The following excerpt is from “A Century of Christianity on the Dakota Prairies” written by Fr. Albert Binder in 1970.

A very important phase of the history of St. Benedict’s parish began in 1903, when sisters arrived for the purpose of opening a school.

In 1902 a number of sisters of St. Mary of the Presentation had to leave their native France because of religious persecution. They came first to St. Boniface, Manitoba, and from there to Wild Rice, where the parishioners wished to have a Catholic School established. Six sisters, under the leadership of Mother Cesaire arrived at the end of June, 1903. Father Fournier called a meeting of the men of the parish, and they agreed to build a convent immediately. That same fall the building was completed, and the school opened.

Two years later, in 1905, this school was purchased from the parish by the Sisters for a price of $4,000.00, and from that time on the school was the property of the sisters. Enrollment grew, and additions were built in 1907, 1913, and 1927. Besides educating the children of the parish, the sisters took in boarders from far-flung families of French-Canadian origin who wanted their children to receive education in their religion and in the other disciplines according to the French tradition and with instruction in the French language.

The school, therefore included three dormitories in addition to classrooms and a small gymnasium. Many students of the parish, as well as those from distant places boarded at the school, and returned to their homes only for one weekend a month or so.
In addition to the elementary grades, a high school began functioning and graduated its first class in 1939. The total enrollment varied between 140 and 150 pupils. There was a bit of a decline in numbers during the depression when families could not afford even the modest tuition.

Time brought rapid changes, however, especially in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Improved roads and school bus transportation put excellent public school facilities within reach of the children of the parish. Meanwhile, the old building with its various additions began to deteriorate. The need to cater to boarders vanished. In 1964 the high school closed, and in 1966, the final eighth-grade class was graduated. The building was torn down to make room for a new education building or catechetical center.

For over sixty years the school did survive upon the prairies of North Dakota, and gave to the children of the area a quality of education which would have been very difficult to achieve without it. During the years 1905 to 1917 this foundation also served as the Provincial House for the Sisters of St. Mary of the Presentation.

The parish gave many vocations to the religious life under the aegis of the school. To see the list, visit the “Vocations” article page.

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