The Catholic parish of St. Lawrence, Jessie, North Dakota, had its beginnings in the missionary travels of Fr. Vincent Woerhle, O. S. B. , later first Abbot of Assumption Abbey, Richardton, North Dakota and first Bishop of the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota.
The first Catholic missionaries passed through the area in their travels from Fort Totten to the northwest and Fort Sisseton, to the southeast. It was not until Fr. Vincent, O. S. B. (Order of St. Benedict) and other Benedictine Monks founded St. Gall's Priory, Devils Lake, North Dakota in 1888 that Catholic services were held with some regularity in the Jessie vicinity. In 1898, Jessie became a "Station", meaning that Mass was celebrated weekly in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Max Wild if weather and travel conditions permitted. Fr. John McDonald of Michigan and Frs. McPhee, Gallahue and McArdle of Jamestown, North Dakota, served the small group of German Bohemian Catholics in this time. The prominent Catholic laymen in the area were Max Wild, Frank Pfeifer, Frank Ressler, Edward Zimprich, Jose Dusbabeck, Fred Dridenbass, Edward Fiebiger, Sr., Joseph Buchheit and George Paintner. In 1907, Bishop John Shanley visited the village of Jessie and confirmed a class of 34 at the new Jessie schoolhouse.
In 1908, Bishop Shanley transferred the spiritual care of the Catholics at Jessie from the priests at Jamestown to Fr. Henry Brunagel of Sanborn, North Dakota Under the leadership of Fr. Brunagel the forty three families built a church to seat 150 and named it under the patronage of St. Lawrence, the deacon-martyr of the Apostolic Church. The church, built on a high hill immediately west of Jessie, cost $3, 000.00. John Hovel was the contractor. The parishioners did most of the work themselves.
Fr. John Kleidon succeeded Fr. Brunagel in 1922 and he in turn was succeeded by Fr. McGeough in 1925. During the tenure of Fr. McGeough the parish church was moved from the hill west of Jessie to its present location. Mr. Mellum donated the lots. Moving the church and placing it on a cement foundation cost the parish $600.00. In 1927, the mission parish of St. Lawrence became a parish in its own right. A home for the pastor was purchased and furnished for $4,000.00. In succeeding years the pastor of St. Lawrence, Jessie, also served the stations or missions of Deehr, McHenry, Aneta and Cooperstown.
Fr. John Duffy served the parish for a few months in 1927. Frs. J. H. Hurtibise and Lucien Burque each served the parish for two years. In 1932, Fr. Charles Schneider came for a four-year stay. In 1936, Fr. George Miller succeeded Fr. Schneider. It was during Fr. Miller€™s ten year stay that the fledgling mission at Cooperstown named for Fr. George Miller's patron saint began in earnest.
In 1946 Fr. Roman E. Ludwig was assigned to succeed Fr. George Miller. Under his guidance, the parish hall was built and furnished in 1948. The building of the hall was a fortunate foresight, for in September of the same year the frame church, built forty years before, burned. For almost three years the parish hall was also the parish church. In 1951 the new brick church, so beautiful in its simplicity, was built. The parishioners were overjoyed:
once more they could worship God in a House that was His Own.
In 1956 Fr. Joseph Huebsch came to replace Fr. Ludwig. He continued the parish and cemetery beautification program Fr. Ludwig had begun. Fr. Heubsch remained eleven years. Fr. Edward Freuh came to stay but a year in 1967. Realignments of parishes in the area in 1968 transferred the pastoral care of St. Lawrence Parish to the pastor of St. George, Cooperstown, North Dakota Fr. Adam Hasey admirably and kindly guided the parish in this period of adjustment and stayed as pastor through July, 1973. In September, 1973, the present pastor, Fr. George D. Schneider succeeded Fr. Hasey.
St. Lawrence Parish of Jessie seldom had more than fifty families on its parish roster. Yet these families have formed and kept a close-knit community that is so Christ-like indicative of the Savior's Love.
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 445