The following excerpt is from “A Century of Christianity on the Dakota Prairies” written by Fr. Albert Binder in 1970. Visit the Clergy page for a summary of all the priests and deacons who served at St. Benedict Parish.

Parish life flourished in these early years, as is attested to by the founding of a court of the Catholic Order of Foresters in 1898, and St. Anne’s Sodality in 1902.

The French-Canadian families, together with some, mainly of Scotch ancestry, were the pioneers of the town of Wild Rice. Prior to the turn of the century, it is said that Wild Rice, originally called “Riceville” rivaled Fargo. The town was established in 1883, when the tracks of the “Fargo and Southern” railway were laid. Leading residents were George Brown and Peter Ross. The former set up the first cheese factory in North Dakota in Wild Rice, and the farmers of the area supplied the milk. At one time, Wild Rice boasted of a hotel, two general stores, two taverns, a harness-repair and blacksmith shop, and an elevator. After the turn of the century, however, the town declined rapidly. George Brown commented in a Fargo Forum article of March 17, 1957: “Our community at Wild Rice was mixed up—French, Norwegian, quite a few families of Scotch from Canada. We all get along fine, although there was a difference in religion. We had no trouble all those years. They were a fine lot of people”.

On November 5, 1904, St. Benedict’s parish welcomed a priest who was to remain as pastor for over 30 years. John of Avilla LaLande was a huge hulk of a man. He had a stentorian voice that made naughty children cringe, but that also boomed out in support of the local baseball team on summer Sundays at Wild Rice. Older members of the parish still recall the anticipation with which they, as children, awaited his Christmas-time visits to the homes of the parish, when he came to take a count of his flock, his pockets bulging with candy. The records of this annual census remain, with their meticulous count of the “souls” that were his charge.

Father LeLande was one of 17 children. He was born in the little village of St. Scholastique near Montreal on March 2, 1873 and was educated in his native French Canada. At the urging of Father LeMieux, the pastor of St. Mary’s Cathedral, he joined the Diocese of Fargo, and was ordained in Fargo, January 27, 1900. After a year as assistant pastor in Jamestown, he took over the pastorate of Sacred Heart Church at Oakwood. While there, he injured his leg when his horse ran away when he was returning from a sick call. The injury laid him up in St. John’s Hospital in Fargo for a year and a half. When he recovered (though his leg remained stiff, and he never could genuflect), he came to St. Benedict’s.

During his administration, the present church was built in 1913, and present rectory, in 1923.

Father LaLande was a lover of beauty. He raised flowers, and he planted the trees which today adorn the lawn of the parish house. He was skilled as a wood carver and some of his handiwork can still be found in the rectory. He played the violin. To his people, he was a pastor of the old school, who could be consulted on a wide range of topics. He was widely respected, and enjoyed the friendship of many Protestants of the area. When he died, the Fargo Forum editorialized: “Lelande, the white-haired priest of St. Benedict’s, has experienced death, but he cannot die out in this world—he left too much of himself behind—an optimistic viewpoint in the face of any difficulty, a cheery word for the discouraged, untiring activity in his field of endeavor … firmness for what he knew to be just and fair; altogether an attitude toward life that put the good of his fellowmen before his own interest.’’

Another long and dedicated pastorate followed that of Father LaLande. On January 16, 1936, Father J. Conrad Berard was appointed pastor. Born in the Province of Quebec December 23, 1891, and educated in Montreal, he was ordained March 28, 1925 for the service of the Diocese of Fargo. He served briefly as assistant at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fargo, before being appointed pastor of Assumption Church in Pembina on December 8, 1925. In July of 1928 he was transferred to the parish of St. John’s, at St. John. From there he came to St. Benedict’s.

Father Berard’s years embraced the difficult period of the economic depression of the thirties, and the scourge of the Second World War. Through it all, however, the parish and the school continued to flourish. Improvements were made, such as the excavation of the church basement, thus providing facilities for meetings, dinners, etc.

In addition to his duties as pastor of St. Benedict’s, Father Berard served as Officialis, or chief judge of the Diocesan Tribunal. Ill health forced Father Berard to retire on July 1, 1959. He was succeeded by Monsignor Allan F. Nilles, who also served as Chancellor of the Diocese. A year later, Father Maurice Mueller assumed the pastoral care of the parish, and served for five years. These were times of change in the church, as the Second Vatican Council had begun. Father Mueller translated the new emphases in theology and liturgy into the daily life and worship of St. Benedict’s.

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