About St. Peter · Gentilly, Minnesota
St. Peter's Catholic Church is a historic French-Canadian parish in Gentilly Township, Polk County, Minnesota, about seven miles east of Crookston in the Red River Valley. The parish was organized in 1879 by French-Canadian settlers and is currently served as a mission of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Crookston within the Diocese of Crookston. The present Neo-Gothic brick church was built in 1914–1915 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, celebrated its centennial in 2014 with a major restoration, and continues to gather descendants of the original Gentilly farming community for one weekly Sunday Mass.
- Established
- 1879
- Patron
- St. Peter (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Currently served as a Mission of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Crookston (Rev. Vincent Miller, Rector, with Deacon Dan Hannig assigned to the cathedral cluster)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Crookston
Why belong here
St. Peter's is one of Minnesota's most historic small French-Canadian Catholic parishes, and visitors are welcomed into a century-old Neo-Gothic church whose stained-glass windows, stencilled interior, and carved high altar have been lovingly restored. It is a quiet, deeply rooted community of farming families who descend from the original 1879 founders; for anyone seeking an intimate Sunday liturgy with a direct line to a storied immigrant past, St. Peter's offers a genuinely unique spiritual home just minutes east of Crookston.
Mass times at St. Peter
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (immediately following the 10:30 a.m. Mass)
Heritage of a French-Canadian Parish
St. Peter's is one of Minnesota's signature French-Canadian Catholic settlements, founded in 1879 in Polk County's Red River Valley. The parish was organized by 118 French-Canadian and two Irish families who consciously recreated the Quebec model of parish life — with a resident pastor, parish council (syndic), and a parish tax — to preserve their language, faith, and ethnic identity on the Minnesota frontier. Successive French-speaking priests, especially Rev. Elie Theillon (1888–1935), shaped both the spiritual and economic life of the community, founding the Gentilly Dairy Association and building the present Neo-Gothic church.
- Parish organized 1879 — 118 French-Canadian families and 2 Irish families (~769 souls)
- First mission priest: Rev. Pierre Beaugrand Champagne (Red Lake Falls, 1879–1881)
- First resident pastor: Rev. Alexandre Bouchard (1881–1884)
- Foundational model: Quebec national-parish system with dime tax and parish council
The Historic Church Building
The current St. Peter's Catholic Church is a brick Neo-Gothic structure built in 1914–1915 at a cost of $35,000. Its symmetrical façade is dominated by a central entry tower crowned with an octagonal belfry and spire, flanked by lancet windows with quatrefoil tracery. The interior features elaborately stencilled patterns and frescoes in blue, crimson, beige, green and gold, an elaborately carved Gothic-style high altar with two side altars in the apse, and memorial stained-glass windows depicting Biblical scenes. The adjacent two-story frame rectory was built in 1902 (sometimes called 'the White House of Gentilly'). Together the church and rectory were placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 19, 1982.
- Architect: Halstead and Sullivan of Duluth, Minnesota
- Contractor: Edward Jackson of Bemidji
- Construction cost: $35,000 (1914–15)
- Rectory built 1901–1902
- Listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, August 19, 1982 (NRHP #82002994)
Stained-Glass Windows
The church's stained-glass windows are memorial gifts depicting Biblical subjects. According to parish tradition, an artist was commissioned to draft the scenes, reportedly traveling to Jerusalem to ensure historically authentic backgrounds. The designs were drawn in France but the windows themselves were manufactured in Chicago and brought to Gentilly by rail free of charge thanks to railroad magnate James J. Hill's personal friendship with Father Theillon. During the 2014 centennial restoration, every window was re-leaded as part of a comprehensive preservation effort.
- Memorial windows depicting Biblical subjects
- Designs drafted in France; manufactured in Chicago
- Shipped free by rail courtesy of James J. Hill
- Re-leaded during the 2014 centennial restoration
2014 Centennial Restoration
St. Peter's celebrated the 100th anniversary of its 1914–1915 brick church on Sunday, August 17, 2014, with a special 10:30 a.m. Mass and luncheon. In preparation, parishioners raised roughly $400,000–$450,000 for a 'facelift' that included re-pointing the exterior brickwork with new mortar, repairing the roof and steeple, replastering interior walls, and re-leading the stained-glass windows, along with smaller items like new kitchen tabletops. Volunteers in period costume portrayed early residents and clergy of Gentilly for the celebration, including a reenactment of Father Theillon's fundraising visits.
- Centennial Mass held Sunday, August 17, 2014 at 10:30 a.m.
- Exterior brick and mortar replaced
- Roof and steeple repaired
- Interior walls replastered
- Stained glass re-leaded
- Project cost: ~$400,000–$450,000
Clergy and Pastoral Succession
The parish has been served by a remarkable succession of French-Canadian priests since 1879. After the missionary era of Fr. Pierre Champagne, Fr. Alexandre Bouchard (1881–1884) became the first resident pastor and established the Quebec-style parish structure. Fr. Clement Gamache (1884–1888) initiated the cemetery and the famous annual bazaar. Fr. Elie Theillon (1888–1935), the longest-serving pastor, transformed the community through the dairy cooperative and built the present church. Fr. John J. T. Philippe (1935–1958) and Msgr. Victor Cardin continued the tradition. Today St. Peter's operates as a Mission of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Crookston, sharing pastoral staff with the cathedral parish.
- Fr. Pierre Champagne (missionary, 1879–1881)
- Fr. Alexandre Bouchard (1881–1884, first resident pastor)
- Fr. Clement Gamache (1884–1888)
- Fr. Elie Theillon (1888–1935)
- Fr. John J. T. Philippe (1935–1958)
- Msgr. Victor Cardin (1958–)
- Currently a Mission of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Crookston
Parish Life and Ministries
Although a small rural mission today, St. Peter's retains a deep tradition of community self-organization that goes back to its founding. The parish cemetery — work on which began under Fr. Clement Gamache in 1884 — remains a focal point of stewardship. The famous annual parish bazaar, begun in 1884, ran continuously until 1960 and helped finance parish projects for three generations. The most distinctive 'ministry' in the parish's history is the Gentilly Dairy Association, founded by Fr. Theillon in 1895, which sustained the parish's farming families for nearly four decades until its sale to Land O'Lakes in 1933.
- Parish cemetery (begun 1884 under Fr. Gamache)
- Annual parish bazaar (1884–1960)
- Gentilly Dairy Association cooperative (1895–1933; dividends to 1968)
Diocese of Crookston
St. Peter's belongs to the Diocese of Crookston, in the Northwest Deanery, and is canonically classified as a Mission of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Crookston — meaning it shares pastoral staff with the cathedral parish (rector and assigned deacons) rather than having its own resident pastor. Diocesan listings show the cathedral at 702 Summit Avenue, Crookston, MN 56716, with St. Peter's served through that office.
- Diocese of Crookston
- Deanery: Northwest
- Status: Mission of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Crookston
- Cathedral rector (as of 2014 directory): Rev. Vincent Miller
- Diocesan contact: Msgr. David Baumgartner, V.G.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Pierre (Beaugrand) Champagne1879–1881
Missionary priest based at Red Lake Falls; walked ~13 miles to say occasional Mass at the Gentilly village schoolhouse; born 1839 at St. Ambroise de Kildore, Quebec, ordained 1867.
- Rev. Alexandre Bouchard1881–1884
First resident pastor; imposed the Quebec-style 'dime' (church tax) and organized a parish council (syndic), saving the parish from fragmentation; built the first frame rectory and church at a cost of $1,200.
- Rev. Clement (V.) Gamache1884–1888
Second pastor; began work on the parish cemetery, completed an addition to the church, and held the first parish bazaar in 1884 (the bazaar continued annually until 1960).
- Rev. Elie Theillon1888–1935
Third pastor, born 1858 in Limousin, France; built the 1901 two-story frame rectory and the 1914–15 brick Neo-Gothic church ($35,000); founded the Gentilly Dairy Association in 1895; granted a Roman dispensation to head the cooperative; a statue of Christ was erected in 1933 to mark his 50th anniversary in the priesthood.
- Rev. John J. T. Philippe1935–1958
Born in Nouvelle, Quebec; succeeded Fr. Theillon after his death.
- Msgr. Victor Cardin1958– (serving as of mid-1970s)
Born of Montreal parents; continued the tradition of French-Canadian priests and was bilingual in French and English.