About Our Lady of the Lake · Battle Lake, Minnesota
Our Lady of the Lake is a small Catholic parish in the lakeside community of Battle Lake, Minnesota, part of the Diocese of Saint Cloud. Founded in 1953, the parish has worshiped in five successive buildings over its history and now gathers in a church dedicated in 2009 by Bishop John Kinney. The parish is one of seven parishes in the Disciples of the Mission Area Catholic Community (ACC), sharing priests, deacons, youth ministry, and faith formation staff with sister parishes in the surrounding Otter Tail County area. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 10:30 a.m., with a weekday Mass on Thursday mornings, regular Confession times, and monthly Eucharistic Adoration on the first Thursday.
- Established
- 1953
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Lake (the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Fr. George Michael VC
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saint Cloud
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Lake offers a small, lakeside Catholic community where Sunday Mass at 10:30 a.m. is followed by fellowship in St. Joseph Fellowship Hall — the parish's preserved 1980 building now attached to the 2009 church. The parish runs a Faith Formation program for children Pre-K through 12th grade, is supported by an active Prayer Chain and a Home Communion ministry, and shares the ACC-wide youth ministry led by Amy Evjen. With two weekday Confession times, monthly First Saturday Mass, and First Thursday all-day Eucharistic Adoration, the parish offers a steady rhythm of sacraments and devotions in a setting that welcomes both year-round residents and summer lake-country visitors.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Lake
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 6:30 PM
- Thursday 8:00 AM
- First Saturday of the month 8:00 AM
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Thursday Holy Hour: 9:00 AM
- First Thursday of the month Adoration: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
About Our Lady of the Lake
Our Lady of the Lake is a Catholic parish in Battle Lake, Minnesota, in the Diocese of Saint Cloud. Founded in 1953, it serves the lakeside community of Battle Lake and the surrounding Otter Tail County area. The parish is part of the Disciples of the Mission Area Catholic Community (ACC), a partnership of seven parishes that share pastors, deacons, faith formation staff, and youth ministry. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 10:30 a.m., with weekday Mass on Thursday morning and a First Saturday morning Mass each month.
- Founded 1953 in Battle Lake, MN
- Diocese of Saint Cloud
- Member parish of Disciples of the Mission ACC
History of the Parish
Since its founding in 1953, Our Lady of the Lake has worshipped in five successive buildings. Its first sanctuary was the old Otter Tail County Courthouse (1953–1954). The next building, used from 1954 to 1980, was known as the "Winter Church," while a separate, larger "Summer Church" was added in 1964 to handle the seasonal influx of lake visitors. A fourth building constructed in 1980 served the parish until 2009, when the current church was dedicated by Bishop Kinney of the Diocese of Saint Cloud; that 1980 building is now part of the parish campus as St. Joseph Fellowship Hall.
- 1953–1954: Old Otter Tail County Courthouse
- 1954–1980: "Winter Church"
- 1964–1980: "Summer Church"
- 1980–2009: Fourth church (now St. Joseph Fellowship Hall)
- 2009–present: Current church dedicated by Bishop Kinney
Parish Staff and Clergy
The parish is served by two priests, two deacons, and a parish secretary, with shared faith-formation and youth-ministry staff from the ACC. Fr. George Michael VC, a Vincentian priest, is pastor alongside Fr. Jeremy Theis; Deacons Craig Stich and Mick Froslee assist with the parishes of OLL, St. James, and St. Edward. Lori Curtis serves as the parish secretary in the Battle Lake office.
- Fr. George Michael VC — Pastor (Vincentian / Congregation of the Mission)
- Fr. Jeremy Theis — Pastor
- Deacon Craig Stich
- Deacon Mick Froslee
- Lori Curtis — Parish Secretary
- Sheila Newark — Faith Formation Lead, Our Lady of the Lake
- Amy Evjen — ACC Youth Director
- Mark Cory and Sheila Newark — Parish Trustees
Pastoral Contacts
The parish office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Office Phone: 218-864-5619. Rectory Phone: 218-862-5644. Email: [email protected]. Mailing address: PO Box 671, Battle Lake, MN 56515-0671.
- Office: 218-864-5619
- Rectory: 218-862-5644
- Email: [email protected]
- Deacon Craig Stich: 218-770-7449
- Trustee Mark Cory: 218-731-5577
- Trustee Sheila Newark: 218-405-0459
- Prayer Chain contact Jan Hallberg: 218-731-6047
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Faith Formation is an ongoing, family-centered process at Our Lady of the Lake. The program serves children from Pre-K through 12th grade and walks them through the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation. Sheila Newark serves as the parish's Faith Formation Lead, and the program is supported by Amy Evjen, the ACC-wide Youth Director.
- Pre-K through 12th grade Faith Formation
- Sacramental preparation: Baptism, Reconciliation, First Communion, Confirmation
- Sheila Newark — Our Lady of the Lake Faith Formation Lead (218-405-0459)
- Amy Evjen — ACC Youth Director ([email protected])
- Online registration form available on the ACC website
Sacraments
Parents seeking Baptism for their child are required to attend a Baptism preparation class and to contact Fr. George or Fr. Theis in advance. Couples planning a wedding should contact the priests at least six months ahead, before making other arrangements. Adults interested in becoming Catholic (RCIA) are invited to reach out to Fr. George or Fr. Theis. The parish also coordinates Home Communion visits for the sick, homebound, hospitalized, or hospice-bound through Deacon Craig.
- Baptism — preparation class required; contact Fr. George or Fr. Theis
- First Reconciliation and First Communion — through Faith Formation
- Confirmation — through Faith Formation
- Marriage / Wedding — at least 6 months advance contact with priest
- RCIA — inquiry directed to Fr. George or Fr. Theis
- Anointing of the Sick / Home Communion — via Deacon Craig
Parish Ministries and Outreach
Beyond Mass and the sacraments, the parish maintains ministries that keep parishioners connected in prayer, fellowship, and pastoral care. A Prayer Chain, coordinated through Jan Hallberg, brings parishioners' intentions before the Lord. A Home Communion ministry, coordinated by Deacon Craig, brings the Eucharist to those who cannot attend Mass. Two elected trustees — Mark Cory and Sheila Newark — help steward parish affairs.
- Prayer Chain (contact: Jan Hallberg, 218-731-6047)
- Home Communion ministry (contact: Deacon Craig, 218-769-4409)
- Parish Trustees (Mark Cory, Sheila Newark)
- Parish Secretary office (Lori Curtis)
Facilities: St. Joseph Fellowship Hall
The parish's fourth church building — used from 1980 to 2009 — was preserved on the campus when the new sanctuary was built in 2009 and now lives on as St. Joseph Fellowship Hall. It serves as the gathering space for fellowship after Mass, parish events, and the Faith Formation calendar listed on the ACC website.
- Original construction 1980; repurposed 2009
- Attached to current 2009 church
- Used for fellowship and parish gatherings
Disciples of the Mission Area Catholic Community
Our Lady of the Lake is one of seven parishes in the Disciples of the Mission Area Catholic Community (ACC), a regional collaboration of parishes in the Diocese of Saint Cloud. Together the parishes share pastors, faith formation staff, youth ministry, and bulletin communications. Sister parishes include St. James (Maine Township), St. Edward (Henning), St. Ann (Brandon), St. William (Parkers Prairie), Our Lady of Seven Dolors (Millerville), and Sacred Heart (Urbank).
- Our Lady of the Lake — Battle Lake
- St. James — Maine Township
- St. Edward — Henning
- St. Ann — Brandon
- St. William — Parkers Prairie
- Our Lady of Seven Dolors — Millerville
- Sacred Heart — Urbank
- Shared ACC website: disciplesofthemissionacc.org
Bulletin and Parish Communications
A combined parish bulletin is published weekly for the Disciples of the Mission ACC. Bulletin announcements should be submitted by Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. for inclusion in that weekend's bulletin. Past bulletins are available on the ACC website's Bulletins page, and the parish uses its ACC-wide bulletin to share ministry schedules, sacramental information, and Mass intentions.
- Combined weekly ACC bulletin
- Bulletin deadline: Tuesday 11:00 AM
- Online archive available at disciplesofthemissionacc.org/bulletins