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Parish Office Hours
Monday- Friday 9:00AM-4:00PM
*Closed on Holy Days of Obligation and Holidays
701.838.1026
office@stleothegreat.church
Located on the east side of
105 1st St. SE, Minot, ND
(former St. Leo's Community Center)
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About St. Leo'sMore than one hundred years after St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Minot was built and dedicated in 1908, its exterior was restored. The massive $3.5 million project was completed in one construction season, from May through November of 2011. The work involved a new roof, removal of existing mask grouting, cleaning, replacement of some brick and limestone, and rebuilding of the southwest and ramp entrances of the church.
The work went on through an intense summer dominated by a catastrophic flood in Minot. Indeed, Rev. Austin Vetter, pastor of St. Leo’s, wondered if it was appropriate for the project to continue in the face of flood-fighting events. He was told by officials of Building Restoration Corporation, primary contractor on the project, that work had progressed to the point where stopping it would endanger the building.Parishioners celebrated its completion on Nov. 10, 2011, the date coinciding with the feast day of Pope St. Leo the Great for whom the church is named. The celebration event featured the lighting of the new church spires and the ringing of restored church bells for the first time. It was heralded in an editorial by The Minot Daily News as a beacon of hope for a city and its residents under siege by nature.The need for a new roof was deemed critical by Vetter after he learned that the patchwork jobs on the roof over the years neither stopped leaks nor prevented deterioration. In fact, there was a very real danger that the roof could fall in, bringing the church to ruin. This would not do for the church built by the legendary Rev. Joseph Raith.Thus, Vetter organized a parish committee to study parish needs and to reconsider its focus. Out of their efforts came the decision to reorder parish priorities. The church exterior project opened the first phase of the committee’s plans. Phase one also includes installation of a new boiler in the church, razing a now-vacant St. Leo’s School, expanding parking space, and the sale of St. Leo’s community and day care centers. The second phase will entail restoration of the church interior and church basement. A third phase would involve a building addition for office space.And the name of the church has become the more specific "St. Leo the Great Catholic Church,” in keeping with its namesake, the first Pope Leo (400-461), who is depicted in one of the church’s stained glass windows.At the start of the Lenten season in 2011, committee members embarked on a fund-raising campaign among parishioners to achieve the new goals—the first such campaign since the late 1940s, other remodeling projects having been completed out of existing church fund
A Timeline of our Pastors
Rev. F.J. McCabe 1888- First Resident Pastor
Rev Bernard J Hens 1888
Rev Vincent Wehrle 1888-1898
Rev. J.J Raith 1901-1941
Rev. J.W Hogan- 1941-1959
Rev. Francis J McKanna 1959-1980
Rev. Marvin Klemmer 1980-1988
Rev. Chris B Walter 1988-2008
Rev. Austin Vetter 2008-2012
Rev. Justin Waltz 2012-present