St. John's Catholic Church
115 2nd Street N
Wahpeton, Richland County, North Dakota 58075
115 2nd Street N
Wahpeton, Richland County, North Dakota 58075
Centennial
1876-1976
St. John's Church
Wahpeton, N.D.
Parish Priests since 1871
1871 - Fr. Ignatius Tomazin, young priest, ordained in 1865, travelling from his station at Crow Wing, Minnesota, to missions through northern Minnesota and eastern part of Dakota Territory, offers first Mass in present Wahpeton. This was in a primitive dugout cut into the Red Riverbank north of Wahpeton (near Albert Chezik farm.) By 1875 Mass was being offered in a store on Dakota Ave.
1876-1878 Fr. Joseph Freund. First pastor
1878-1882 Fr. Adolph Bergmann
1882-1888 Fr. George Hepperle
1888-1898 Fr. Philip Albrecht (Fr. Nicholas Peiffer, administrator, 1896-1898)
1898-1902 Fr. Rudolph Heinzmann
1902-1924 Fr. Arnold Ridder
1924-1931 Fr. James Thiel
1931-1947 Msgr. Frank Meyer (Fr. John Axtman, administrator 1947-1948)
1948- Fr. George Mehok
Assistants
Fr. John McHugh 1933-1935
Fr. Arthur Nestor 1935-1936
Fr. Roman Neva 1937-1940
Fr. John Peeters 1940-1944
Fr. George Krile 1944-1945
Fr. John Axtman 1944-1948
Fr. Charles Hoffer 1946-1947
Fr. George Lommel 1947-1951
Fr. Alois Zdolsek 1948-1952
Fr. Robert Branconnier 1951-1953
Fr. Willis Etter 1953-1959
Fr. Alban Sauer 1959-1963
Fr. Martin Cullen 1963-1968
Fr. John Sandell 1969-
Info from - back of the St. John's Catholic Church plate.
1876-1976
St. John's Church
Wahpeton, N.D.
Parish Priests since 1871
1871 - Fr. Ignatius Tomazin, young priest, ordained in 1865, travelling from his station at Crow Wing, Minnesota, to missions through northern Minnesota and eastern part of Dakota Territory, offers first Mass in present Wahpeton. This was in a primitive dugout cut into the Red Riverbank north of Wahpeton (near Albert Chezik farm.) By 1875 Mass was being offered in a store on Dakota Ave.
1876-1878 Fr. Joseph Freund. First pastor
1878-1882 Fr. Adolph Bergmann
1882-1888 Fr. George Hepperle
1888-1898 Fr. Philip Albrecht (Fr. Nicholas Peiffer, administrator, 1896-1898)
1898-1902 Fr. Rudolph Heinzmann
1902-1924 Fr. Arnold Ridder
1924-1931 Fr. James Thiel
1931-1947 Msgr. Frank Meyer (Fr. John Axtman, administrator 1947-1948)
1948- Fr. George Mehok
Assistants
Fr. John McHugh 1933-1935
Fr. Arthur Nestor 1935-1936
Fr. Roman Neva 1937-1940
Fr. John Peeters 1940-1944
Fr. George Krile 1944-1945
Fr. John Axtman 1944-1948
Fr. Charles Hoffer 1946-1947
Fr. George Lommel 1947-1951
Fr. Alois Zdolsek 1948-1952
Fr. Robert Branconnier 1951-1953
Fr. Willis Etter 1953-1959
Fr. Alban Sauer 1959-1963
Fr. Martin Cullen 1963-1968
Fr. John Sandell 1969-
Info from - back of the St. John's Catholic Church plate.