About Immaculate Conception · Crookston, Minnesota
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is the mother church and seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Crookston, located at 702 Summit Avenue in Crookston, Minnesota. The present-day cathedral is a modern brick structure dedicated on September 25, 1990, designed to seat roughly 1,000 worshippers and built on property previously owned by the Sisters of Mount St. Benedict. It succeeded the original 1912 Neo-Gothic cathedral (designed by architect Bert Keck), which remains on the National Register of Historic Places. The cathedral serves the parish community as well as a Spanish-language Mass, an attached Cathedral School (K-6), and the mission church of St. Peter in Gentilly.
- Established
- 1830 (mission beginnings); December 31, 1909 (Diocese of Crookston established by Pope Pius X); 1912 (first cathedral cornerstone); September 25, 1990 (present cathedral dedicated)
- Patron
- Immaculate Conception (Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Msgr. David Baumgartner
- Diocese
- Diocese of Crookston
Why belong here
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is the spiritual heart of the Diocese of Crookston, offering weekend Masses in English with a Spanish Mass on the first and third Sundays, generous weekly confession times (Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday), and ongoing livestreams that extend its reach beyond northwest Minnesota. It anchors the parish-attached Cathedral School for K-6 families and serves as the gathering place for major diocesan events — most recently the October 2025 opening of the canonization cause of Sister Annella Zervas, OSB, a beloved native daughter of the diocese. Visitors and parishioners find a welcoming community connected to the historic 1912 Neo-Gothic cathedral, now on the National Register of Historic Places, and the modern 1990 cathedral built for nearly 1,000 worshippers.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays, 4:00–4:45 p.m.
- Sundays, 8:00–8:45 a.m.
- After the 10:30 a.m. Mass at St. Peter's (Gentilly)
- Wednesdays, 12:00–1:00 p.m.
- Any time by appointment
The Cathedral Parish
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, located at 702 Summit Avenue in Crookston, Minnesota, is the mother church of the Diocese of Crookston and serves as both a parish church for local Catholics and the seat of the diocesan bishop. Under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Msgr. David Baumgartner and the assistance of Deacon Dan Hannig, the cathedral schedules weekend Masses, Sunday Masses in both English and Spanish, and regular weekly confession times. It also serves the mission church of St. Peter in Gentilly, which uses the cathedral mailing address and shares the same pastor.
- Pastor: Rev. Msgr. David Baumgartner
- Deacon: Dan Hannig
- Mission: St. Peter's Church, Gentilly
- Deanery: Northwest (Diocese of Crookston)
History of the Cathedral
Catholic missionary activity in the Crookston area goes back to 1830, more than a century before the cathedral parish took its modern shape. The Diocese of Crookston itself was erected on December 31, 1909 by Pope Pius X, and its first bishop, the energetic fundraiser Timothy J. Corbett, soon set out to build a cathedral worthy of his new see.
The 1912 Cathedral (Historic)
Bishop Corbett commissioned Crookston architect Bert D. Keck to design the original Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Built in 1912–1913 in the Late Gothic Revival style with three spires and an interior featuring two side balconies, a choir loft, ceramic-tile floors, oil paintings of the Passion and the saints, and stenciled walls, it was dedicated on February 2, 1913 and acclaimed locally as 'the finest house of worship in Northern Minnesota.' The building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on October 1, 1998 (NRHP #98001219).
- Architect: Bert D. Keck (Polk County, MN)
- Architectural style: Late Gothic Revival, three spires
- Cornerstone laid: June 16, 1912
- Dedication: February 2, 1913
- Interior completion: 1915–1916
- Reported final cost: about $125,000
- Seating capacity: 1,000
The 1990 Cathedral (Present)
By the 1980s, the diocese decided the 1912 cathedral no longer met parish and diocesan needs. Bishop Victor Balke led the move to build the present-day Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, a modern brick building seated for about 1,000 worshippers, on a parcel in Crookston formerly used by the Sisters of Mount St. Benedict. It was dedicated on September 25, 1990 and continues to serve as the mother church of the diocese.
- Style: Modern
- Materials: Brick
- Capacity: approximately 1,000
- Dedicated: September 25, 1990
- Consecrated: 1990
Cathedral School (K-6)
Sharing the 702 Summit Avenue campus with the parish, Cathedral School of Crookston is the parish-affiliated elementary school for grades K through 6. Led by Principal Stephanie Webster under the pastorship of Msgr. David Baumgartner, the school nurtures students academically and spiritually, with a mission statement that declares, 'Our Cathedral School family creates an environment where faith, family and knowledge shine.'
- Principal: Stephanie Webster
- Pastor: Msgr. David Baumgartner
- Address: 702 Summit Ave, Crookston, MN 56716
- Phone: 218-281-1835
- Website: https://www.mycathedral.school
Sister Annella Zervas — Cause for Canonization
On October 9, 2025, Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens celebrated the Opening Mass for the diocesan phase of the cause of canonization of Sister Annella Zervas, OSB, inside the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Sister Annella (1900–1926), a professed Benedictine of St. Benedict's Monastery in St. Joseph, Minnesota, was born and died in nearby Moorhead but is honored as a spiritual daughter of the Diocese of Crookston for her radiant faith and patient suffering. She is remembered as an 'apostle of suffering for our day' and an example of profound trust in the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
- Annella Zervas born April 7, 1900 in Moorhead, MN
- Entered the Benedictine convent at 15
- Received habit 1918 as Sister Mary Annella
- Solemn profession July 1922
- Died August 14, 1926, age 26
- Diocesan phase of cause opened October 9, 2025 at the Cathedral
- More: sisterannella.org
Visit, Contact, and Livestreams
Visitors are welcome at the cathedral for scheduled Masses and devotions. The parish office is open Tuesday through Thursday mornings and afternoons (with reduced hours Monday and Friday in summer), and may be reached at (218) 281-1735 or [email protected]. Masses and diocesan events are livestreamed via the Diocese of Crookston's YouTube channel, allowing those who cannot travel to Crookston to participate remotely.
- Phone: (218) 281-1735
- Fax: (218) 281-1747
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: 702 Summit Ave, Crookston, MN 56716
- Office hours: Tue–Thu 8:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:00–3:30 p.m.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Bishop Timothy J. Corbett (first bishop; oversaw founding of cathedral parish, 1909–1938)1909–1938
First Bishop of Crookston; built the 1912 cathedral and the cathedral high school.
- Bishop (later biographical succession of diocesan rectors)
The parish as the diocesan cathedral has been served by the rector assigned by the sitting bishop. The current rector is Msgr. David Baumgartner, per the official cathedral and diocese websites.
