are hauling in record soybean and other crops, but prices are so low that farmers are suffering.”
 
Father Signalness was appointed pastor of St. Mary’s four years ago, only a year after his 2011 ordination. During that time, generous parishioners have maintained the church with donations of skills, equipment, time, and finances. Two other churches share Fr. Signalness as pastor—St. Michael’s in rural Linton and Sts. Peter and Paul in Strasburg. Volunteers, according to him, do much of the parish work.  “When an urgent need arises in these small parishes the people generally know they have to step up, at least financially,” he said.  
 
Although there are areas that need attention, according to Fr. Signalness, the most urgent need is a new roof. “When St. Mary’s was built, the church's roof was covered with something like a slate tile,” he explained. After 80 years, it was due for replacement, so asphalt shingles were installed eight years ago, but very early on, they began to blow off and leak.
 
“The roofer blamed the manufacturer and the manufacturer blamed the roofer,” Fr. Signalness said. “The insurance company paid claims from storms, but we’ve reached our limit so they will not pay any more claims.” Damage has not been small either. In 2012, there were leaks that resulted in water damage to light fixtures and paintings.
 
To address the issue, Fr. Signalness and the parish’s pastoral council investigated various options. They identified the best price and a good contractor to install a slate roof similar to the original. Despite enthusiasm for the project among parishioners, the big question was how would such a small parish raise that kind of money?
 
Father Signalness had an idea: crowd funding. After all, he thought, people are raising money that way for all kinds of causes, and preserving St. Mary’s is a very worthy cause. Bishop David Kagan agreed and gave him permission to start a “Go Fund Me” page which he titled “Fixing Mary’s Roof.”
 
“It’s a piece of history,” Fr. Signalness said. “Walking into the church, everything fits together so well. There’s purpose to it.”
 
He explained that looking around the interior is a lesson in theology through the images of saints and Bible scenes. “For instance, a painting of the Annunciation on the ceiling, reminds you of the Incarnation and Mary’s response to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. There are saints all over to remind us what it means to be holy and around 100 angels remind us of the real angels—the ones we cannot see—that are really there. “
 
Thus far, a little more than half the money has been raised. The first $35,000 came in within the first few days, including $10,000 from an anonymous donor and another $10,000 from a parishioner. Father Signalness said he hopes that former residents of Hague and anyone who values North Dakota’s history and sacred art and architecture will donate.
 
“Spending money to preserve St. Mary’s is for a higher purpose,” he said. “I have faith that if this church could be built in the trying times of the depression, it can be re-roofed today.”