About St. John · Kensal, North Dakota
St. John Catholic Church is a small rural Catholic parish located at 407 Pleasant Street in Kensal, North Dakota (Stutsman County), in the heart of the prairie about 30 miles north of Jamestown. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo and, since June 26, 2024, is clustered with Sacred Heart Church in Carrington and St. Elizabeth in Sykeston, sharing a single pastor for the three-country-area parishes. Weekly worship centers on a Saturday evening Mass, with confession heard immediately before, and the parish is supported by a Catholic cemetery (Saint John's Catholic Cemetery) on the edge of town.
- Established
- 1893
- Patron
- St. John (the Evangelist, by longstanding North Dakota naming convention — parish simply listed as 'St. John's, Kensal')
- Rector
- Rev. Darrick J. Leier
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fargo
Why belong here
St. John in Kensal is a tight-knit rural parish where the same priest who pastors Sacred Heart in Carrington and St. Elizabeth in Sykeston also celebrates Saturday evening Mass and hears confessions in Kensal each week. For farming families across southern Stutsman County, it offers the rhythms of a small mission church — Saturday Vigil Mass, OCIA for adults inquiring about the faith, Family Faith Formation for children, and a longstanding Catholic cemetery — all under the care of the Diocese of Fargo.
Mass times at St. John
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM – 4:50 PM (St. John's, Kensal — before the 5:00 PM Vigil Mass)
Adoration times
- Cluster-wide adoration schedules are listed on the Sacred Heart Carrington website; specific St. John's Kensal adoration hours were not separately published.
About St. John, Kensal
St. John Catholic Church is a small rural parish serving the farming community of Kensal in northeastern Stutsman County, North Dakota. Since June 26, 2024, it has been clustered with Sacred Heart Church in Carrington and St. Elizabeth Church in Sykeston under a single pastor, Rev. Darrick J. Leier. The parish sits in the Diocese of Fargo, which covers eastern North Dakota and was originally erected as the Diocese of Jamestown on November 10, 1889 before being renamed in 1897.
- Address: 407 Pleasant Street, Kensal, ND
- Diocese: Fargo
- Cluster: Sacred Heart (Carrington) / St. John (Kensal) / St. Elizabeth (Sykeston)
- Current pastor: Rev. Darrick J. Leier (since June 26, 2024)
History
Catholic settlers were among the earliest residents of Kensal, which was platted by the Minnesota Loan and Trust Company in the fall of 1892 along the Soo Line railroad. A church was established by 1893, and the first Roman Catholic priest identified in the local history of the town is Rev. G. Bierens, listed in the period around 1907–1908 when a 'new $10,000 edifice' for the parish was contemplated because of the growing Catholic population. The early town history also notes that the first public school of Kensal (built 1894) stood on what was already 'the present site of the Roman Catholic church.' The twentieth-century pastoral record includes a notable 18-year pastorate of Fr. John Earl Moore, a Powers Lake native ordained at Devils Lake in 1945 by Bishop Aloisius J. Muench, who served St. John from June 1949 until June 1967 before moving on to St. Michael Grand Forks, St. Michael Wales (administrator), and finally Blessed Sacrament West Fargo. The parish continues to maintain Saint John's Catholic Cemetery on the edge of town. In the modern era, declining rural populations have led the Diocese of Fargo to cluster St. John with Sacred Heart (Carrington) and St. Elizabeth (Sykeston) under a single pastor.
- Catholic presence in Kensal from at least 1893
- Rev. G. Bierens — Catholic priest circa 1907–1908
- Fr. John Earl Moore — pastor June 1949 to June 1967 (18 years)
- Saint John's Catholic Cemetery, Kensal
Faith Formation & Becoming Catholic
Children's religious education is provided through the cluster's Family Faith Formation (FFF) program, directed by Jessica Skadberg ([email protected]). Adults interested in becoming Catholic — whether unbaptized, baptized in another Christian church, or already baptized Catholic seeking Confirmation — participate in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). Sessions typically begin in the Fall and conclude at the Easter Vigil, when initiation is celebrated with the reception of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist.
- Family Faith Formation (FFF) — Jessica Skadberg, DRE
- OCIA (formerly RCIA) — coordinated by Fr. Darrick Leier, parish office (701) 652-2519
- Cluster Confirmation / First Holy Eucharist celebrated at Sacred Heart, Carrington with Bishop Folda
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
The cluster of three parishes — Sacred Heart, Carrington / St. John, Kensal / St. Elizabeth, Sykeston — has been led since June 26, 2024 by Rev. Darrick J. Leier, a Diocese of Fargo native (University of Jamestown '89) who was ordained May 19, 2018 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver and returned to Fargo in 2024 after serving in the Archdiocese of Denver.
- Rev. Darrick J. Leier — Pastor (current)
- Past pastor on record: Fr. John Earl Moore (1949–1967)
- Earliest pastor on record: Rev. G. Bierens (c. 1907–1908)
Cluster Parish Life & Devotions
Beyond Sunday and weekday Masses, the cluster observes a number of seasonal devotions together. A Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts is prayed in May ahead of Confirmation, the 9 Days for Life novena is observed in January, and Safe Haven Sunday is marked as a cluster. The cluster also participates in the diocesan Catholic Home Mission Appeal.
- Novena to the Holy Spirit (May, before Confirmation)
- 9 Days for Life Novena (January)
- Safe Haven Sunday
- Catholic Home Mission Appeal
Saint John's Catholic Cemetery
A Catholic cemetery has been associated with the parish from the earliest years of the congregation and continues to serve Kensal-area Catholic families. It is recorded in the Greater Regional Catholic High School genealogical index for Stutsman County at approximately 47.308N, 98.73W.
- Name: Saint John's Catholic Cemetery
- Location: Kensal, Stutsman County, ND
- Recorded coordinates: 47.308N, 98.73W
Visiting & Contact
Because the parish is currently served by a clustered priest traveling in from Carrington, the most reliable way to arrange a visit outside of Mass times, request a sacrament, or inquire about parish life is through the cluster parish office at Sacred Heart in Carrington. The Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:00 PM and confessions from 4:30–4:50 PM remain the regular weekly moments when St. John's in Kensal is open to the public.
- Parish office: Sacred Heart, Carrington — (701) 652-2519
- Email (OCIA / pastoral): [email protected]
- Religious education: [email protected] (Jessica Skadberg, DRE)
- Cluster website: https://sacredheartcarrington.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. G. Bierenscirca 1907-1908
Listed in the early-twentieth-century History of Kensal as the Roman Catholic priest serving the parish in the period when a 'new $10,000 edifice' was contemplated.
- Rev. John Earl MooreJune 1949 – June 1967
Pastor of St. John parish, Kensal — the longest documented pastorate. Born Powers Lake, ND 1916; ordained at St. Joseph, Devils Lake on Feb 2, 1945 by Bishop Aloisius J. Muench. Previously associate pastor at Cathedral of St. Mary, Fargo (Feb 1945–June 1948) and at the Basilica of St. James, Jamestown (July 1948–June 1949). Later served St. Michael Grand Forks, St. Michael Wales (administrator), and Blessed Sacrament West Fargo before retiring 1990. Died Feb 9, 2005.