You may have heard by now that St. Joseph’s Parish in Killdeer has purchased some property near the church building.
Since my arrival last July, I saw that we as a parish lacked the needed space for multiple functions. One particular example is children’s faith formation.
Up to when I arrived, due to the lack of space in the church building, the rectory was being used not only for an office and church storage, which it still is, but also for children’s Sunday school classes, and for other functions. As you can imagine these functions give little privacy to the priest’s living space.
Thanks to God’s grace the property on 211 2nd Ave. NW across the street to the north from the church building and to the east of the north parking lot went up for sale. Together with the finance council and with the knowledge of the parish council we decided to purchase the property. Thanks to Sandra Mann’s desire to sell the property to St. Joseph’s parish, we were able to purchase it for thirty grand.
Because of the shape the house is in—from pieces falling from the plaster and lath walls and ceiling, to only 2x8 floors, a basement foundation of field stone with the exception of the addition, to old windows some of which are broken, worn siding, leaking roof, wiring, and I could go on—we have decided to raze the house down and build a new rectory on the property. The plan is to tear the present house down in the spring.
Then my plan would be to make the present rectory into a parish life and activity center. It would continue to be used as an office and provide many opportunities for other parish activities and functions.
May the Lord bless this project as we move forward!